This page explains the Roll of Honour, particularly the various columns (fields) used in it, where they are not self-explanatory.
Surname [incorrect versions in brackets]: An individual’s surname is sometimes spelled incorrectly, either in wartime documents or in modern sources. Where this is the case, the incorrect spelling is given in brackets, in case you are searching under that name.
Age: The individual’s age at their time of death. Where age is given as a range (e.g. “18-19”) this is because so far I have only found their year of birth, not their exact birth date. Note that in some cases of US personnel who were missing in action, their date of death is given in official records as a year and a day after their presumed date of death. Official policy seems to have been that if their body had not been recovered by that point, they were then confirmed as presumed dead. This could lead to the assumption that they were a year older when died, than they actually were.
Service: RCN (Royal Canadian Navy), RN (Royal Navy), USCG (US Coast Guard) or USN (US Navy).
Branch: RANVR (Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve), RM (Royal Marines), RNASBR (Royal Naval Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve), RNPS (Royal Naval Patrol Service), RNR (Royal Naval Reserve), RNV(W)R (Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve), RNVR (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve), USCGR (United States Coast Guard Reserve) or USNR (United States Naval Reserve).
Date of death: Occasionally an individual’s date of death may be given incorrectly in some sources. Where the correct date can be identified using reliable sources, it is given here instead. There are various reasons for this. One not unusual situation was that if a dead body was recovered at sea, the date of death was often recorded as that day’s date, when in fact it could be days earlier. Also, as mentioned above, in some cases of US personnel who were missing in action, their date of death is given in official records as a year and a day after their presumed date of death. Official policy seems to have been that if their body had not been recovered by that point, they were then confirmed as presumed dead. This could lead to the assumption that they were a year older when died, than they actually were.
Landing craft pennant/hull no.: Allied landing craft had numbers rather than names as would be the case with larger ships. Officially, landing craft numbers were preceded by “USS” or “HMS” as appropriate, but in practice this was often omitted. Also note the “Type” field: in some cases there were landing craft with very similar numbers, because each was a different ‘mark’ or variant.
Type: The type and ‘mark’ or variant of craft, indicated by a number in brackets after the craft’s abbreviated name, thus: LCT(5). Several different marks of some types took part in the Normandy campaign, so this is also useful information to know. For example there were two marks of LCM (Mks.1 and 3), and four marks of LCT (Mks. 3, 4, 5 and 6 – plus the Mk.3* which was a modified Mk.3).
On board ship: If the landing craft was a smaller type that crossed the English Channel on D-Day (or a subsequent journey) on board a landing ship, this is indicated here. The craft did not necessarily remain with that ship for the remainder of the campaign.
Squadron (RN) or Flotilla (US): This was the largest unit of landing craft. Sometimes its purpose was more administrative and not all craft in this unit served together, particularly after D-Day when units became more scattered. A Royal Navy squadron often comprised three flotillas. Its equivalent in the US Navy was a flotilla, which was typically formed from 3-4 groups.
Flotilla (RN) or Group (US): A unit of around 12 landing craft. On D-Day they would generally – but not always – be serving together. After D-Day there was an increased chance that a flotilla/group would be split up. Note that a US flotilla was larger than a British flotilla: see above.
Division (US): The smallest US unit of landing craft, typically six or fewer in number, which would usually serve together, at least for D-Day if not later. The Royal Navy did sometimes divide its flotillas into two divisions, but this seems to have been more temporary than was the case with US divisions.
Naval Force (on D-Day): On D-Day, most landing craft were part of one of the five naval assault forces, each identified with the letter derived from the relevant beach (Force S for Sword Beach, and so on), or of one of the two follow-up forces (Force B and L). After D-Day the force was no longer relevant as landing craft might over time operate off more than one beach, so it is not given.
CasualtyInfoSummary: Details of events surrounding the individual’s death, and/or the loss of their craft, plus any other relevant information. While in some cases much more information is available, only a short text can be included here. If you are hoping to find more, FindAGrave.com is a good place to start, as entries sometimes have a photo of the person concerned or other details.
Notable awards: Medals and awards received (excluding the Purple Heart, in cases of US personnel who received that award).
Buried at: The location where the individual was buried, if their body was recovered. In most cases this is in either Normandy, the UK or (for US personnel whose families wished their body to be repatriated for burial) the USA. Note that some US personnel are commemorated at civilian cemeteries in the USA, and this can sometimes take the form of a grave stone or marker, though it typically has the words “In memory of” to indicate its nature.
Commemorated at: The location at which an individual is commemorated, in other words there is a memorial or marker of some kind and they are not buried there. The most common location is one of the memorials to the missing at one of the cemeteries managed by (for US personnel) the American Battle Monuments Commission, or (for British and Commonwealth personnel) the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Individuals may be commemorated in more than one place, for example also at a civilian cemetery in the USA. In a few cases, an individual may be commemorated on a memorial to the missing, but also have a burial site if their body was identified post-war.