collier | a ship designed to transport coal |
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 |
compensation | money or anything given as an equivalent to make amends for losses or damages |
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 |
decoration | an official title or honour given to someone, usually in the form of a medal, as a reward for military bravery |
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 |
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 |
deserter | someone who leaves their job in the armed forces without permission |
destroyer | a small, heavily armed warship |
detachment | a group of soldiers sent away from the main group to do a special job |
digger | an Australian or New Zealander, especially a soldier; often used as a term of address |
diorama | a miniature three-dimensional scene with models of figures arranged against a background |
dirigible | an airship, such as a zeppelin |
disembark | to unload goods or passengers from a ship or aeroplane |
dismount | to get down from a camel, horse, bicycle or armoured vehicle |
dispatch | a message or report that is sent by army officers or government officials to their headquarters - also 'despatch' |
diversionary | describes an action to distract the enemy from the main point of attack |
dogfighting | an aerial battle between opposing fighter planes |
dominion | a nation that was part of the British Empire but had its own government e.g. Australia from 1901 to 1953 |
dysentery | an infection of the intestine with bacteria or protozoa, characterised by severe diarrhoea |
egalitarian | supporting the idea that all people are equal and should have the same rights and opportunities |
embark | to load goods or passengers onto a ship or aeroplane |
enact | to make a proposal into a law |
encampment | a group of tents in a particular place, especially those used by soldiers |
enlist in | to join a country's military force, such as the army - enlisted in, enlisting in; also enlistment (noun) |
enteric fever | another name for typhoid fever, an infection caused by ingestion of Salmonella typhosa bacteria with food or water |
escort | one or more guards, soldiers, vehicles or vessels who accompany others for protection, guidance or restraint, or as a symbol of honour |
eugenics | the study of methods to improve the human race by selecting parents who will produce children with desirable traits |
euthanise | to kill a person or animal painlessly, such as to relieve suffering from an incurable illness |
expeditionary | relating to a journey undertaken for an exploratory or military purpose |
feint | a mock attack or military movement designed to distract an adversary |
flagship | the most important ship in a fleet, on which the commander of the fleet sails |
Flanders | a World War I battle area in Belgium's East and West Flanders, the Netherlands' Zeeland and France's Nord |
fleet | a group of ships organised to act together, such as fight a battle |
fragmentation | describes a weapon designed to explode into many small pieces, especially an anti-personnel weapon |
front | a line where two opposing military forces are facing each other |
gallantry | bravery shown by a person who is facing danger, for example when a soldier is fighting in a war |
gangrene | the decay in a part of a person's body if the blood stops flowing to it, as a result of illness or injury |
garrison | a group of soldiers who guard the town or building where they live |