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I have the service record from the India Office of Records for my 3rd great grandfather who served with the Bengal Artillery of the East India Company. While I can get the "gist" of his record I am curious to know what "G.O", "G.O.C.C." and "U.1st. A. G.O." refer to as in "Admitted to the service G.O. 27th August 1811 Arty. Regimental Orders of 8 instant appointing him temporary adjutant to 3rd Batt. Artillery confirmed G.O.C.C. 12th January 1820. Leave from 15th December to 1st February 1821 U.1st A. G.O. 12th December 1820 ....." and so on.

2 Answers 2

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India Office Family History Search within the British Library is an excellent starting point for research involving British ancestors in India (or Anglo Indian ancestors). For this particular question, the Abbreviations and Glossary page is invaluable.

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  • The 'India office' link gives an acces denined message.
    – Sue Adams
    Jan 13, 2013 at 12:07
  • Now links correctly. (Ah, the wonders of .NET)
    – Fortiter
    Jan 13, 2013 at 12:23
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Based on this link, G.O. stands for "General Orders" and "G.O.C.C." stands for "General Orders by the Commander in Chief". This Google query also turns up other examples that seem to point to the same expansions.

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  • These links refer to derivative sources. Whilst they may be reliable, the information has been copied and interpreted. @fortier's link to the British Library where the original records are held is likely to be more reliable
    – Sue Adams
    Jan 13, 2013 at 12:05
  • Sue, I think you are overstating the "prestige" of the Library. The page I linked is just as "derivative" as anyone else's collection of acronyms. Its great advantage is its comprehensiveness. Information it provides still needs to be cross-checked.
    – Fortiter
    Jan 13, 2013 at 12:27
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    @Fortiter the British Library information is part of the archival finding and research aids produced by the holders of the original documents. Although unsourced, it is likely based on in an archivist's understanding of the collection, so is authoritative. fbrereto's link to a discussion forum and google aren't sourced, but may derived from the BL. The forum link references the FIBIS (Families in British India Society) list of abbreviations (wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Abbreviations), which probably has the same origin as the BL.
    – Sue Adams
    Jan 13, 2013 at 13:29

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