Glossary of Ranks; All Services

RAN		back to top
RAN - Officers		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
Seaman Branch	Admiral	A
	Vice Admiral	VA
	Rear Admiral	RA
	Commodore 1st Class
	Commodore 2nd Class
	Captain	C
	Commander	Cr
	Lieutenant Commander	Lt Cr
	Lieutenant	Lt
	Sub Lieutenant	Sub
	Midshipman	Mid
	Cadet Midshipman	C Mid
	Commissioned Gunner	Cd Gr
	Gunner	Gr
	Commissioned Boatswain	Cd B
	Boatswain	B
Engineer Branch	Engineer Rear Admiral	E A
	Engineer Captain	E C
	Engineer Commander	E Cr
	Commander (E)	Cr (E)
	Engineer Lieutenant Commander	E Lt Cr
	Lieutenant Commander (E)	Lt Cr (E)
	Engineer Lieutenant	E Lt
	Lieutenant (E)	Lt (E)
	Sub Lieutenant (E)	Sub (E)
	Midshipman (E)	Mid (E)
	Commissioned Engineer	Cd Eng
	Warrant Engineer	W Eng
	Commissioned Mechanician	Cd Mech
	Warrant Mechanician	W Mech
Communications Branch	Telegraphist Lieutenant	TL
	Commissioned Telegraphist	Cd Tel
	Warrant Telegraphist	W Tel
	Signal Lieutenant	Sig Lt
	Commissioned Signal Boatswain	Cd SB
	Signal Boatswain	SB
Artisan Branch	Shipwright Lieutenant Commander	Shwt Lt Cr
	Shipwright Lieutenant	Shwt Lt
	Commissioned Shipwright	Cd Shwt
	Warrant Shipwright	W Shwt
	Ordnance Lieutenant Commander	O Lt Cr
	Ordnance Lieutenant	O Lt
	Commissioned Ordnance Officer	Cd O O
	Warrant Ordnance Officer	W O O
	Electrical Lieutenant	El Lt
	Commissioned Electrician	Cd Elec
	Warrant Electrician	W Elec
Medical Branch	Surgeon Captain	Sg C
	Surgeon Commander	Sg Cr
	Surgeon Commander (D)	Sg Cr (D)
	Surgeon Lieutenant Commander	Sg Lt Cr
	Surgeon Lieutenant Commander (D)	Sg Lt Cr (D)
	Surgeon Lieutenant	Sg Lt
	Surgeon Lieutenant (D)	Sg Lt (D)
	Wardmaster Lieutenant	Wdr Lt
	Commissioned Wardmaster	Cd Wdr
	Warrant Wardmaster	W Wdr
Accountant Branch / Supply and Secretariat Branch	Paymaster Captain	P C
	Paymaster Commander	P Cr
	Paymaster Lieutenant Commander	P Lt Cr
	Paymaster Lieutenant	P Lt
	Paymaster Sub Lieutenant	P Sub
	Paymaster Midshipman	P Mid
	Paymaster Cadet	P Cdt
	Commissioned Writer	Cd W
	Warrant Writer	W W
	Commissioned Supply Officer	Cd S O
	Warrant Supply Officer	W S O
Chaplain and Instructor Branch	Chaplain	Ch
	Instructor Captain	I C
	Instructor Commander	I Cr
	Instructor Lieutenant Commander	I Lt Cr
	Instructor Lieutenant	I Lt
	Commissioned Instructor	Cd I
	Warrant Instructor	W I
	Headmaster Lieutenant Commander	Hdmr Lt Cr
	Headmaster Lieutenant	Hdmr Lt
	Senior Master	Sen Mr
	Schoolmaster	Schr
	Schoolmaster holding the rank of	Schr (CWO)
	Commissioned Officer from Warrant Rank
	Schoolmaster Candidate	Schr C
Miscellaneous	Commissioned Master-at-Arms	Cd MAA
	Warrant Master-at-Arms	W MAA
	Commissioned Bandmaster	Cd Br
	Warrant Bandmaster	W Br
	Commissioned Officer from Warrant Rank	Cd W O
	Warrant Officer	W O
	Senior Naval Instructor	S N I
	Naval Instructor	N I
	Inspector, Naval Dockyard Police	Insp
	Sub Inspector, Naval Dockyard Police	Sub Insp
Officers' Stewards and Cooks	Commissioned Steward	Cd S
	Warrant Steward
	Commissioned Cook	Cd Ck
	Warrant Cook	W Ck
Naval Auxiliary Patrol	Squadron Skipper	Sq Sk
	Divisional Skipper	D Sk
	Staff Skipper	St Sk
	Area Skipper	Ar Sk
	Skipper	Sk
	Surgeon Skipper	Sg Sk
	Communications Officer	C O
	Liaison Officer	L O
	Survey Officer	S O
RAN - Ratings		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
Seaman Branch	Chief Petty Officer	CPO
	Petty Officer	PO
	Leading Seaman	Ldg Sea or Ldg Smn
	Able Seaman	AB
	Ordinary Seaman	Ord Sea or Ord Smn
	Ordinary Seaman II	Ord Sea II or Ord Smn II
	Chief Engine Room Artificer	CERA
Engineroom Branch	Engine Room Artificer I	ERA I
	Engine Room Artificer II	ERA II
	Engine Room Artificer III	ERA III
	Engine Room Artificer IV	ERA IV
	Chief Mechanician	CMech
	Mechanician	Mech
	Mechanician I	Mech I
	Mechanician II	Mech II
	Chief Stoker	CPO Sto
	Stoker Petty Officer	Sto PO
	Leading Stoker	Ldg Sto
	Stoker	Sto
	Stoker I	Sto I
	Stoker II	Sto II
	Stoker III	Sto III
Communications Branch	Chief Yeoman of Signals	CYS
	Yeoman of Signals	Y of S
	Leading Signalman	Ldg Sig
	Signalman	Sig
	Ordinary Signalman	Ord Sig
	Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist	CPO Tel
	Petty Officer Telegraphist	PO Tel
	Leading Telegraphist	Ldg Tel
	Telegraphist	Tel
	Ordinary Telegraphist	Ord Tel
	Petty Officer Coder
	Leading Coder
	Ordinary Coder
	Ordinary Coder II
Artisan Branch	Chief Shipwright
	Shipwright I
	Shipwright II
	Shipwright III
	Shipwright IV
	Chief Joiner
	Joiner I
	Joiner II
	Joiner III
	Joiner IV
	Chief Blacksmith
	Blacksmith I
	Blacksmith II
	Blacksmith III
	Blacksmith IV
	Chief Plumber
	Plumber I
	Plumber II
	Plumber III
	Plumber V
	Chief Painter
	Painter I
	Painter II
	Painter III
	Painter IV
	Chief Ordnance Artificer	COA
	Ordnance Artificer I	OA I
	Ordnance Artificer II	OA II
	Ordnance Artificer III	OA III
	Ordnance Artificer IV	OA IV
	Chief Electrical Artificer	CEA
	Electrical Artificer	EA
	Electrical Artificer I	EA I
	Electrical Artificer II	EA II
	Electrical Artificer III	EA III
	Electrical Artificer IV	EA IV
	Motor Mechanic I
	Motor Mechanic II
	Motor Mechanic III
	Motor Mechanic IV
	Petty Officer Wireman
	Leading Wireman
	Wireman
Medical Branch	Sick Berth Chief Petty Officer	SB CPO
	Sick Berth Petty Officer	SB PO
	Leading Sick Berth Attendant	Ldg SBA
	Sick Berth Attendant	SBA
	Sick Berth Attendant II	SBA II
	Chief Dental Mechanic
	Dental Mechanic
Accountant Branch/Supply and Secretariat Branch	Chief Petty Officer Writer	CPO Wtr
	Petty Officer Writer	PO Wtr
	Leading Writer	Ldg Wtr
	Writer	Wtr
	Supply Chief Petty Officer
	Supply Petty Officer
	Leading Supply Assistant
	Supply Assistant
	Supply Probationer
	Chief Petty Officer Cook (S)
	Petty Officer Cook (S)
	Leading Cook (S)
	Cook (S)
	Assistant Cook (S)
Officers' Stewards and Cooks	Officer' Stewards and Cooks
	Chief Petty Officer Cook (O)
	Petty Officer Cook (O)
	Leading Cook (O)
	Cook (O)
	Assistant Cook (O)
	Chief Petty Officer Steward	CPO Std
	Petty Officer Steward	PO Std
	Leading Steward	Ldg Std
	Steward	Std
	Assistant Steward
	Chief Petty Officer Butcher
	Petty Officer Butcher
	Leading Butcher
	Butcher
Miscellaneous	Master-at-Arms	MAA
	Regulating Petty Officer	RPO
	Chief Bandmaster
	Bandmaster
	Band Corporal
	Bandsman
Canteen	Canteen
	Canteen Manager
	Canteen Assistant
RAN - Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
Officers	Chief Officer
	First Officer
	Second Officer
	Third Officer
Wrans	Chief Petty Officer Wran	CPO Wran
	Petty Officer Wran	PO Wran
	Leading Wran	Ldg Wran
	Wran	Wran
RAN - Women's Royal Australian Naval Service		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
All Branches	Matron
	Superintending Sister
	Sister
	Staff Officer

Army		back to top
Army - Commissioned ranks		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
All Branches	Field Marshal	FM
	General	Gen
	Lieutenant General	Lt-Gen
	Major General	Maj-Gen
	Brigadier	Brig
	Colonel	Col
	Lieutenant Colonel	Lt-Col
	Major	Maj
	Captain	Capt
	Lieutenant	Lt
	Second Lieutenant	2Lt
	Chaplain	Chap
Army - Non Commissioned ranks		back to top
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
All Branches	Company Sergeant Major	CSM
	Warrant Officer Class 1	WO1
	Warrant Officer Class 2	WO2
	Staff Sergeant	S-Sgt
	Sergeant	Sgt
	Lance Sergeant	L-Sgt
	Corporal	Cpl
	Bombardier	Bdr
	Lance Bombardier	L-Bdr
	Lance Corporal	L-Cpl
	Private	Pte
	Pioneer	Pnr
	Gunner	Gnr
	Craftsman	Cfn
	Driver	Dvr
	Signalman	Sig
	Sapper	Spr
	Trooper	Tpr
Army - Australian Women's Army Service		back to top
The ranks used for members of the Australian Women's Army Service are the same as those above.
Army - Australian Army Medical Womens' Service (formerly Voluntary Aid Detachments)		back to top
The ranks used for members of the Australian Army Medical Womens' Service (formerly Voluntary Aid Detachments) are the same as those above.
Army - Australian Army Nursing Service		back to top
The ranks below applied to members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) until March 1943. After that date, members of the AANS used the same standard ranks detailed above, eg: Lieutenant, Captain.
Branch	Rank	Rank Abbreviation
All Branches	Matron-in-Chief
	Matron
	Sister
	Staff Nurse

Merchant Navy		back to top
Merchant Navy - All Branches		back to top
The abbreviations in this section are typical of the many variations of capacities (ranks) recorded in the service records.
Branch	Capacity	Capacity Abbreviation
All Branches	Able Seaman	Ab
	Apprentice	App'tce, appce, appr'tce, apptc, apptce
	Assistant Engineer
	Assistant Engineer Steward
	Assistant Purser
	Assistant Steward
	Baker
	Boiler Attendant	B/a, b/att, b/attd, blr attdt, blr attndt, blr/attdt, boiler att
	Boilermaker
	Bosun	Bos'n, Bosn
	Butcher
	Cabin Boy
	Cadet	Cdt
	Cadet Steward	Cad Std, Cadet Std, Cadet Stwd, Cdt Std, Cdt Stwd, Cdt/Std
	Carpenter	Carpt, carptr
	Cattleman
	Chief Clerk	Ch Clerk
	Chief Cook	C/Cook, Ch Cook, Ch/Cook
	Chief Electrician	Ch Elect
	Chief Officer	Ch Officer
	Chief Radio Officer	Ch Ro
	Chief Steward	C/Stwd, C/Std, C/Stwd, Ch Stwd, Ch Std
	Cleaner
	Cook	Cook
	Cook Steward	Cook Stwd, Cook/Steward
	Cook Attendant	Cook Attd, Cook Attdt
	Deck Attendant	D Att, Deck Attdt, Deck Attend, Dk Att, Dk Attend
	Deck Boy	D boy, d'boy, d/boy, dk boy, dk/boy
	Deck Cadet	D/Cadet, Dk Cadet, Dk Cdt
	Deck Hand	Dk Hand, Dk/Hand
	Deck Man	D/Man, Dk Man
	Donkey Man	Dkyman
	Donkeyman Greaser	Dk greaser, dky greaser, dky gres, dky grser, dky grsr, dky/greaser
	Donkey Boy	Dky Boy
	Electrical Engineer	Elect Eng
	Electrician	Elect, electn, electrn
	Engine Room Attendant	E room attndt, er att, er attdt
	Engineer	Eng, engn, engr
	Executive Engingeer	Ex Engr
	Executive Officer	Ex Officer
	Extra Purser
	Fireman	F'man, f/man
	Fireman Attendant	F attd, f'man att, f/man attdt
	Fireman Greaser	F'man & grsr, f'man greaser, f'man grsr, f'man gssr
	Fireman Trimmer	F&T, F'man & Trimmer, F'man Trim, F/Man Trim, Fman & Trim, Fman trim
	Fireman Wiper	F'man Wiper
	First Grade Steward	1 Gd Std, 1 Gd Stew, 1 Gd Stw
	First Mate	1 MATE, 1/MATE
	Galley Boy	G/Boy
	General Servant
	General Steward	G/Steward
	Greaser	Grsr,Grs
	Hairdresser
	Head Waiter	1 /C HD WAITER
	Hospital Attendant	Hosp Attdt
	Junior Engineer
	Junior Ordinary Seaman	Jos, jnr os
	Kitchen Porter	Kit port, kit porter,kit pter, kit pur
	Laundress	L'dress
	Laundryman	L'dyman
	Linen Keeper
	Messman
	Motorman
	Musician
	Night Watch	N watch, nightwatch
	Officer Steward	Off Stwd
	Oil Burner
	Oiler
	Ordinary Seaman	Os
	Pantry Man	Pyman
	Pantry Steward	Pantry Std
	Plumber	Plum
	Printer	Printer/Gde
	Probationer Steward	Prob stwd, pro std
	Purser
	Radio Officer/Radio Operator	R/o, radio, ro, r/officer, r/off, r/offr, rad off
	Room Boy
	Sailor
	Saloon Boy	Sal boy
	Scullion
	Seaman
	Second Officer	2 OFF
	Section Man
	Ships Carpenter	S carpt, s/carpenter, ship cpter
	Ships Joiner
	Shipwright	S/Wright
	Steward	Std, stwd, stw
	Signaller
	Steward Boy	Std boy, stwd boy
	Steward In Charge	Std i/c, std in chge
	Storekeeper
	Surgeon
	Third Officer	3 Rd Off
	Trimmer
	Utility Man	Utility M
	Utility Steward	Utility stwd, utility stewd
	Wiper
	Youngman	Yman