News

June 27th 2018

Some reservists will use the day as an opportunity to wear their military uniform to their civilian workplace. This allows their co-workers to understand more about the Reserve Forces and have the opportunity to learn about the wide range of military roles available on a part-time basis.

Major General Ranald Munro CBE TD VR, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets), said: “Reserves Day allows us to celebrate and thank reservists and their employers for their immense contribution. Reservists are key to the Defence of our nation.

“They are an integral part of our Armed Forces. They sacrifice their spare time to train so as to be able to support the Regular Forces on a wide range of tasks, including at times of crisis at home and abroad.”

Winston Churchill once described reservists as “twice the citizen”. In many ways this is true because not only do they pursue a civilian career they also have an important military role too.

Reserves in the East Midlands

There are many different types of reserve units based in the East Midlands, the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR),  Royal Marines Reserve (RMR) Army Reserve and RAF Reserve are all represented.

HMS Sherwood is the East Midlands’ only RNR unit but they are very active with reservists in many different specialisations. They were recently awarded the prestigious Freedom of the City of Nottingham, the city in which they are based and train in.

They recruit from across the East Midlands with reservists based as far away as Northampton travelling to the unit on a regular basis.

The Royal Marines Reserve also have a unit based in Nottingham and also recruit from around the region.

The Army Reserve is the most widely represented of all the Services in the East Midlands with Royal Engineers, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps, The Army Medical Service, Infantry Regiments and many more.

In some instances reserves also undertake similar roles in the civilian lives as they do in the military.

Earlier this year, we spoke to Christine Ongoma who is a Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner who works for a NHS Trust in Derbyshire who has been appointed Reserves Champion in her place of work thanks to her part-time military career.

Christine explained: “After joining, I realised there were so many more opportunities available to me in the Army Reserve than I could ever have imagined. There really is the chance to learn new skills, have new experiences and

make a difference to people’s lives.

“I had to train hard to pass my recruit training and experienced a few difficulties with the fitness tests, but I overcame those challenges and would now recommend a career in the Reserve Forces to anyone.”

The RAF Reserves are split into two categories in the East Midlands, there are RAF regiments who provide force protection and Intelligence Squadrons which support operations around the world.

All of the Reserve Forces integrate into the regulars and reservists will almost always go on deployments with regular soldiers, where they will be expected to perform to the same high standards.

Get Involved

Whether you employ reserves or not there are many ways you can support Reserves Day.

Spread the word with colleagues about Reserves Day, put up posters in your office, hold a bake sale in aid of one of the Services charities, hold a lunch time team building exercise or even just share an article on your website.

If you want to become more involved why not investigate signing the Armed Forces Covenant, it aims to ensure that reservist, regulars, veterans and their families receive a fair deal.

Share your Reserves Day activity with us by tagging us in your posts on social media.