Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
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King Edward VII and first King George V versions with original all-green ribbons
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| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Type | Military long service decoration |
| Eligibility | Part-time commissioned officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
| Awarded for | Twenty years service |
| Status | Still current in New Zealand |
| Clasps | Ten years additional service |
| Post-nominals | VD until c. 1947 VRD from c. 1947 |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1908 |
| Order of wear | |
| Next (higher) | Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve |
| Next (lower) | Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
  Original and post-1919 ribbon bars |
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The Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was a special award. It was created in 1908. This award was given to part-time officers in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the United Kingdom. These officers were civilian volunteers. They received the award after serving for twenty years. They had to be good and capable officers.
People who received this award could use the letters VD (until about 1947) or VRD (after 1947) after their name. This decoration was also given to part-time officers in similar volunteer naval forces across the British Empire.
The award stopped being given in the United Kingdom in 1966. This happened when the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve joined with the Royal Naval Reserve. The Royal Naval Reserve was made up of sailors from the Merchant Navy. After 1966, a very similar award, the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve, took its place.
However, a version of this award is still given in New Zealand today. It is called the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration.
Contents
The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) was a group of civilian volunteers. They trained to support the Royal Navy, especially during wartime. They were different from the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), which was made up of sailors from the Merchant Navy. Both groups were important for the United Kingdom's naval strength.
How the Award Started
This decoration was created before August 17, 1908. It was meant to recognise long and good service by part-time officers. These officers served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves of the United Kingdom and other parts of the British Empire.
It was one of two similar awards started at the same time. The other was the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve. Both awards looked the same at first. They both hung from a dark green ribbon. But in 1919, the ribbon for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve award was changed.
Several countries in the British Empire also gave out this decoration:
- South Africa started using it in 1915. This was two years after their own Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was set up in 1913.
- New Zealand adopted it in 1925 when their Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve began.
- Canada started giving it as the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers' Decoration in 1938.
The first person to receive this decoration was Lieutenant Charles Alfred Jones on November 9, 1909.
Who Could Get the Award?
Officers in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve could get this award. They needed to have served for twenty years as an officer. This service did not have to be continuous. They also had to be efficient and capable.
Time spent serving during wartime counted as double. Also, half the time an officer spent as a regular sailor (not an officer) could count towards the twenty years. However, an officer had to have served at least seven years in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in any role to be eligible.
If an officer had already received a medal for good conduct as a regular sailor, they could still get this decoration. They could even wear both awards if they had completed both service periods.
After June 1, 1954, officers could also earn a clasp for the decoration. A clasp is a bar attached to the ribbon. They got it after ten more years of service. This extra service could not be counted as double time. If someone had a clasp, they would wear a small silver flower (rosette) on their ribbon bar when not in full uniform.
What the Decoration Looks Like
The decoration is shaped like an oval. It is made of silver, with some parts on the front made of silver-gilt (silver covered with a thin layer of gold). It is about 56 millimetres (2 inches) tall and 35 millimetres (1.4 inches) wide. A silver ring at the top connects it to the ribbon.
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Front of the Decoration
The front of the decoration shows the royal cypher (a special symbol of the reigning monarch) in silver-gilt. This symbol is surrounded by a silver rope tied with a reef knot at the bottom. A silver-gilt crown sits on top, where the ribbon attaches.
There have been five different versions of the decoration, depending on who was the monarch:
- King Edward VII (1908 version): It has his symbol "ERVII" (for "Edward Rex VII"). The knot faces left.
- First King George V (after 1910): It has his symbol "GVR" (for "Georgius V Rex"). The knot also faces left.
- Second King George V (later version): It has his symbol "GRI" (for "Georgius Rex Imperator"). The knot faces right.
- King George VI (after 1936): It has his symbol "GVIR" (for "Georgius VI Rex"). The knot faces right.
- Queen Elizabeth II (after 1952): It has her symbol "EIIR" (for "Elizabeth II Regina"). The knot faces right.
Back of the Decoration
The back of the decoration is plain. Usually, the year the award was given is stamped on the back of the knot. For awards given in other countries, the recipient's name was often engraved on the back.
Clasp
The clasp was added around 1954. It has Queen Elizabeth II's symbol (EIIR) in the middle, with a crown above it. The year it was awarded is stamped on the back.
Ribbons
Two different ribbons were used for this decoration:
- Original Ribbon: This ribbon was 38 millimetres (1.5 inches) wide and dark green. It was the same as the ribbon for the Volunteer Officers' Decoration.
- New Ribbon (after 1919): This ribbon was also 38 millimetres wide. It had a 12 millimetres (0.5 inches) wide navy blue band, a 4 millimetres (0.16 inches) wide dark red band, a 6 millimetres (0.24 inches) wide dark green band, and then the red and blue bands again in reverse. The colours have meanings: blue for the sea, red for the Royal family, and green for the original volunteer decoration.
Where it Ranks
In the United Kingdom, military awards have a specific order of importance. The Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve ranks after the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve. It ranks before the Royal Naval Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
In South Africa
When South Africa created its own military awards in 1952, they were generally worn before older British awards. The only exception was the Victoria Cross, which always came first. Among the British medals given to South Africans, this decoration ranks as shown below.
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- It comes after the Efficiency Medal (South Africa).
- It comes before the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
When the Award Ended
New Zealand still gives out a version of this award, called the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration, for fifteen years of service. In the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries, new awards gradually replaced it.
- Canada stopped giving it on January 1, 1946. This was when their Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve joined with the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve. A new award, the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserve) Decoration, took its place.
- South Africa replaced it on April 6, 1952, with the John Chard Decoration. This new award could be given to all ranks in the Citizen Force for twenty years of good service.
- In the United Kingdom, this decoration and a similar award for regular sailors were stopped in 1966. This happened when the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve merged with the Royal Naval Reserve. The Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve then became the main award.
Images for kids
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King Edward VII and first King George V versions with original all-green ribbons
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Original ribbon bar
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Post-1919 ribbon bar
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Efficiency Medal (South Africa) ribbon
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Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal ribbon
