Glossary of terms

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C
cacolet a seat or bed fitted to a camel or mule for carrying sick or wounded people
cadet a student or young person undergoing military training, usually before full entry to the services, especially for officer status
calibre the width of the inside of a gun's barrel
casualty a person who is injured or killed in a war
Casualty Clearance Post (CCP) a safe area within a conflict zone or disaster site, for triage and emergency treatment of casualties before they are transported elsewhere for further care.
Catafalque a temporary raised platform on which a body lies in state before or during a funeral
catalyst a person or thing that causes a change or event to happen
Catholic a member of the Catholic Church, the branch of Christianity
cavalry the group of soldiers in an army who fight on horseback
ceasefire an arrangement in which countries or groups of people that are fighting each other agree to stop fighting
celerity swiftness in acting or moving; speed
censor to officially examine letters of the media and cut out any information that is regarded as secret
cipher a secret system of writing used to send encrypted messages
Citizen Military Forces (CMF) an armed force of part-time members, including conscripts, trained for Australia's home defence that operated from 1916 to 1929. The CMF was raised again on 19 February 1943 by an Act of Parliament that enabled conscripts to serve overseas in the South-Western Pacific Zone and operated until 1947.
Citizens Forces an armed force of part-time members trained for Australia's home defence that operated from 1901 to 1915. Its members were all volunteers until conscription was introduced on 1 January 1911. Members could not serve outside Australia and its territories.
civil war a war or conflict fought between 2 or more different groups of people who live in the same country
civilian describes a person who is not a member of the armed forces
coalition an alliance between two or more nations, groups or political parties, especially for some temporary and specific reason
collectivism the political belief that a country's industries and services should be owned and controlled by the state or by all the people in a country
collier a ship designed to transport coal
colony a country that is controlled by a more powerful country
combatant a nation or person engaged in active fighting with enemy forces
commandeer officially take charge of a vehicle, vessel, building, supplies or equipment for a military purpose
commemorate to remember an event or person through a special action or ceremony or a specially created object
commerce raiding a form of naval warfare that disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping
commission an official document issued by a government that confers an appointment or rank in the armed forces
Commonwealth Military Forces the official name of the land warfare force in Australia, which was formed on 1 March 1901 after Federation; its title changed to the Australian Military Forces in 1916 and the Australian Army in 1980.
Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF) the official name of the naval force in Australia when it was formed on 1 March 1901 after Federation; its title became the Royal Australian Navy on 10 July 1911.
Commonwealth of Nations a voluntary association of the United Kingdom, states that were previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies
company about 100 to 225 infantry troops usually commanded by a captain or major
compensation money or anything given as an equivalent to make amends for losses or damages
conscientious objector someone who refuses to meet a community or political obligation, such as compulsory military service
conscription when citizens are made to join their country's military force, such as the army
contingent a group of military personnel serving on the same side or for the same cause
convalesce to rest and recover health after an illness or operation
convoy a group of ships with an escort of warships, or a group of vehicles travelling together with a military escort
cordite a smokeless explosive substance used in bombs and guns
cot case a person too ill to leave their bed
counterattack a military attack in response to an attack
coup d'etat overthrowing of an existing government illegally or by force
curfew a law that people must stay home after a particular time at night, often during a war or civilian crisis
D
de-mining the process of removing landmines
decoration an official title or honour given to someone, usually in the form of a medal, as a reward for military bravery
defoliant a herbicide chemical applied to trees and plants to make all their leaves fall off, used in wartime to remove an enemy's vegetative shelter and destroy their crops
degenerate to become worse in some way
delegation a small group of people sent to a place to have talks with other people as representatives of a larger group of people
demilitarise to remove any military presence or function in an area
demobilise to release troops from military service - demobilisation (noun)
deploy to organise and position troops, weapons or resources ready for action - deployment (noun)
descent a person's family background, especially their nationality or social status