Rob writes - I've struggled with this one, I can't find a Service Record anywhere, Australian or English, (I even tried other Commonwealth countries like Canada).
I also didn't find much about HMS Calliope, but everything I did find indicated she was a drill ship at Newcastle upon Tyne for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Tyne Division, from 1907 to 1951, so she can't have been "loaned" to the RAN for WWII, (or WWI).
RNVR - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
VRD - Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve Decoration - awarded to Commissioned Officers of the RNVR after 20 years service.
RNR - Royal Naval Reserve
RD - Royal Naval Reserve Decoration - awarded to Commissioned Officers as Sub-Lieutenant or above in the RNR after 15 years service.
VRD and RD are very similar, the medal appears to be identical but the ribbon differs.
If the above is right, the way I understand it, he can't be both VRD and RNR.
If he was in the RNR he would have received an RD and if he did receive a VRD he must have been in the RNVR.
In the RNVR, the VRD replaced the VD in 1947 which in turn was replaced by the RD when the RNR & RNVR merged in 1966.
