Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve | ||
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His Majesty's Naval Service of the British Armed Forces |
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The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve, created in 1859, and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), created in 1903. The Royal Naval Reserve has seen action in World War I, World War II, the Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan.
History
Establishment
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) has its origins in the Register of Seamen, established in 1835 to identify men for naval service in the event of war, although just 400 volunteered for duty in the
A number of drill-ships were established at the main seaports around the coasts of
Officers and men of the RNR soon gained the respect of their naval counterparts with their professional skills in navigation and seamanship, and served with distinction in a number of conflicts including the
Volunteer Reserve
At the turn of the 20th century, there were concerns at the
First World War
On mobilisation in 1914, the RNR consisted of 30,000 officers and men. Officers of the permanent RNR on general service quickly took up seagoing appointments in the fleet, many in command, in
A number of RNR officers qualified as pilots and flew aircraft and airships with the
Second World War
On commencement of hostilities in the
An intermediate form of reserve, between the professional RNR and the civilian RNVR, had been created in 1936. This was the Royal Naval Volunteer (Supplementary) Reserve, open to civilians with existing and proven experience at sea as ratings or officers. In peacetime this carried no obligation or requirement for service or training, being merely a register of people who could be mobilised and trained swiftly in the event of war to quickly provide a core of new personnel. By September 1939 there were around 2,000 RNV(S)R members, mostly yachtsmen, who when mobilised were sent to active service after a 10-day training course while the RNVR began with a regular 12-week course for officers.
On the outbreak of the Second World War, no more ratings were accepted into the RNVR and new intake to the RNR stopped. The RNVR became the route by which virtually all new-entry commissioned officers joined the naval service during the war – the exception being professional mariners who already held master's tickets, who would join the RNR.[5] All new ratings would go direct to the regular Royal Navy. With the exception of the RNV(S)R and a proportion of recruits taken on as Direct Entrants (men with qualifications who would serve in specialist roles such as surgeons, engineers and those selected for intelligence duties), all the newly-created temporary RNVR officers had initially been recruited as ratings and undertaken ten weeks of basic training. Recruits identified as having the potential to be officers at the end of this training were called Commission & Warrant (CW) Candidates and then had to serve at least six months as Ordinary Seamen, including three months at sea.[6] If still considered a CW candidate at the end of this period, they would become a Cadet Rating and proceed for officer training at HMS King Alfred. Those who did not meet and maintain the required standards while as CW Candidates or while training at King Alfred would continue to serve as RN ratings. Those who were successful would become Temporary Probationary Acting Sub-Lieutenants in the RNVR (those under the age of 21 became Midshipmen). After a month of satisfactory service they would no longer be Probationary and their ranks were confirmed (effectively a promotion from Acting to 'full' Sub-Lieutenant) after three months. Men over the age of 25 who had earned a watchkeeping certificate were eligible for lieutenant rank after one year's service.[7]
By 1945 there were 43,805 officers in the RNVR, nicknamed the "Wavy Navy", after the 3/8-inch wavy sleeve 'rings' that officers wore to distinguish them from their RN and RNR counterparts.[8] These new officers were primarily assigned to anti-submarine warfare/convoy escort, amphibious warfare and the Coastal Forces division - these being the areas of the naval service which saw the most growth during the Second World War, and which were most suitable for employing temporary officers who were quickly-trained in specific areas of expertise. In 1942 the Admiralty revised its arrangements for manning the fleet, reflecting the expansion of the service, the numbers of experienced career officers available and the generally good conduct and performance of the temporary officers taken into the RNVR. A Fleet Order of that year stated that "the Fleet must be manned by Reserve officers with a leavening of Active Service officers, and not manned by RN Officers diluted with Reserve officers." This opened up new postings and promotion paths to temporary RNVR officers, including service on battleships, cruisers and aircraft carriers which had previously been largely the preserve of regular RN and experienced RNR officers. It also put temporary officers on a more equal footing with their regular counterparts when it came to being considered for executive and command positions.[9]
Post-war
As intended, the thousands of RNVR officers employed during the Second World War on temporary commissions were quickly
In 1951 King George VI issued a royal announcement that the RNR and RNVR were to lose their distinctive insignia. Both reserves would now use the same style as the regular RN - officers would wear the straight stripes of lace but with an 'R' in the executive curl while ratings would be distinguished by 'RNR' and 'RNVR' cap tallies or shoulder flashes as required.
In 1954 the RNVR's role in the British armed forces for the Cold War era was confirmed - Divisions would be equipped with Ton-class minesweepers which would collectively become the 101st Minesweeper Squadron. This was part of the RN's permanent established strength and would consist of a rotating number of RNVR minesweepers, each fulfilling a period of active duty for its parent Division and giving the men of that Division their required regular time on active service at sea. The 101st Minesweeper Squadron was declared as part of Britain's standing naval commitment to NATO. While only a small portion of the total RNVR was on active service with the 101st Squadron at any one time, it was envisaged that in time of war the RNVR as a whole would become Britain's primary coastal minesweeping force, allowing the use of regular RN ships and men for other duties. The unit became the 10th Minesweeping Squadron in 1962. The Squadron regularly conducted two large-scale training exercises each year, one to Gibraltar and one to North Africa. The Squadron also made a number of overseas deployments, including four ships deployed on operations to British Guiana and the West Indies in 1965. The Ton-class minesweepers were replaced by new River-class ships in the mid-1980s, with all but one of the 12-strong class being assigned to RNR divisions.
From 1938 until 1957, the RNVR provided aircrew personnel in the form of their own Air Branch. In 1947, their contribution was cut to anti-submarine and fighter squadrons only. By 1957, it was considered by the UK government that the training required to operate modern equipment was beyond that expected of reservists and the Air Branch squadrons were disbanded. (The US government took a different view, and the US Navy and Marine reserve squadrons today still operate front-line types alongside the regular units.) The Air Branch was reformed at RNAS Yeovilton in 1980, though it is only open to service leavers.
In 1958 it was decided to amalgamate the RNR and RNVR into a single reserve service. Legally the RNR was the branch that continued, so that no new legislation had to be drafted to allow the service to function and all RNVR personnel received formal papers transferring them to the RNR. The new unified reserve took the name and legal identity of the original RNR but primarily retained the character and structure of the RNVR, being composed mostly of trained civilians not from sea-going professions. Today the majority of
Defence reviews over the last 50 years have been inconsistent. Successive reviews have seen reserve forces cut then enlarged, allocated new roles, then cuts withdrawn, then re-imposed. Options for Change in 1990 reduced the RNR by 1,200 and closed many training centres, including HMS Calpe (Gibraltar), HMS Wessex (Southampton) and HMS Graham (Glasgow). By 1995 the RNR's total strength was 2600 - 800 officers and 1800 ratings. The Strategic Defence Review in 1998 continued this by disbanding the 10th Minesweeping Squadron, meaning that the RNR no longer had its own ships and sea-going capability. In return the RNR was to gain 350 members in total strength. The restructured RNR was designed to "provide an expanded pool of personnel to provide additional reinforcements for the Fleet", mainly in the roles of logistics and communications - specialist support roles the need for which would expand significantly in the event of a major deployment or extended conflict but which it was not seen as viable to maintain within the regular RN's peacetime strength.
This left the mine-warfare, seaman and diving specialists in "limbo" until the
In 2002 the RNR ceased to be issued its own identity cards, with reservists being issued the same documents as their regular counterparts. In 2007 the last distinctions in insignia between regular and reserve services were eliminated - officers no longer wore the 'R' in the curl of their rank stripes and ratings wore 'Royal Navy' shoulder flashes. The exception is for those holding honorary officer positions in the RNR, who continue to wear uniforms with the 'R' in the executive curl.
Commodore RNR Melanie Robinson was appointed the first female Commodore Maritime Reserves (COMMARES) on 4 February 2020.[10]
In October 2022 a new RNR unit, HMS Pegasus, was commissioned as a specialist unit administering the RNR Air Branch, based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) and with a satellite office at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk). This was the first naval unit to be commissioned during the reign of King Charles III.
Branding controversy
Since the Royal Navy rebrand in 2003 that cost circa £100,000, the Royal Naval Reserve has been without its own logo; when one is required, the Royal Navy logo is used with the word Reserves added below, and there is no logo for the entire Maritime Reserve.[11] The older Royal Naval Reserve logo is still used as the watermark for passing out certificates issued to Royal Naval Reserve ratings at HMS Raleigh.[12]
Trades and specialisations
All RNR personnel, regardless of rank, enrol as general service before being later assigned to a branch of service. RNR Officers join as a General Duty Reserve, and specialise after commissioning and passing their Fleet Board[13] while RNR Ratings join as General Entry and specialise after basic training.[14]
Most branches are open to both ratings and officers with the exception of fleet protection (ratings only) and a small number which recruit exclusively from the officer ranks. Listed below is a breakdown of branches and the sub-specialisations which are aligned to each branch.
New Entry Branch
- New Entry Ratings
- Ab Initio Officer Cadets
Warfare General Service Branch
- Maritime Trade Operations
- Diving (Under Water Force Protection)
- Mine Warfare
- Information Systems
- Information Operations
- Amphibious Warfare
- Submarine Operations
- Above Water Force Protection
- Media Operations
Intelligence Branch
- Defence Intelligence
- Imagery Analysis
- Operational Intelligence
- Human Intelligence
Medical Branch
Chaplains Branch
- Royal Navy Chaplaincy Services
Air Branch (ex-regular)
- Flying Operations
- Operational Support
- Air Engineering
Engineering Branch
- Marine Engineering
- Weapon Engineering
URNU and Sea Cadet Corps
The
Sea Cadet Corps (SCC)
As nominal members of the RNR (SCC RNR), officers of the
Officers receive a Cadet Forces commission, introduced in 2017 and restated in 2018;[20] previously they were appointed within their respective Corps, rather than commissioned (unless they already held a commission separately). They are titled ‘(SCC) RNR’ or ‘(CCF) RNR’ to differentiate from the deployable Royal Naval Reserve.
Units
The modern RNR has sixteen Royal Naval Reserve Units (with three satellite units). These are:[21]
- HMS Scotia (Rosyth)
- HMS Cambria (Cardiff)
- Tawe Division (Swansea)
- HMS Dalriada (Glasgow)
- HMS Flying Fox (Bristol)
- HMS Calliope (Gateshead)
- HMS Ceres (Leeds)
- HMS President (London)
- Medway Division (Chatham)
- HMS Eaglet (Liverpool)
- HMS Vivid (Devonport)
- HMS Sherwood (Nottingham)
- HMS King Alfred (Portsmouth)
- HMS Forward (Birmingham)
- HMS Hibernia (Lisburn)
- HMS Wildfire (Northwood)
- HMS Ferret (Chicksands)
- HMS Pegasus (Yeovilton)[22]
Previous units that closed due to recommendations in Options for Change:
- HMS Pellew (Exeter)
- HMS Wildfire (Chatham)
- HMS Salford (Manchester)
- HMS Dragon (Swansea)
- HMS Wessex (Southampton)
- HMS Sussex (Brighton)
- HMS Calpe (Gibraltar)
- HMS Graham (Glasgow)
- HMS Camperdown (Dundee)
- HMS Claverhouse (Edinburgh)
Notable members
The RNR had an exceptional war record, as evidenced by the dozen Victoria Crosses awarded in WWI; and demonstrations of exceptional merit continued in peacetime.
- Lieutenant Commander Richard Baker (broadcaster) OBE RD RNR (formerly RNVR) – broadcaster (first BBC newsreader), actor, musician, author
- Commodore Sir James Bisset, CBE, RD, RNR, LL.D. British merchant sea captain, Commodore of the Cunard White Star Line (1944–47)
- Sub-Lieutenant Rupert Davies RNR – BBC TV's 'Inspector Maigret'
- Lieutenant Midget Submarine X.6 during the attack on the German battleship Tirpitzin 1943
- Lieutenant Commander Ian Fraser VC, DSC, JP, RD RNR – VC awarded as CO of HM Midget Submarine XE-3 attacking Japanese heavy cruiser in Johore Straits. Last surviving naval VC from World War II.
- Commodore Sir Bertram Fox Hayes KCMG DSO RD RNR – Commodore White Star Line
- Commander RMS Titanic; took his own yacht to Dunkirk evacuation in 1940 aged 66
- Group Captain RAF – fighter pilot in Battle of Britain; former Master Mariner, Sub-Lieutenant RNR (1932–36)
- Commodore Sir Charles Matheson DSO RD RNR – Commodore Orient Line
- Surg Cdr Andrew Murrison RNR – Conservative Member of Parliament and since 2014 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office
- Frederick Parslow VC – a Mercantile Marine Master given a posthumous commission in the RNR and VC in 1919 for his courage in command of a horse transport ship that was attacked by a U-boat off Ireland in 1915
- Daniel Poole – a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal during World War I[23]
- Captain Sir Samuel Robinson KBE RNR – Captain, Empress of Australia; rescue work at Yokohama after 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[24]
- Captain RMS Titanic, among others.
- Captain Canadian Pacific Steamships[25]
- Sir CVO– Lieutenant RNR, master mariner, explorer
- Capt John Treasure Jones – last Master of RMS Mauretania and RMS Queen Mary
- Dr Attracta Genevieve Rewcastle – first female commissioned officer in the Royal Navy, attained rank of Lieutenant-Surgeon in 1940[26]
- Lt Cdr Sir Keith Speed RD RNR – Conservative Member of Parliament 1968–97 and Navy Minister 1979–81, sacked by Thatcher when refused reductions in RN strength prior to Falklands
- Commodore John Wacher CBE RD RNR – Commodore (Master), P & O Steam Navigation Co Ltd
- Lt Cdr Mike Cumberlege DSO & Bar, Greek Medal of Honour, SOE – murdered in Sachsenhausen concentration camp Feb/March 1945[27]
Honorary appointments
- Midshipman Ben Fogle RNR – broadcaster and writer, held the honorary rank of Midshipman[28] in Southampton University Royal Naval Unit.[29]
- Honorary Captain[30][31] Penny Mordaunt RNR – Conservative Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North and Secretary of State for Defence in 2019
- Honorary Captain Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, CBE, RD*, RNR – the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world[32]
Selected members of the RNVR
- Ian Fleming, James Bond author/creator, served in Naval Intelligence during the Second World War, reached the rank of commander.
- invasion of Sicily.
- James Robertson Justice actor, invalided out in 1943.
- Laurence Olivier, served as a Fleet Air Arm pilot during the Second World War, reached the rank of lieutenant.
- James Callaghan, joined as ordinary seaman 1942 and left as lieutenant 1945; Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty 1950–51; Prime Minister 1976–1979.
- Duncan Carse, 1942–1945, British explorer and actor.
- Gallipoli Campaign.
- Lionel Crabb, (well known as "Buster" Crabb), served World War II as a frogman – RN mine and bomb clearance and MI6 diver.
- A. J. Cronin, served during the First World War as a surgeon.
- James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose, founder of the Scottish National Party. Founded the RNVR in 1903.
- Sir John Edward Jackson, diplomat.
- Rosslyn Wemyss, he was awarded the Italian medal for military valour.
- Patrick Macnee, actor, commissioned in 1943, became a navigator on motor torpedo boats, reached the rank of lieutenant.
- Merlin Minshall, prewar explorer and racing driver, reached the rank of commander.
- Nicholas Monsarrat, frigate commander during World War II, author of The Cruel Sea, reached the rank of lieutenant commander
- Ewen Montagu, served during the Second World War as a lieutenant commander, where he helped conceive Operation Mincemeat, i.e., "The Man Who Never Was"
- Sir Richard Pim, Inspector-General of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
- Spitfire test pilot during the Second World War, reached rank of lieutenant commander.
- Denys Arthur Rayner, escort group commander during World War II, author of The Enemy Below, reached the rank of commander
- Sir Richard Rees, attachment to the French Navy during the Second World War serving as a Liaison Officer (LO).
- Ralph Richardson, served during the Second World War, reached the rank of lieutenant commander.
- C. W. A. Scott served during the Second World War as a lieutenant and was involved in Operation MENACE.
- Peter Scott, served during the Second World War, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander, and was awarded the DSC and bar.
- Christopher Tolkien, son and literary executor of J. R. R. Tolkien.
- Peter Bull, served during the Second World War, commanding a Landing craft (Flak) in the Mediterranean. His memoirs of the war are recorded in "To Sea in a Sieve".
- Sir Lawrence Weaver, architect and founder of National Institute of Agricultural Botany, was an A.B. in the Anti-aircraft service during the First World War.
- Oliver John Whitley, BBC administrator.
- Robert Owen Wilcoxon, brother of actor Dunkirk Evacuation.[33]
- Frank Wild, Antarctic explorer and holder of a four-bar Polar Medal.
- Rodger Winn, intelligence analyst and commander of the Submarine Tracking Room during the Second World War.
- Henry Witherby, Ornithologist and publisher. Served 1917–18 and was mentioned in dispatches.[34]
- Herbert Penny (founder of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in Cape Town which ultimately led to the formation of the South African Navy).
- R.C. Anderson, maritime historian and a founder of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, reached the rank of lieutenant commander during the First World War.
- RMS Titanic, RVNR officer during the Great War, later piloted his personal boat to join the Little Ships of Dunkirk.
- Dardanelles Campaign.
Fictitious characters
- James Bond served in the RNVR, reaching the rank of commander.
- Lawrence Jamieson (played by Michael Caine) in the film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
- Ralph Ross Lanyon in Mary Renault's British wartime novel The Charioteer served in the RNVR after being wounded at Dunkirk.
- The Henry Root Letterspreviously served in the RNVR under Captain "Crap" Myers.
- Logan Mounstuart, fictional diarist and author of William Boyd's Any Human Heart, recounts that he served in the RNVR Naval Intelligence Division alongside Ian Fleming throughout the Second World War, reaching the temporary rank of commander.
- Richard Bolton (played by James Caan) in the film Submarine X-1.
- Lt. Comdr. Jeffords (played by James Franciscus) in the film Hell Boats.
- Lt. Cdr. George Ericson RNR in Nicholas Monsarrat's novel The Cruel Sea, played by Jack Hawkins in the film of the same name. Donald Sinden and Denholm Elliott played junior RNVR officers, and Virginia McKenna a WRNS officer. The differences in rank insignia formats are shown very nicely.
Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom
The Blue Ensign of the United Kingdom has been worn since 1865 by British-registered merchant vessels commanded by active or retired officers of the RNR, when authorised by
Colonial Reserves
A number of RNR formed before World War II:
- Straits Settlements Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve – c. 1934
- Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve – c. 1937
- Malayan Volunteer Reserve – c. WWII
There are also naval reserve forces operated by other
See also
- Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
- British Merchant Navy
- Maritime Volunteer Service
- Royal Auxiliary Air Force
- Royal Marines Reserve
- Royal Naval Patrol Service
References
- ^ "Maritime Reserves welcome new leader". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ISBN 9781861892027.
- ^ Howarth, Stephen. The Royal Navy's Reserves in War and Peace, 1903–2003 . Leo Cooper, 2003.
- ^ "Casualty Details – Victor Joseph Benoit". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ Howarth, Stephen. The Royal Navy's Reserves in War and Peace, 1903–2003 . Leo Cooper, 2003.
- ^ Lavery, Brian In Which They Served: The Royal Navy Officer Experience in the Second World War. Conway, 2008.
- ^ Lavery, Brian In Which They Served: The Royal Navy Officer Experience in the Second World War. Conway, 2008.
- ^ Howarth, Stephen. The Royal Navy's Reserves in War and Peace, 1903–2003 . Leo Cooper, 2003.
- ^ Lavery, Brian In Which They Served: The Royal Navy Officer Experience in the Second World War. p.180. Conway, 2008.
- ^ "New Commander of Maritime Reserves assumes command". Royal Navy. Portsmouth. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Lifetime mum so proud after son's award-winning passing out parade!". Lifetime. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Reserve General Entry Officer | Royal Naval Reserve Jobs".
- ^ "Reserve General Entry Rating | Royal Navy".
- ^ "New location for University Royal Navy Unit | Royal Navy". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Wales University Royal Naval Unit (WURNU)". www.swansea-union.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "University Royal Naval Unit". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "RNVR Unit Histories".
- ^ "Gov UK - Cadet Forces Commission" (PDF).
- ^ "No. 62208". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 20 February 2018. pp. 3146–3147.
- ^ e3. "The Royal Navy Reserves – Royal Navy". Retrieved 16 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ e3. "HMS Pegasus Commissioning". Retrieved 16 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Foldi, N.S. (1978). Poole, Daniel (1882–1959)'. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, p. 255. Retrieved on 9 August 2009.
- ^ "Captain S. Robinson of the 'Empress of Asia' (1913) (G10732)". National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ "Obituary: Captain Ronald Neil Stuart" Archived 23 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine, The Times (London). 9 February 1954.
- ^ The Examiner (31 August 1940). "The Navy's Woman Doctor". Examiner. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Robin Knight (10 November 2018). The Extraordinary Life of Mike Cumberlege SOE. Fonthill Media. GGKEY:NK1G8PK99CQ.
- ^ "University Training | Royal Navy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2019.
- ^ "Ben Fogle: "I remember" - Reader's Digest". www.readersdigest.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "Page 21618 | Supplement 63542, 30 November 2021 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Former Defence Secretary Joins Military Charity | Pathfinder International". 13 November 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ The London Gazette, www.thegazette.co.uk, 27 October 2015.
- ISSN 1471-0757.
- ISBN 9780835215787.
External links
- RNR homepage
- Search and download the WW1 service records of those who served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve War from The National Archives.
- Support for Britain's Reservists Archived 18 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Maritime Volunteer Service
- The All Party Parliamentary Reserve Forces Group