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

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 of Nations

a voluntary association of the United Kingdom, states that were previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies

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