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Royal Naval Reserve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy (RN) in the United Kingdom.
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The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 merging the original Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) founded under the Naval Reserve Act in 1859 as a reserve of professional seamen from the merchant service and fishing fleets and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), a reserve of civilian volunteers founded later in 1903.
The RNR was originally a reserve of seamen only but in 1862 this was extended to include recruitment and training of officers. From its creation, RNR officers wore a unique, distinctive lace consisting of stripes of interwoven chain.
A number of drillships were established at the main seaports around the coast of Britain and Ireland and seamen left their vessels in the base ports to undertake gunnery training in a drillship for a period of one month annually. After initial shore training officers embarked in larger ships of the fleet (usually battleships or battle cruisers) for a one year period to familiarise themselves with gunnery and naval practice. Although under the operational authority of the Admiral Commanding Reserves, the RNR was administered jointly by the Admiralty and the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen in the Board of Trade throughout its separate existence. In 1910, the RNR (Trawler Section) was formed to actively recruit and train fishermen for wartime service in minesweepers and minor war vessels.
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 Boer War and Boxer Rebellion. Prior to the First World War, 100 RNR officers were transferred to permanent careers in the regular navy - forever after referred to as 'the hungry hundred'. In their professional careers, many RNR officers went on to command the largest passenger liners of the day and held senior positions in the shipping industry and government.
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 destroyers, submarines, auxiliary cruisers and Q ships. Others served in larger units of the battle fleet including a large number with the West Indies Squadron who became casualties at the Battle of Coronel and later Jutland. Fishermen of the RNR(T) section served with distinction onboard trawlers fitted out as minesweepers for mine clearance operations at home and abroad throughout the war where they suffered heavy casualties and losses. A number of RNR officers qualified as pilots and flew aircraft and airships with the RNAS whilst many RNR ratings served ashore alongside the RN and RNVR contingents in the trenches of the Somme and at Gallipoli with the Royal Naval Division. Merchant service officers and men serving in armed merchant cruisers, hospital ships, fleet auxiliaries and transports were entered in the RNR for the duration of the war on special agreements.
Although considerably smaller than both the RN and the RNVR (three times the size of the RNR at the end of the First World War) the RNR had an exceptional war record being awarded 12 Victoria Crosses.
On commencement of hostilities in the Second World War, the RN once again called upon the experience and professionalism of the RNR from the outset to help them shoulder the initial burden until sufficient manpower could be trained for the RNVR and 'hostilities only' ratings. Again, RNR officers found themselves in command of destroyers, frigates, sloops, landing craft and submarines, or as specialist navigation officers in cruisers and aircraft carriers. In convoy work, the convoy commodore or escort commander was often an RNR officer. As in the First World War, the RNR acquitted itself well, winning 4 VCs.
During World War II no more ratings were accepted into the RNVR which then became the main route for wartime officer entry. The service was called the "Wavy Navy" after the wavy sleeve stripes that RNVR officers wore to differentiate them from RN/RNR officers. These have since been replaced by the straight rank lacing used in the full-time RN, with the addition of a small 'R' in the centre of the executive curl, which has been discontinued for all other than honorary officer from 30 November, 2007 (although RNR (SCC) officers of both the Sea Cadet Corps and the RNR (CCF) officers of the Combined Cadet Force retain the use of old stripes). Note that SCC and CCF officers, whilst retaining the rank titles and insignia, no longer hold commissions in the RNR.
From 1938 until 1957 the RNVR provided aircrew personnel in the form of their own Air Branch. After the war in 1947, their contribution was cut to anti-submarine and fighter units only. By 1957 it was considered that the training required to operate modern equipment was beyond that expected of reservists and the Air branch squadrons were disbanded.
The British naval reserve forces were amalgamated in 1958, and the RNR was absorbed into the much larger RNVR organisation. After 100 years of proud service the RNR as a separate professional naval service ceased to exist. However, the centenary of the formation of the RNVR (formed in 1903) was commemorated by the RNR in London in 2003 with a parade on Horse Guards at which HRH Prince Charles took the salute.
The RNR's own ships were sold off as part of the 1990s defence review and it no longer has a dedicated sea-going role, though personnel do still go to sea in a variety of roles from Mine Warfare officers to General Service Seamen (Reserve) ship protection ratings. Officers and ratings also currently serve on active service in Full Time Reserve Service billets throughout the RN and also in mobilised posts in Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Balkans and the UK.
As of 1 July 2007, officers and ratings of the RNR were able to cease wearing differentiation marks on uniform, i.e. officers do not have to wear the RNR "R" in the curls of their cuff/epaulette rank insignia and other ranks no longer have to wear RNR epaulettes or RNR shoulder flashes. There is a 'grace' period to 30 November 2007 (at present - this may change) in which personnel can still wear RNR rank insigia in order to allow supplies of RN rank insignia to be issued to RNR personnel as replacements.
Following the disbandment of the associated Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) in 1994, the Maritime Volunteer Service was formed as a national maritime training organisation with charitable status. It has taken over and expanded many RNXS roles.
The modern RNR has fourteen Royal Naval Reserve Units (with 6 satellite units). These are:
- HMS Scotia (Rosyth)
- HMS Cambria (Sully, Wales)
- HMS Dalriada (Greenock)
- HMS Flying Fox (Bristol)
- HMS Calliope (Gateshead)
- HMS President (London)
- HMS Eaglet (Liverpool)
- HMS Vivid (Devonport)
- HMS Sherwood (Nottingham)
- HMS King Alfred (Portsmouth)
- HMS Forward (Birmingham)
- HMS Caroline (Belfast)
- HMS Wildfire (Northwood)
- HMS Ferret (Chicksands)
The University Royal Naval Units, although under the jurisdiction of BRNC Dartmouth, are also a part of the Royal Naval Reserve, with students holding the title "Midshipman RNR".
Many notable people have served in the RNVR, including:
- A.J. Cronin, served during World War I as a surgeon
- Sir Laurence Olivier, served as a Fleet Air Arm pilot during World War II, reached the rank of Lieutenant
- Ralph Richardson, served during World War II, reached the rank of Lieutenant-Commander
- Ian Fleming, James Bond author/creator, served in Naval Intelligence during World War II, reached the rank of Commander
- Edward Smith, Captain of the RMS Titanic
- Rodger Winn, intelligence analyst and commander of the Submarine Tracking Room during World War II
- Sub-Lieutenant Alec Guinness, commanded a landing craft during the WWII invasion of Sicily.
- Fictional character James Bond served in the RN, reaching the rank of Commander.
There are also naval reserve forces operated by other Commonwealth of Nations navies, including the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR), the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR), and the Canadian Naval Reserve. Previously there were also colonial RNVR units, such as the Straits Settlements Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (SSRNVR), Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR), Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (HKRNVR) and the South African Division of the RNVR.