Stefan has a green box.

1. The Game
2. Tommy's Tongue
3. WW1 Encyclopedia
4. Great War Curriculum
5. Great War Resources

R - Robert

Race Card:

Morning sick report.

Rats After Mouldy Cheese:

RAMC. Correctly, Royal Army Medical Corps.

Redcap:

Military policeman, said to be the most despised men on the Western Front. From the red covering to their field service caps.

Red Eye:

Rum.

Red Hussar:

Popular brand of ration cigarette. Soon came to personify any cigarette.

Red Ink:

Red wine.

Red Lamp:

Brothel. Sometimes licensed and under police surveillance. From the red light outside, the recognized symbol.

Red Star:

British gas, a mixture of hydrogen sulphide and carbon disulphide.

Red Tab:

Staff officer. From the red gorget patches on the collar. Also known as Red Herrings.

Register:

Technical term used by gunners, meaning to locate a target by means of each gun in a battery firing ranging rounds. A forward observation officer would inform the battery of what adjustments were required in order to hit the target.

Respirator:

Gas mask in which air was inhaled through a metal box of chemicals.

Rest Camp:

A cemetery.

RFC:

Royal Flying Corps. It became the RAF on 1st April 1918.

Rifles, The:

The Royal Irish Rifles.

Rob All My Comrades:

RAMC. Correctly, Royal Army Medical Corps. From the belief that medical personnel went through the pockets of casualties.

Rob Every Poor Soldier:

RE(PS). Royal Engineers (Postal Services). From the belief that they were responsible for the many missing items of soldiers' mail.

Roger:

Gas cylinder. The word was originally used as a code name (see accessory), but eventually came into common usage.

Rookie:

A recruit or newcomer. From the corruption of recruit (and not the bird), although, interestingly, infantry recruits in the modern British army are known as the crow.

Rooti:

Bread. From Hindustani roti.

Rooti Gong:

British army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. From the belief that they were so easily obtained that they were brought in with the bread ration, or could be earned by eating army rations for the required number of years.

Rough House:

A fight or disturbance. So-called from the type of public house where this type of behavior could arise after drinking.

Rubber Gun:

Large long-range gun.

Rum Jar:

Mortar bomb, from the shape. The rum ration was issued to the troops in earthenware jars, stamped with the initials S.R.D. (Supply Reserve Depot - not Service Rum Diluted as frequently stated), although soldiers argued that this actually stood for Seldom Reaches Destination or Soon Runs Dry.

Runner:

Soldier who carried messages by hand.

Russian Sap:

Narrow trench dug like a mine-shaft so that the surface of the earth was not disturbed. A sap trench helped raiders to approach enemy lines without being detected.