Template:Infobox military unit/doc

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Usage

Military unit infobox

Infobox military unit/doc
Years active: August 1915 – Currently unknown
Country: United Kingdom
Service: British Army
Branch: New Army
Type: Infantry
Specific type: Infantry battalion
Full size: 1,000
Sources for overview:
Created: August 1915. Formed at Conway from depot companies of 15th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, 16th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers and 19th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Sources for created:
Name1: 21st (Reserve) Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
Name1 Start: August 1915
Name1 End:
Reason for change: transferred to Training Reserve
Sources for name1:
Name2: 72nd Training Reserve Battalion
Name2 Start:
Name2 End:
Reason for change: transferred to Liverpool Regiment
Sources for name2:
Name3: 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion King's Liverpool Regiment
Name3 Start:
Name3 End:
Reason for change:
Sources for name3:
Alternate names: 21st Lancs Fus, 53rd KLR
Sources for alternate names:
Disbanded: Currently unknown. 
Sources for disbanded:
For more information on what infobox fields mean, see documentation at military unit, command structure and theatre of war.

A military unit infobox may be used to summarize information about an individual military unit or formation, such as a regiment or division.

The infobox should be added using the {{Infobox military unit}} template, as shown below: 

{{Infobox military unit
| country = 
| service = 
| branch = 
| type = 
| specific_type = 
| size_at_full_strength = 
| unit_info_ref = 
| start_date = 
| created =
| start_ref = 
| unit_name1 =
| unit_name1_start_date =
| unit_name1_end_date =
| unit_name1_reason_for_change =
| unit_name1_ref = 
| unit_name2 =
| unit_name2_start_date =
| unit_name2_end_date =
| unit_name2_reason_for_change =
| unit_name2_ref = 
| alternate_unit_names =
| alt_names_ref = 
| end_date = 
| disbanded =
| end_ref = 
}}

Note: When using parameters, avoid the ambiguous abbreviation "N/A", and instead use "unknown" or "none". Please cite sources using <ref> tags. These can be inserted in most parameters, except type and specific_type.

Parameters

This is a brief description of each parameter. For more detailed examples, see the headings below.

Parameters that end with "ref" will automatically create footnotes for the sources entered in them. You don't need to use ref tags anywhere in this infobox.

  • unit_name – No longer used. The name displayed at the top of the infobox always defaults to the page name. All of a unit's actual names should be entered using unit_name1 etc (see below).
  • country – optional – the country where a unit was mainly recruited. This does not necessarily match the country whose armed forces it belongs to. Category:Countries lists values that can be used with this parameter.
  • service – optional – the name of the service. Services are typically army, navy, air force, marines etc. Typical names include "British Army", "Royal Australian Navy", "US Marine Corps".
  • branch – optional – branches are the level below service and are typically the regular army, auxiliary forces, and wartime expeditionary forces. The exact meaning of branch, and the actual names of branches, can vary between countries and services. For example, "Regular Army", "Territorial Force", "National Guard", "Australian Imperial Force". See headings below for more examples.
  • type – the general type of unit, e.g., Cavalry, Infantry, Artillery, etc. See headings below for more information. Use sentence case, not title case. The value is automatically turned into a wikilink so there's no need to add link markup. Currently this parameter can only take one value. It should not contain ref tags.
  • specific type – a specific description of a unit's type, usually based on its name. For example, "Infantry battalion", "Cavalry regiment", "Field artillery brigade", "Field ambulance". Use sentence case, not title case. The value is automatically turned into a wikilink so there's no need to add link markup. Currently this parameter can only take one value. It should not contain ref tags.
  • size_at_full_strength – optional – the approximate number of personnel in the unit at theoretical full strength.
  • unit_info_ref – references to sources that support the information entered in these parameters:
    • country
    • service
    • branch
    • type
    • specific_type
    • size_at_full_strength
  • start_date – optional – be as specific as possible but can be left as a month or only a year if the exact day is unknown.
  • created – optional – a free text description of where and how a unit was created. Can include wikilinks to related units. There's no need to enter the date because the value of start_date is automatically copied here.
  • start_ref – references to sources that support the information entered in these parameters:
    • start_date
    • created
  • unit_name1, unit_name1_start_date, unit_name1_end_date, unit_name1_reason_for_change, unit_name1_ref– optional – record official names changes. The field can be repeated up to five times (changing the number for each set of fields each time, e.g. unit_name2, unit_name3, unit_name4, unit_name5). Ideally, a free-text reason for official name changes in unit_name1_reason_for_change etc. and a reference in unit_name1_ref etc.
  • alternate_unit_names – optional – a comma separated list of nicknames, abbreviations and any other unofficial names
  • alt_names_ref – references to sources alternate names.
  • end_date be as specific as possible but can be left as a month or only a year if the exact day is unknown.
  • disbanded – optional – a free text description of where and how a unit was disbanded and what happened to its components or personnel if known. Can include wikilinks to related units. There's no need to enter the date because the value of end_date is automatically copied here.
  • end_ref – references to sources that support the information entered in these parameters:
    • end_date
    • created


Example parameter values

Countries, services and branches

This is a provisional list based on current practice with a few additions. You can discuss it on the talk page.

The first level of the list shows countries, the second level shows services for each country, and the third level shows branches for each service. Text in square brackets is a comment, not part of the value.

  • country = Australia
    • service = Australian Army
      • branch = Australian Imperial Force
      • branch = Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
      • branch = Citizen Military Force (Australian Army)
      • branch = Permanent Force (Australian Army)
    • service = Royal Australian Navy
  • country = Canada
    • service = Canadian Army
      • branch = Canadian Expeditionary Force
      • branch = Permanent Force (Canadian Army)
      • branch = Non-Permanent Active Militia (Canadian Army)
    • service = Royal Canadian Navy
  • country = India
    • service = Indian Army
    • service = Indian Imperial Service Troops
    • service = Indian Volunteer Corps
    • service = Indian Defence Force
  • country = New Zealand
    • service = New Zealand Army
      • branch = Permanent Force (New Zealand Army)
      • branch = Territorial Force (New Zealand Army)
      • branch = New Zealand Expeditionary Force
  • country = Portugal
    • service = Portuguese Army
      • [branches unknown]
    • service = Portuguese Navy
  • country = South Africa
    • service = South African Overseas Expeditionary Force
    • service = Union Defence Force (South African)
      • branch = Active Citizen Force (South African)
      • branch = Coastal Garrison Force (South African)
      • branch = Permanent Force (South African)
  • country = United Kingdom
    • service = British Army
      • branch = New Army (British Army)
      • branch = Regular Army (British Army)
      • branch = Special Reserve (British Army)
      • branch = Territorial Force (British Army)
      • branch = Volunteer Force (British Army)
    • service = Volunteer Training Corps (British)
    • service = Royal Air Force (British)
    • service = Royal Marines (British)
    • service = Royal Navy (British)
      • branch = Regular Navy (British)
      • branch = Royal Naval Reserve (British)
      • branch = Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (British)
    • service = First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (British)
  • country = United States
    • service = US Army
      • branch = National Army (US Army)
      • branch = National Guard (US Army)
      • branch = Regular Army (US Army)
    • service = US Marine Corps
    • service = US Navy

"British colonial forces" is a catch-all service for any forces raised by colonial governments other than Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, or South Africa. It will be replaced by more specific values when we have better information about the correct names for the armed forces of each colony. Countries it applies to include but are not limited to:

  • Bermuda
  • British East Africa [now Kenya]
  • British Somaliland [later part of Somalia]
  • Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]
  • Gambia
  • Gold Coast [now Ghana]
  • Guernsey
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Malta
  • Newfoundland [not part of Canada until 1949]
  • Nigeria
  • Nyasaland [now Malawi]
  • Persia [now Iran]
  • Rhodesia [now Zambia and Zimbabwe]
  • Sierra Leone
  • Uganda

"British colonial forces" no longer applies to these units, which were Imperial Forces recruited directly by the British Crown, sometimes from more than one country:

Instead we will be using:

  • service = British Imperial Forces
    • branch = Regular Army (British Imperial Forces)
    • branch = King's African Rifles (British Imperial Forces)
    • branch = West African Frontier Force (British Imperial Forces)

British West Indies Regiment is also classed at a British Imperial Force but we don't yet know whether its branch should be Regular Army or whether it should be a branch in its own right.

The following women's organisations are classed as departments of the British Army (ie a value of specific_type), not branches:

Most other British women's organisations should probably count as services of the United Kingdom but we don't have enough information to classify them yet.

We're not yet sure about the correct service and branch for Cape Corps, South African.

Each national Red Cross society should probably be classed as a service under its country. These were all also affiliated to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Types

Category:Type definitions lists the types currently in use. The page name matches the parameter value that should be used. Each type page defines the type and links to categories for specific types and units of that type. These types are provisional and are open to suggestions for changes. You can discuss this on the talk page.

Specific types

Values currently used include:

  • Arm [eg British Infantry Arm]
  • Army [for tactical formations]
  • Army corps (tactical)
  • Expeditionary force
  • Field ambulance
  • Hospital
  • Infantry battalion
  • Infantry brigade [in the British Empire forces]
  • Infantry brigade (continental) [for the continental system, eg American and French armies]
  • Infantry division
  • Infantry regiment (administrative) [for British and similar regiments, not continental regiments]
  • Infantry regiment (continental) [for the continental system, eg American and French armies]
  • Mounted infantry company
  • Record office

Category:Specific type definitions lists existing pages that define types that can be used with this parameter. The page name matches the parameter value that should be used.


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