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ROYAL NAVY

Refer to the Royal Navy (caps), thereafter the Navy (noun, retain the cap); naval is l/c except in titles such as Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) etc.

Ships are styled HMS Achilles or the Achilles. They should generally be treated as feminine; thus she and her rather than it and its. Ships are named, not christened. Note that Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are entitled RFA, eg, RFA Fort George (not HMS...).

Do not italicise HMS or the name itself when a shore-based establishment, eg, HMS Collingwood.

General terms

alter (not change) course

Armed Forces, Armed Services, the Services (caps), but l/c serviceman, servicewoman. Also cap Service and Forces when used adjectivally as in a Service family

astern (never behind or following), eg, the Achilles was astern of the Ajax

Bar capped in reference to military award, eg, DSO and Bar

Britannia, the former Royal Yacht

company in the Royal Navy, ships do not have crews, they have ship's company

embarked in, not on

the Fleet cap

line ahead, not astern

moored or made fast; vessels are never tied up

navy ships: classes are capped, but rom not ital (Leander Class, etc)

on board is preferable to aboard

pennant, not pendant

ratings, not other ranks, in the Navy

Royal Marines caps

SBS, the Special Boat Service (no longer Squadron)

serving in a warship (but on a merchant ship); an officer is appointed to serve in HMS Sheffield, not posted to serve ... Also note that sailors serve in a submarine, even though subs are boats

signalman not signaller

submarines are called boats (not ships) in the Royal Navy

tow the towing ship has the towed ship in tow; the towed ship is under tow

Union Flag (not Union Jack) in naval contexts, except when flown at the jackstaff

under way

weigh anchor (not ship anchor, which would mean that a ship had left her anchor at the bottom of the sea)

Ranks

Prefer not to abbreviate ranks in text of news stories; however, in lists of promotions etc on the Court Page, the following abbreviations will apply: Adm, Cdre (Commodore), Capt, Cdr (Commander), Lt-Cdr, Lt, CPO (Chief Petty Officer), L/S (Leading Seaman).

Times style is to hyphenate those ranks consisting of a compound of two individual designations, eg, Lieutenant-Commander, Commandant-General, Surgeon-Captain; also any rank with vice or rear, eg, Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral. We should also hyphenate Commander-in-Chief

A flag officer is a rear-admiral or above, exercising command and authorised by the Admiralty to fly a flag. The following are flag ranks: Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral, Vice-Admiral, Rear-Admiral. Although the Duke of Edinburgh is an Admiral of the Fleet, the Fleet is actually commanded by an admiral whose job title is Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CinC Fleet)

Additional information may be found on the Royal Navy website .

THE ARMY

The (British) Army is capped when referred to as the Service, eg, "Two hundred new tanks were bought by the Army yesterday'', or "He denied that he hated the Army''; but l/c when used adjectivally, eg, "An army raid was launched yesterday on the front line ... '', or "An army spokesman rejected the suggestion ...''. See Army

Give soldiers their full title at first mention, eg, General Herbert Carruthers, thereafter General Carruthers or the general. Never refer to them as Mr in news stories.

General terms

Army cap in the British Army, then the Army (noun); for foreign forces, write, eg, the Pakistani Army, then the army (l/c); in all adjectival references, British and others, write army (l/c)

assault rifle an outmoded term to be avoided. The British Army's standard SA80 is a rifle

beating retreat not beating the retreat

commander-in-chief hyphenate; cap when specific, eg, Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces

guards of honour are ceremonial troops used to greet visiting dignitaries; like all guards, they are mounted, as sentries are posted

Guardsman a private soldier in the Foot Guard regiments

The King's Own Royal Border Regiment (full title)

King's Troop, RHA, remains thus even though the Sovereign is the Queen

Last Post (not the) is sounded, not played

lieutenant-general at subsequent mentions, write general; likewise major-general becomes general, lieutenant-colonel becomes colonel etc (but sergeant-major remains sergeant-major)

parade: troops march through the streets; they do not parade

Royal Corps of Signals may be contracted to Royal Signals (not RCS)

Royal Engineers can be abbreviated to RE (not REs)

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME for short, never Reme)

The Royal Welch Fusiliers, but Welsh Guards

SAS, the Special Air Service (regiment). See SBS

Trooping the Colour (not Trooping of the Colour)

trumpeters, buglers cavalry regiments have trumpeters, infantry regiments have buglers. They are not interchangeable

warrant officers in the British Army, regimental sergeant-major and company sergeant-major are warrant officer ranks (between the NCOs and commissioned officers)

Ranks and regiments

One of the trickiest areas is when to include The as part of the name of regiments. The answer is always to check either a hard copy of an up-to-date Army List (with defence cuts and the amalgamation of regiments in the past few years, titles have changed rapidly, so checking is imperative) or online, use the Army's website . Two useful entry points are Divisions and brigades and Corps and regiments . If The is part of a regiment's title, it is included on the opening page for that regiment, eg, from the Infantry Regiments page clicking on links will reveal The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment but the (l/c) Irish Guards.

General styles as follows:

Companies A Company, B Battery, 94 (Locating) Battery, C Squadron

Battalions 1st, 2nd etc, and 1st/5th, 6l Field Regiment, RA

Brigades 24 Infantry Brigade, 5 Airborne Brigade

Divisions 7th Armoured Division

Corps X Corps, XII Corps

Armies First Army

Army Groups 21 Army Group

With ranks, the same guidance on abbreviation and hyphenation applies as to those in the Royal Navy:

Prefer not to abbreviate ranks in text of news stories; however, in lists of promotions etc on the Court Page, the following abbreviations will apply; Gen; Lt-Gen; Maj-Gen; Brig; Col; Lt-Col; Maj; Capt; Lt; 2nd Lt; WO1 (Warrant Officer Class 1); WO2; S Sgt (Staff Sergeant); Sgt; Cpl; Bdr (Bombardier); L Cpl; Pte (Private); Gdsmn (Guardsman); Gnr (Gunner); Rfn (Rifleman).

Hyphenate those ranks consisting of a compound of two individual designations, eg, Major-General, Lieutenant-General, Lieutenant-Colonel, Sergeant-Major etc, but not compounds such as Staff Sergeant, Lance Corporal. (Note that Brigadier-General does not exist in the British Army, though it does, eg, in the American and French).

Chief of Defence Staff: a naval Chief of Defence Staff becomes Admiral Sir John Jones; an army one is General Sir John Jones; and an air force one is Air Chief Marshal Sir John Jones, in each case followed by Chief of Defence Staff. At second mention, they are normally Admiral Jones, General Jones, Air Chief Marshal Jones (rather than Sir John etc)

A field marshal would be either a peer or a knight, so after first mention of, eg, Field Marshal Sir Richard Potts, he would normally be Field Marshal Potts (rather than Sir Richard).

Similarly, an officer with a personal title should be described in full at first mention, eg, Lieutenant-General Sir Amos Burke, later normally General Burke (rather than Sir Amos).

ROYAL AIR FORCE

Use the Royal Air Force or the RAF in text, not the Air Force (see air force in general alphabetical section).

With ranks, the same guidance on abbreviation applies as to the Royal Navy and the Army; the only RAF rank to take a hyphen is Air Vice-Marshal.

Abbreviations (in lists only, as above) as follows: AVM (Air Vice-Marshal); Air Cdre (Air Commodore); Gp Capt (Group Captain); Wg Cdr (Wing Commander); Sqn Ldr (Squadron Leader); Flt Lt (Flight Lieutenant); FO (Flying Officer); PO (Pilot Officer); FS (Flight Sergeant); Chief Tech (Chief Technician); Sgt (Sergeant); Cpl (Corporal); SAC/SACW (Senior Aircraftman/Senior Aircraftwoman) etc.

NB. Never shorten Flight Lieutenant to Lieutenant at subsequent mentions.

Types of aircraft (not planes): Harrier jump jet, Tornado (Tornados plural), B52, F111 (no hyphens) etc.

RAF crews went on operations (or ops) in the Second World War; American (USAF) crews went on missions. Do not confuse

RAF Regiment is a corps within the Royal Air Force

Additional information may be found on the RAF website .

Last edited: April 21, 2009