Bonus Walt

We normally don’t have that much on the Brit Walts (Walter Mittys who dress up and play pretend ‘over there’), but today Mason ran across a doozy.

The folks on the Foggy Isle go one better than we do this time of year – we do Veteran’s Day as a catchall for all of us on the original Armistice Day. The islanders do Armistice Day as their Veteran’s Day and also add Remembrance Sunday the second Sunday of November.

By tradition, a two-minute period of silence is observed throughout the country at 11 am, and church services and other ceremonial gatherings take place during the day. A nationally televised remembrance service, generally attended by politicians, religious leaders, military personnel, and members of the British royal family, has been held for decades at the Cenotaph monument in central London. Britannica

It’s a notable Church of England event which includes wreath laying, the afore-mentioned silence, and gatherings of vets in their uniforms, medals, and what have you .

This year one of the ‘vets’ is hitting the news.

Jonathan Carley, 64, laid a wreath at the ceremony in Llandudno, North Wales, and then saluted as he wore dozens of medals on his chest.

The suspected imposter then marched off to take his place next to VIPs including the mayor, during the event honouring Britain’s fallen heroes.

Like some of our more audacious posers, Carley ‘went big’ before going home, rocking a Rear Admiral’s uniform. (Have to ask – is that the highest real rank we have ever seen?) And, stylin’ 12 medals, which in a country which doesn’t slather every breathing enlistee with enough medals to outfit a Nork General, is an unusually high  amount. Again, though – to extremes.

They included the prestigious Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal, which is only given to military reservists.

But the two medals together led online sleuths to question his legitimacy – because no single serviceperson is believed to have been bestowed with both.

Carley claimed to be representing the Lord Lieutenant of Clywd. Neither the real Lord Lieutenant nor the City Council say they know Carley , although he has shown up twice before at  ceremonies in 2016 and 2018.

Meanwhile, his neighbours in the famed seaside castle town of Harlech say he has been bragging about his made-up military service for years.

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s caused a huge row, it’s so obvious he is fake. QVRM has never been awarded to an Admiral and there are no Admirals in the Reserve.’ Daily Mail

In real life, Mr. Carley is a teacher, whose periods of employment seem to preclude his having put enough time in the military in any capacity to justify the rank or awards. And in the Royal Navy, there are only 19 Rear Admirals in all. A stranger would stick out, in the famous words of Skeeter Skelton, like “rat turds in a sugar bowl.”

An investigation which may include charges against Mr. Carley is ongoing.

Category: UK