Royal Air Force

Abbreviations And Slang

 

Updated: February 2009

"B"

(B) – Ballon Branch Officer

B&C – Barrack & Clothing

BAC – British Air Commission
BACB – British Air Command Berlin
BACF – Beam Approach Calibration Flight
BADU – Blind later, Beam Approach Development Unit
BAe – British Aerospace
BAFF – British Air Forces in France
BAFO – British Air Forces of Occupation

BAFO(G) – British Air Forces of Occupation (Germany)
BAFSEA – British Air Force South–East Asia

"Balloonatics" –  Personnel in Balloon Command
BANS – Basic Air Navigation School
BARU – British Airways Repair Unit/Base Aircraft Repair Unit
BAS – Beam Approach School
BAS&HEDS Bomber Airborne Support & Heavy Equipment Dropping Squadron
BAT – Beam (originally Blind) Approach
BATDU – Blind Approach Training & Development Unit
BATF – Beam / Blind Approach Training Flight
BATTS – Beam Approach Technical Training School
BBCS – Bengal/Burma Communication Squadron
BB&BLEAU – Bomb Ballistics & Blind Landing Experimental Unit
BBOC Brought Back on Charge
BBU – Bomb Ballistics Unit
BCAir – British Commonwealth Air Component, Japan
BC – Bomber Command
BCAS – Bomber Command Armament School
BCATP – British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
BCBS – Bomber Command Bombing School
BCCF(S) – Bomber Command Communication Flight (Squadron)
BCDU – Bomber Command Development Unit

BCFU – Bomber Command Film Unit
BCFFU – Bomber Command Film Flight Unit
BCHU – Bomber Command Holding Unit
BCIR&EF Bomber Command Instrument Rating & Examining Flight
BCIS – Bomber Command Instructors School
BCJCF – Bomber Command Jet Conversion Unit
BCMC – Bomber Command Modification Centre
BCRS – Bomber Command Radar School

BCOF(J) – British Commonwealth Occupation Forces
BCTAE – British Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition
BD – Bomb Disposal

Bde – Brigade

BDE – Ballon Development Unit

BDT – Bomber Defence Training
BDTF – Bomber Defence Training Flight
BDU – Bombing Development Unit/ Bomber Development Unit
BDU – Bomb Disposal Unit
BEF – British Expeditionary Force
BEM – British Empire Medal
BER – Beyond Economical Repair

"Best Up" – To attack, either playfully or seriously and place or thing

BFTS – British Flying Training School

B&GF – Bombing & Gunnery Flight
B&GS / BGS – Bombing & Gunnery School
BGT – Basic Gliding Training (Air Cadets)

"Big Nose" – Important Person

"(to) Bird Dog" – Stealing another guys girl

"Bit Of Fluff" –  a girl, often the fluffy kind

"(a) Black" –  Something or Some Action done badly (a "bad show")

"Blackout" or "Twilights" –  WAAF issue knickers (under pants) - black in colour
BLEU – Blind Landing Experimental Unit

"(a solid lump of ) Blitz" – A large formation of enemy aircraft

"Blood Wagon" or "Meat Wagon" – Ambulance
BLS – Bombing Leaders School
BMH – British Military Hospital
BoB – Battle of Britain
BobMF – Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

"Bog Rat" – Recruit (a bog rate is the lower form of life the RAF can imagine)

BOU – Bomber Operational Training Unit

"Bought It" – Killed

BPD – Base Personnel Depot

"Brassed Off" – A variant of "Browned off"
BRD – Base Repair Depot

"Browned Off" – Unhappy with things or Displeased

"Brown Jobs" – Army Personnel

BSC – Basic Staff Course
BSDU – Bomber Support Development Unit

BSRU – Base Signal Radar Unit
BSTU – Bomber Support Training Unit
BTB – Balloon Training Base

BTD – Balloon Training Depot

BTF – Bomber Towing/Training Flight
BTU – Bombing Trials Unit
BU – Broken Up

"Bumph" or "Bumf" – Useless Information

"Bus Driver" – Bomber Pilot

"Buttoned Up" – Job or Task which has been completely mastered

BWF – Bristol Wireless Flight

BWM – British War Medal