Rob Parry
08-12-10, 08:55 AM
I don't know what our American colleagues call these people, but in the RM we refer to people who create a fictitious past and awards of gallantry medals, "Walters, or Walts" for short. Named after the film "The secret life of Walter Mitty" a clerk who dreamed he had "been there and done that."
Last week our local paper, The West Briton, contained a story about an Australian couple who had been befriended during a train journey by a 'refined man', who told them about his past, then on leaving the train he handed them a Military Cross, on the back it is inscribed J Davies D175796N RM. There is no rank indicated, the number is possibly from the RN, period late 70s, the RM is totally incorrect due to the number. Are your antennae popping the way mine did? The Military Cross is not earned or awarded easily.
Here's the story from the paper.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Robiz/img167.jpg
So I did some secret squirrelling and discovered the following. Nobody named J Davies or J Davis has been awarded the MC for service in Iraq. There is no mention of his name in the London Gazette, where all gallantry awards and citations are 'Gazetted' ie published. The cross in the photo has the GR cypher from King George, Queen Elizabeth's father. It was changed to EIIR when Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1953. Davies claims not to understand how this happened as it is a replacement. It certainly is a replacement, unfortunately you can purchase them on EBay for £15 about $20.
Davies was contacted by the paper; he told the reporter he had in fact concealed his true past. He joined the Royal Navy in 1976 as a submariner, he then transferred to the Royal Marines in 1979, serving immediately with the SBS (Think SEALS, but the originals :D) undercover in Northern Ireland. That's when I started laughing at the poor reporter. She waited ten minutes while I phoned around. The SBS training SNCOs from that period have no record or knowledge of anybody transferring from the RN, especially an 18 year old submariner; neither was anybody named Davies awarded an MC.
I was given his mobile number and left a message explaining who I am and I would ring later to have a discussion, although it was likely to be a unidirectional soliloquy. I called on seven more occasions. Each time the phone was opened, I heard a grunt and the line went dead.
Davies is to be exposed by the paper next week. I'm looking forward to it.
Don't get mad, get even. As I said to the reporter, "The MC is awarded for Gallantry, not perjury."
Last week our local paper, The West Briton, contained a story about an Australian couple who had been befriended during a train journey by a 'refined man', who told them about his past, then on leaving the train he handed them a Military Cross, on the back it is inscribed J Davies D175796N RM. There is no rank indicated, the number is possibly from the RN, period late 70s, the RM is totally incorrect due to the number. Are your antennae popping the way mine did? The Military Cross is not earned or awarded easily.
Here's the story from the paper.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Robiz/img167.jpg
So I did some secret squirrelling and discovered the following. Nobody named J Davies or J Davis has been awarded the MC for service in Iraq. There is no mention of his name in the London Gazette, where all gallantry awards and citations are 'Gazetted' ie published. The cross in the photo has the GR cypher from King George, Queen Elizabeth's father. It was changed to EIIR when Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1953. Davies claims not to understand how this happened as it is a replacement. It certainly is a replacement, unfortunately you can purchase them on EBay for £15 about $20.
Davies was contacted by the paper; he told the reporter he had in fact concealed his true past. He joined the Royal Navy in 1976 as a submariner, he then transferred to the Royal Marines in 1979, serving immediately with the SBS (Think SEALS, but the originals :D) undercover in Northern Ireland. That's when I started laughing at the poor reporter. She waited ten minutes while I phoned around. The SBS training SNCOs from that period have no record or knowledge of anybody transferring from the RN, especially an 18 year old submariner; neither was anybody named Davies awarded an MC.
I was given his mobile number and left a message explaining who I am and I would ring later to have a discussion, although it was likely to be a unidirectional soliloquy. I called on seven more occasions. Each time the phone was opened, I heard a grunt and the line went dead.
Davies is to be exposed by the paper next week. I'm looking forward to it.
Don't get mad, get even. As I said to the reporter, "The MC is awarded for Gallantry, not perjury."