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| Volunteer Reserves Service Medal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Volunteer Reserves Service Medal |
| Type | Long service medal |
| Awarded by | United Kingdom |
| Eligibility | Volunteer reserves of the United Kingdom Armed Forces |
| Awarded for | Long service and good conduct |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Established | 1999 |
| First awarded | 1999 |
Volunteer Reserves Service Medal
The Volunteer Reserves Service Medal is a long service award instituted in 1999 to recognize extended efficient service by members of the United Kingdom reserve components such as the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, Territorial Army/Army Reserve and Royal Auxiliary Air Force. It functions alongside other British decorations including the Efficiency Medal and the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Military), forming part of a family of awards associated with reserve and regular service. Recipients are drawn from a wide range of units affiliated with formations like the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.
The medal was created during a period of reform in United Kingdom military honours following reviews influenced by precedents such as changes established after the 1994 Strategic Defence Review and subsequent personnel reforms associated with the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). It replaced several earlier awards including the Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and various versions of the Volunteer Long Service Medal, aiming to standardize recognition across the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, and Royal Auxiliary Air Force. The institution of the medal aligns with historical patterns first seen in recognitions introduced during the reigns of Queen Victoria and King George V and later adjusted under Queen Elizabeth II.
Eligibility extends to ranks and roles drawn from units such as the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, Army Reserve companies, and squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, provided they meet statutory criteria established by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Qualifying service is calculated in accrued reckonable service across part-time training commitments, mobilisations like those during the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and approved antecedent service in related formations such as the Territorial Force and earlier reserve structures. The typical qualifying period is fifteen years of efficient service, with counting rules taking into account embodied service during conflicts including the Falklands War and Cold War-era call-ups that involved elements of the reserve forces. Certain periods of service may be aggregated from prior awards like the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies where regulations permit.
The obverse of the medal bears the effigy of the reigning monarch at the time of issue, following a tradition comparable to the portraiture used on the Queen's Police Medal and the Royal Victorian Medal. The reverse features an emblematic design referencing reserve service, echoing motifs seen on earlier decorations such as the Territorial Decoration and the Efficiency Medal (Militia and Volunteers). The ribbon combines colours representative of the three services, similar in concept to the tri-service symbolism employed on the Defence Medal (United Kingdom) or the Armed Forces Service Medal of other nations. The medal's composition, size and mounting reflect standards common to British campaign and service medals such as the General Service Medal (1962). Insignia particulars may include the recipient's name impressed on the rim, consistent with practice for awards like the Africa General Service Medal.
Clasps are authorised for additional periods of qualifying service beyond the initial award; this approach mirrors the use of bars on medals like the 1939–1945 Star and various campaign stars where successive clasps denote repeated campaigns or extended service. The specific metals and attachment designs follow conventions shared with the Operational Service Medal series, with clasps bearing inscriptions indicating the nature or period of the additional service. Recipients who transition from reserve to regular status, or vice versa, may have service counted towards other long service awards such as the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Army), subject to statutory provisions and precedence rules managed by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) and the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood.
Presentation is typically conducted by senior officers within units such as the Flag Officer Sea Training, brigade commanders in the British Army, or senior air officers in the Royal Air Force, or by representatives of the Lord Lieutenant in ceremonial county contexts. Wearing regulations align with the established order of wear prescribed by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) and the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, placing the medal among long service decorations and adjacent to awards like the Volunteer Officers' Decoration. When in uniform, the medal is worn suspended from its ribbon on the left breast, and miniature forms are authorised for mess dress in line with practices used for medals such as the Victoria Cross and the George Cross—though precedence differs significantly.
Replacement of lost or damaged medals is handled by issuing authorities within the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) or through unit administration offices in formations like the Royal Corps of Signals or the Royal Logistic Corps, which maintain service records and entitlement documentation. Official service records, medal rolls and entitlement lists are maintained alongside personnel files held at repositories such as the MOD Medal Office and, for historical cases, custodial transfers to institutions like the National Archives (United Kingdom). Requests for duplicates require proof of entitlement and may involve liaison with the Household Division or regimental headquarters depending on the claimant’s original unit.
Category:British military medals