Rangie Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 (edited) Hello Folks, I'm working my way through a MERLIN report for my Mk2 Parotow Widetrack and a couple of abbreviations have stumped me. The ones in question are: 1992 - STORES PL 15 FD WKSP - 1994 - S/S 15 FD WKSP 6 BN REME 2001 - 6 CS BN REME ST TP RLC 15 Field Workshop is straightforward, as is 6th Battalion REME and The RLC. But the PL, S/S, CS, ST & TP is a bit baffling... Could the ST be STore? The L Logistic? CS Close Support? Also the line "S/S 15 FD WKSP 6 BN REME", should that perhaps be two different lines/units, or were they attached at that point? It may also be a MERLIN glitch. I love these acronym hells Alec Edited August 20 by Rangie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritishMilitaria Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 This document may be of use https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a757b41e5274a1622e2221e/acronyms_and_abbreviations_dec08.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 3 hours ago, Rangie said: Hello Folks, I'm working my way through a MERLIN report for my Mk2 Parotow Widetrack and a couple of abbreviations have stumped me. The ones in question are: 1992 - STORES PL 15 FD WKSP - 1994 - S/S 15 FD WKSP 6 BN REME 2001 - 6 CS BN REME ST TP RLC 15 Field Workshop is straightforward, as is 6th Battalion REME and The RLC. But the PL, S/S, CS, ST & TP is a bit baffling... Could the ST be STore? The L Logistic? CS Close Support? Also the line "S/S 15 FD WKSP 6 BN REME", should that perhaps be two different lines/units, or were they attached at that point? It may also be a MERLIN glitch. I love these acronym hells Alec I'm not 100% up-to-date on these, but I think the abbreviations include: PL - platoon, hence Stores Platoon attached to 15 Field (fd) Workshop (wksp) REME S/S - probably an unofficial abbreviation for Stores Section - there probably ought not to be an oblique stroke (was the Platoon reduced in size to a section when 15 Fd Wksp became part of 6 Battalion REME)? I don't know because I can't remember how the REME reorganised into battalions when it dropped the much more traditional title of Workshop. The Royal Army Medical Corps followed the same route, dropping the term 'Field Ambulance' in favour of Medical battalion - all nonsense, of course. CS would indeed be for 6 Close Support Battalion REME and ST TP RLC could be Stores Troop Royal Logistic Corps. The RAOC amalgamated with the Royal Corps of Transport (and others) to make the Royal Logistic Corps and, when that happened, the sexier titles of troop (tp) and squadron (sqn) replaced platoon (pl) and company (coy). The thing is, sometimes some of these abbreviations are a bit wonky as they aren't put in to the computer (or entered onto documents, for that matter) by experts in staff duties but by civilians, quite frequently and by junior soldiers, also quite often. Many soldiers manage to go ao complete career and still not get the correct abbreviations for their immediate surroundings right! And, of course, some abbreviations morph over time, for example, platoon has been Pln, Plt and Pl at various times. Anyhow, that's how I would read the abbreviations you have offered. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 9 hours ago, 10FM68 said: Anyhow, that's how I would read the abbreviations you have offered. Those are excellent suggestions, well reasoned, thanks. Platoon is deafeningly obvious now that you've suggested it 🤦♂️ Thanks, Alec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Alec for a detailed history of REME around the time of the Logistic Support Review 1992 I would recommend the extensive references in Craftsmen of the Army Volume II - The Story of REME 1969-1992 I can't copy these pages for copyright reasons and besides there are so many references it would take a long time to scan. This book is remarkably accurate, I base this on my researches of Humber Pigs where I have followed up every SITREP that covers them & other research at the REME Museum. Having got so many details correct on them, I can only assume the rest of the book is equally accurate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 12 hours ago, BritishMilitaria said: This document may be of use https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a757b41e5274a1622e2221e/acronyms_and_abbreviations_dec08.pdf Very handy! Not seen this one before, thanks. Seems that some of the acronyms/abbreviations I've found on B Cards were made up as they go along, or were transport-specific, ha ha. A couple of entries for one of the Rover 11 Ambulances took a lot of decyphering Alec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 That pdf is very interesting unfortunately it is tri-service and rather generalised. I would hope that there might be an Army specific appendix somewhere? I have a RN specific glossary as an appendix to BR 96. Then of course each arm of service will have their own set of abbreviations. Those used in B Cards can generally be identified in Manual of Army Ordnance Services Volume 1 Pamphlet No.15 Glossary of terms & abbreviations in ordnance usage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 If you will forgive me Alec a bit of thread drift. These are/were abbreviations in ordnance use that have quite different meanings from the general MOD use. AIM, AMF, AOF, AVD, BVD, CVD, CCF, CRB, CWP, DPO, HT, RV and the list goes on & two that catches many out AEPS & TMP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 Agreed, lots of permutations. Now, as far as I can see from a bit of Googling/cross referencing, 15 Field Workshop/6th BN REME were Catterick based from the early 90s? The location and the fact it seemed to spend time moving around stores/workshops probably explains why its in such good general condition, particularly underneath (photos anon...). Alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 The whole subject really is something of a minefield for a number of reasons. The main one is probably that abbreviations change over time, so the current ones won't necessarily conform to those in WWII, for example. But don't underestimate how many users didn't (don't) know the correct ones themselves. One particularly interesting one on usage was the fact that, within NATO, documents were supposed to be written in British, not American English. That was a rule more frequently ignored than followed, certainly! The normal source of army abbreviations used to be the Staff Officers' Handbook (SOHB). These keep up to date with change, of course, so also vary. My 1996 copy has, for example, 'ammo' for ammunition, whereas, in WWII the abbreviation was generally 'amn' and that stayed the case for many years thereafter. Even in that edition 'MT' still gave 'Mechanical Transport' as an alternative to 'Motor Transport' - it was, of course, exclusively the former in WWII. Oddly, the Ferret Scout Car was, officially, abbreviated to 'FSC'; in 1944 the 'Tommy gun' also had its own abbreviation 'TMC' for Thompson Machine Carbine! One surprising one, (at least I think it is!) is the recognised abbreviation for Air Chief Marshal: it's 'Air Chf Mshl' not the more expected, and frankly more appropriate 'ACM' - particularly as Air Vice-Marshal (note hyphen) is... AVM! So, ideal for a pub quiz among military nerds I would have thought. Prisoner of War isn't the expected 'POW' either, but merely 'PW' and was, even in the 1944 edition of SOHB. And so it goes on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 2 minutes ago, Rangie said: Now, as far as I can see from a bit of Googling/cross referencing, 15 Field Workshop/6th BN REME were Catterick based from the early 90s? Yes I've lost the reference now Alec but in the book I saw they went to Catterick in 1993 (Interesting as I thought the book only went up to 1992!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 This from the website British Army Units from 1945 on for 15 Fd Wksp REME : Early 1960's Germany: Paderborn c1960's England: Coypool, Plymouth 24 Infantry Brigade c1969: Renamed 15 Field (Air Portable) Workshop Aug - Dec 69: Northern Ireland: Long Kesh with a Platoon at Ballykelly 24 Infantry Brigade Jul - Sep 70: Northern Ireland: HQ & Pln at Long Kesh, Pln at Londonderry, Pln at Sydenham 1971 England: Catterick 24 Infantry Brigade 1 Jul - 1 Dec 1972: Northern Ireland: Roulement Wksp 29 May - 29 Nov 1974: Northern Ireland: Roulement Wksp May - Nov 76: Northern Ireland 1977 Germany: Munster 5 Field Force 1977: Renamed 15 Field Workshop 1983 England: Catterick 2 Inf Division 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 As an aside it is rather quaint that MT survives. The original intention was that Mechanical Transport (MT) was differentiated from Horse Transport (HT). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritishMilitaria Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 On 8/21/2024 at 10:33 AM, Rangie said: Very handy! Not seen this one before, thanks. No problem! glad I could be of help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJSB Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 Dear all, Stores Platoon (Pl) 15 Field (Fd) Workshop) (Wksp). About the time of Options for change when the RLC was formed. Under the RLC they are definitely Stores Troops (Tp). SS is probably stores section, as 6 Bn REME covered Bordon, Tidworth and Catterick at the time - so the RLC stores Tp probably split into its sections. 6 CS Bn REME was the newer terminology, standing for Close Support Battalion. Now often just abbreviated to 6 REME at Bn level. For clarity it is also 6 Bn REME, not 6th. Toby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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