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WW1 Digger History Podcast

WWI Digger Stories Podcast reproduces the diaires, memoirs and letters of the real participants in the war that changed the course of the 20th Century. What was it like to be in the trenches, on the ships or behind the big guns where death stalked in infinite ways and it was impossible to make friends unless you were prepared to lose tham at any moment.

This podcast is formatted with each diairy or memoir forming a series, usually taking the listener through the war from beginning to end, from raw recruit to returning veteran, as it was experienced by the soldier and in his (or her, when I include Nurses stories) own words.

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  2. Episode 1.5 Definitions

Episode 1.5 Definitions

May 6, 2016

‘Froggies’ is slang for French.

PMG means Post Master General, or a ‘telco’ in modern parlance;

KIA means killed in action.

A ‘bar to his MM’ or a ‘bar’ means he has one that medal twice. ‘Two bars’ is three times.

‘Cleaned the mob up at nap’ is unknown to me.

Après la Bataille’ is a poem by Victor Hugo and turned into a song, ‘bloche beni’ and ‘Maitre Renard’ (Burgundy) are unknown.

CCS is Casualty Clearance Station. These were forward aid posts.

5th Division  is the fifth and final division raised by Australia during the Great War, although there was an abandoned attempt to raise a 6th Division.

“Heads” means senior officers.

“Blighted” means wounded to the extent that the soldier is evacuated to England (‘Blighty”);

‘Mills bombs’ are grenades;         

‘bingy’ means belly.

 ‘40 Hommes, 8 Chevaux’ or ’40 men, 8 horses’ was printed on the sides of very commonly used open railway trucks used to transport allied troops around the back areas of the western front.