A suspected ‘fake’ admiral has ignited fury among veterans after being accused of posing as a military serviceman with a chest full of suspicious medals at a Remembrance Sunday event.
The man, who is yet to be named, is believed to have bluffed his way into laying a wreath alongside a senior army officer at the event in Llandudno, north Wales.
The suspected imposter then marched off to take his place next to VIPs including the mayor, after saluting during the event honouring Britain’s fallen heroes.
He was dressed in a Rear Admiral’s uniform with 12 medals pinned to his jacket.
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.
The Walter Mitty Hunters Club, a group dedicated to unearthing cases of ‘stolen valour’, say records indicate no one has earned both awards.
When the man was asked by the parade marshal who he was, he claimed to be representing the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd.
But both the Lord Lieutenant and the council claim they do not know who the man is, with the local authority stating he was not on their guest list.
The Royal Navy said impersonating a Naval officer was ‘insulting’ to veterans, and ‘could be considered a criminal offence.’
A source told the Daily Mail: A source said: ‘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.’
The man, who is yet to be named, is said to have bluffed his way into laying a wreath alongside senior army officer at the even in Llandudno, north Wales. His row of medals, which appeared to include both the Distinguished Service Order and the Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal on the left-hand side, raised suspicions
Pictured left to right: A Distinguished Service Order Medal and The Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal
Some described him as ‘the highest ranking Walt,’ while another dubbed the unexpected guest ‘a belter’.
There are only 19 Rear Admirals currently listed as serving in the Royal Navy.
Lord Lieutenant Harry Fethersonhaugh has since told The Sun that he had never seen the man ‘before in [his] life.’
Meanwhile, a navy source told the publication they were ‘99.9 per cent certain’ the man in question was a fake.
A Llandudno council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of allegations there is a man who did attend the Remembrance Sunday parade pretending to be a rear admiral from north Wales.
‘He was not somebody we were aware of in advance, we weren’t told that he would be attending.
‘Our parade marshal did go up and speak to him and was told he was from the Lord Lieutenant’s office.
‘He did lay his wreath respectfully and behaved well before leaving. Since then we have had reports about whether this man was who he said he was.
‘We sent a photograph of him to the Lord Lieutenant’s office and nobody there recognised him or knew him.
‘We are looking into the matter and am hoping someone can identify him.’
The suspected imposter then marched off to take his place next to the VIPs including the mayor, after saluting during the event honouring Britain’s fallen heroes
A Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd spokesperson said: ‘The Lord Lieutenant had no knowledge of asking anyone to go to the event on his behalf.
‘The council sent over a photograph of the man but nobody here recognised him. The matter is under investigation at the moment.’
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: ‘Impersonating a Naval officer is insulting to anyone connected to the service and could be considered a criminal offence.
‘Nothing should detract from the poignancy of Remembrance Sunday which can be a sombre time for members of the Royal Navy family and an opportunity for people in communities across the United Kingdom to pay their respects to people who have served or are serving their country.’
