Forester Brigade Regiment Metal OFFICERS Gilt & Silver METAL Cap Badge – J.R. GAUNT LONDON

Guaranteed original. Complete & intact. This is an original post 1953 Cap Badge for sale. In good condition. Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military cap badges for sale including other post 1953 cap badges.

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The British Army has been purely a professional force since National service came to an end in the 1960s. Since the creation of the part-time reservist Territorial Force in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014) the full-time component of the British Army has been known as the Regular Army. The size and structure of the British Army continues to evolve and accordingly the Ministry of Defence publishes monthly reports on personnel. Figures for December 2016 show; 83,360 trained Regulars, 2,850 Gurkhas and 26,300 trained Army Reservists.

The future transformation of the British Army is referred to as “Army 2020”, which is the result of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. According to the Ministry of Defence, Army 2020 will “ensure that the British Army remains the most capable Army in its class” and enable “it to better meet the security challenges of the 2020s and beyond”. Initially, the SDSR outlined a reduction of the Regular British Army by 7,000 to a trained strength of 95,000 personnel by 2015. However, following a further independent review on the future structure of the British Army, “Future Reserves 2020”, it was announced that the Regular Army will be reduced to a trained strength of 82,000 while the Army Reserve will be increased to a trained strength of around 30,000 personnel and this reform will bring the ratio of regular and part-time personnel of the British Army in line with US and Canadian allies and see them fully integrated with the Regular Army.

In addition to the active elements of the British Army (Regular and Army Reserve), all ex-Regular Army personnel remain liable to be recalled for duty in a time of need, this is known as the Regular Reserve. The Regular Reserve is separated into two categories: A and D. Category A is mandatory, with the length of time serving in category A depending on time spent in Regular service. Category D is voluntary and consists of personnel who are no-longer required to serve in category A. Regular Reserves in both category A and D serve under a fixed-term reserve contract and are liable to report for training or service overseas and at home, much in the manner of the Army Reserve. In 2007 there were 121,800 Regular Reserves of the British Army, of which, 33,760 served in categories A and D. Publications since April 2013 no longer report the entire strength of the Regular Reserve, instead they only give a figure for the Regular Reserves serving in categories A and D only. They had a reported strength of 30,000 personnel in 2015.

Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military cap badges for sale including other Post 1953 cap badges.