Efficiency Medal

Territorial Efficiency Medal	This medal had been that awarded to the Territorial Army.
Volunteer Long Service Medal	This medal had previously been superseded in 1908 by the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal (which itself had been superseded by the Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1921). However, up until 1930 it was still being awarded in Bermuda, India, Isle of Man and to the 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment.
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal	This medal had been in existence since 1899, before being superseded by the Efficiency Medal. The inscription on the suspender bar scroll of the Efficiency Medal was of the name of the country of the overseas (in relation to the UK) force.
New Zealand Territorial Service Medal	This medal, which was instituted in 1912, had been awarded to the Territorial Force, New Zealand. It was replaced when the New Zealand inscription on the scroll bar of the Efficiency Medal was adopted in 1931.
New Zealand Territorial Service Medal	This medal, which instituted in 1912, had been awarded to the Territorial Force, New Zealand. It was replaced when the New Zealand inscription on the scroll bar of the Efficiency Medal was adopted in 1931.
Militia Long Service Medal:	This medal had been instituted for the Militia in 1904. Although the Militia had for the most part become the Special Reserve in 1908, they had reverted to Militia status in 1921 and then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924. Both Militia and Supplementary Reserve were entitled to the Militia Long Service Medal. From 1930 the Efficiency Medal replaced the Militia Long Service Medal. Those categories of the Supplementary Reserve whose roots lay the Militia were granted the Militia inscription on the suspender bar scroll. This lasted until the formation of the Army Emergency Reserve in 1951 which had their own medal instituted (the Army Emergency Reserve Efficiency Medal.
Army Emergency Reserve Efficiency Medal	This medal was more than a variation of the Efficiency Medal but was a medal in its own right for the Army Emergency Reserve. When the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve was created the Army Emergency Reserve was abolished, as was its associated medals and thus this medal was in effect superseded by the Efficiency Medal which from this point had a T&AVR inscription on the suspender bar scroll.

Territorial	This was the inscription for those serving in the Territorial Army of UK. It lasted from 1930 to 2000, with a hiatus of approximately 12 years when the T&AVR inscription was used (see below). During this period there were four obverse types for the main body of the medal being the two effigies of George VI and the two of Elizabeth II.
Militia	This was granted to members of the Supplementary Reserve until the formation of the Army Emergency Reserve in 1951 which had its own medal. It lasted from 1930 to 1951. During this period there were 3 obverse types for the main body of the medal being the one effigy of George V and the two effigies of George VI.
T&AVR	This was introduced when the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve was created and lasted from 1969 to 1982 after which the Territorial inscription was resumed. During this period there was one obverse type for the main body of the medal being the Elizabeth II type 2.

Antigua	Only one effigy on the obverse was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
Australia	All five obverse effigies were issued.
Barbados	All five obverse effigies were issued.
Bermuda	All five obverse effigies were issued.
British Guiana	Four obverse effigies, the exception being the Elizabeth type 2.
British Honduras	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the Elizabeth II type 2.
Burma	Only one effigy on the obverse was issued the George VI type 1
Canada	All five obverse effigies were issued.
Ceylon	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the Elizabeth II type 2.
Dominica	Only one effigy on obverse was issued the George VI type 1.
Falkland Islands	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the George VI type 2.
Fiji	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the George VI type 1.
Gibraltar	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the George VI type 1.
Gold Coast	Only two obverse effigies were issued the George VI type 1 and 2.
Grenada	Only one obverse effigy was issued the George VI type 1.
Guernsey	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the George V.
Hong Kong	All five obverse effigies were issued.
India	Only two obverse effigies were issued the George V and the George VI type 1.
Jamaica	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the Elizabeth II type 2.
Jersey	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 1.
Kenya	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Leeward Island	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Malaya	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being George V and Elizabeth the II type 2.
Malta	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the George V.
Mauritius	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
Montserrat	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
Jersey	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 1.
Kenya	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Leeward Island	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Malaya	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Malta	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the George V.
Mauritius	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
Montserrat	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 2
New Zealand	All five obverse effigies were issued.
Nigeria	Three obverse effigies were issued the exceptions being the George VI type 1 and the Elizabeth II type 2.
Rhodesia/Nyasaland	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
St Christopher Nevis	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
St Lucia	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
St Vincent	Only one obverse effigy was issued the Elizabeth II type 1.
S. Rhodesia	Four obverse effigies were issued, the exception being the Elizabeth II type 2.
S. Africa	Only the first two obverse effigies were issued. Note: The inscription on the scroll bar is in both English and Afrikaans.
Trinidad/Tobago	Three obverse effigies were issued, the exceptions being the George V and the Elizabeth II type 2.

 

This section contains information on the following:-

 

- The British Militia.

- The Special Reserve.

- The Volunteer Force

- The Yeomanry.

- The Territorial Force.

- The Army Reserve.

- The Royal Naval Reserve.

- The Royal Marines Reserve.

- The Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

 

The British Militia - In 1707, the Acts of Union united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. The English and Welsh Militia and the Scottish Militia became part of the framework of the new British armed services. The Royal Scots Navy was incorporated into the Royal Navy, and the Scottish military (as opposed to naval) forces merged with the English, with the regular Scottish regiments maintaining their identities, although the command of the new British Army was from England.

 

The Militia Act 1757 had effect only in England and Wales and aimed to create a professional national military reserve. Records were kept, and the men were selected by ballot to serve for longer periods. Uniforms and weapons were provided, and the force was 'embodied' from time to time for training.

 

The threat of Ireland's belligerent all-Protestant militia to copy the American colonists and seek to free their country from British control if Ireland's demands for free trade were not met, and the inability of the British, after years of war overseas, to police Ireland easily, would later lead to the Union of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.

 

The militia was embodied at various times during the French and Napoleonic Wars. It served at several strategic locations and was particularly stationed on the South Coast and in Ireland. A number of camps were held at Brighton, where the militia regiments were reviewed by the Prince Regent, the origin of the song 'Brighton Camp'.

 

The militia could not be compelled to serve overseas, but it was seen as a training reserve for the army, as bounties were offered to men who opted to 'exchange' from the militia to the regular army. Unlike many British Volunteer Corps formations, the uniforms of the militia resembled standing army uniforms trimmed with silver lace instead of gold.

 

Militia regiments were infantry regiments; there were no militia artillery units until 1854.

 

Originally highly autonomous, the units of the Militia were integrated into the Special Reserve after the Childers Reforms in 1881.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Special Reserve - The militia was transformed into the Special Reserve by the military reforms of Haldane in the reforming post 1906 Liberal government. In 1908 the militia infantry battalions were re-designated as 'reserve' and a number were amalgamated or disbanded.

 

Numbered Territorial Force battalions, ranking after the Special Reserve, were formed from the volunteer units at the same time. Altogether, 101 infantry battalions, 33 artillery regiments and two engineer regiments of special reservists were formed.

 

Upon mobilisation, the special reserve units would be formed at the depot and continue training while guarding vulnerable points in Britain. The special reserve units remained in Britain throughout the First World War, but their rank and file did not, since the object of the special reserve was to supply drafts of replacements for the overseas units of the regiment. The original militiamen soon disappeared, and the battalions became training units pure and simple.

 

The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924, though the units were effectively placed in 'suspended animation' until disbanded in 1953.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Volunteer Force - The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

 

Most of the regiments of the present Territorial Army Infantry, Artillery, Engineers and Signals units are directly descended from Volunteer Force units.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Yeomanry - Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.

 

Originally highly autonomous, the units of the Yeomanary became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the Territorial Force in 1908.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Territorial Force - The Territorial Force (TF) was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army (now the Army Reserve). The Territorial Force was formed by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane, following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Army with the Yeomanry.

 

The TF was formed on 1 April 1908. As part of the same process, remaining units of militia were renamed Special Reserve.

 

The TF was envisaged as a home defence force for service during wartime; units were liable to serve anywhere within the United Kingdom when the force was embodied, but could not be compelled to serve outside the country.

 

However, any member or unit of the force could volunteer to be liable for overseas service - in 1910, when asked to nominate for Imperial Service overseas in the event of mobilisation, less than 10 percent of the Force chose to do so.

 

Individual members could also choose to be liable to be called up for service within the United Kingdom even in situations when the force as a whole was not embodied. The TF became the Army Reserve in 2013.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Army Reserve - The Army Reserve (known as the Territorial Army (TA) and the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1920 to 2013) is a volunteer active-duty reservist force and integrated element of the British Army.

 

The Army Reserve was created as the Territorial Force in 1908 by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane, when the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Force, with the mounted Yeomanry (at the same time the Militia was renamed the Special Reserve).

 

Most Volunteer infantry units had unique identities, but lost these in the re-organisation, becoming Territorial battalions of Regular Army infantry regiments. Some, notably the London, Monmouthshire and Hertfordshire Regiments maintained a separate identity.

 

Its original purpose was home defence, although the establishment of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve in 1967 involved a restructuring and revised doctrine leading to the provision of routine support for the regular army overseas. Reservists in the past also served as constables or bailiffs, even holding positions of civic duty as overseer of their parish.

 

The more modern Yeomen of the 18th century were cavalry-based units, which were often used to suppress riots such as the infamous Peterloo Massacre. Several units that are now part of the Army Reserve bear the title 'militia', reflecting their origins as part of that organisation prior to the formation of the Army Reserve.

 

During periods of total war, the Army Reserve is incorporated by the Royal Prerogative into Regular Service under one code of Military Law for the duration of hostilities or until de-activation is decided upon. After the Second World War, for example, the Army Reserve - or Territorial Army as it was known then - was not demobilised until 1947.

 

Army Reservists normally have a full-time civilian job or career, which in some cases provides skills and expertise that are directly transferable to a specialist military role, such as NHS employees serving in Reservist Army Medical Services units. All Army Reserve personnel have their civilian jobs protected to a limited extent by law should they be compulsorily mobilised.

 

There is, however, no legal protection against discrimination in employment for membership of the Army Reserve in the normal course of events (i.e. when not mobilised). The highest-ranking officer in the Army Reserve is Major-General Greg Smith TD, who is Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets).

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Royal Naval Reserve - The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom.

 

The present RNR was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), created 1903. The RNR was active in both the First and Second World Wars and was re-activated in 2003 for the Second Gulf War (Iraq War).

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Royal Marines Reserve - The role of the Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) of the United Kingdom is to augment the regular Royal Marines in times of war or national crisis. The RMR consists of some 600-1000 trained ranks distributed among the four units within the UK. About 10 percent of the force are working with the Regular Corps on long-term attachments in all of the Royal Marines regular units.

 

All the volunteers within the RMR pass through the same rigorous commando course as the regulars. The former may be civilians with no previous military experience or are former regular Royal Marines.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force - The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), originally the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), is the voluntary active duty reserve element of the Royal Air Force, providing a primary reinforcement capability for the regular service.

 

It consists of paid volunteers who give up some of their weekends, evenings and holidays to train at one of a number of squadrons around the United Kingdom. Its current mission is to provide trained personnel in support of the RAF.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

End of database.