Reply With QuoteNot easily... such records aren't generally publicly available.
You might have some luck just googling for images of him - its common enough for forces types and their colleagues to take many photos.
I'd like to know if anyone can tell me how to find out if someone who claimed they were an officer in the forces is telling the truth. I've got hunch he's a bit of a Walter Mitty and may be bigging himself up. Is there any way of finding out? thanks in advance.
Not easily... such records aren't generally publicly available.
You might have some luck just googling for images of him - its common enough for forces types and their colleagues to take many photos.
Last edited by Cirrus; 21st March 2014 at 14:27.
Just ask him loads of questions about it. Places, names, what he did etc.
A lad at work got caught up in his own lies about previous military service that way! Either that or he wasn't lying and the British Army had 11 years olds driving tanks in Operation Desert Storm......
If you can find out the year he was allegedly commissioned he should feature in the Army List and the London Gazette. One of the rights of passage after getting commissioned is being "gazetted"; I think I have a copy of mine somewhere. I'm not sure but I think either the Times or the Telegraph used to publish excerpts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_List
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_London_Gazette
If he starts every second sentence with "When I was in...." you're probably right and he's almost definitely a walt. You could post something up on ARRSE if you could be bothered; they normally enjoy a good walt hunt.
Last edited by Carlton-Browne; 21st March 2014 at 13:39. Reason: ARRSE option added
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Is it same for RAF? He claims he was apilot and yet has no sense of direction and cant hold his fork correctly!!
I think that means that he's definitely an RAF pilot. If he wears grey hush puppies as well then it's beyond doubt.Originally Posted by Puller
I've no idea if Air Crab have a List or if they feature in the London Gazette.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
He'll be able to tell you all about his training then. One of my best mates is currently a Red Arrows pilot (Red 8) and he'd be able to tell you step by step, what he's flown, where he's flown it, how many hours he's got on each type, how he got streamed to fly single seat fast jets etc etc etc
In my experience Pilots are definitely a 'type' ( in a good way ) and you should be able to get some verifiable facts out of him, what he flew, where he flew, what Squadron etc....
Cheers..
Jase
I found my entry by searching here http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/
You could also ask about history of his unit, most officers should know this inside out.
London Gazette features all three services, mine was RAF.
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This ^^^
<ronin>What colour is the boathouse at Hereford?</ronin>
Ask him what colour the boat house at Hereford is.
If expats in Spain are to be believed, there has never been anybody below the rank of Major in the British Army
Just say "I bet you can still recite your service number, can't you?". They usually can't resist if genuine.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Bit like Arnhem, everyone who was there was the Sgt Maj!
RIAC
Did it ever get answered in the film?
It did.... There was no boat house...
Cheers..
Jase
Yeah, there is no boathouse in Hereford.
i think.
I know of at least one boathouse in Hereford, but I guess the question refers to a specific one ;)
I was with the Green Berets.
Special Unit Battalion.
Commando Airborne Tactics. Specialist Tactics Unit Battalion.
Yeah, it was real hush hush.
That is nonsense. There was a boat house in Hereford (just to the left of the Clock tower) but I personally dismantled it and used it to stand on to get up on to the balcony of the Iranian embassy (I was, of course, the second man there.)
Trading Places?
yup!
I think in the film he said "How the f**k should I know?"
Ask him if the training at Swinderby was really as hard as they say it was?
Trick question, RAF Officers train at Cranwell.
Ask him if he ever did SERE School?
Pilots do Survive Evade Resist Escape training
Ask him if he got on with the JENGO's and SENGO's?
Junior and Senior Engineering Officers
Ask him if he still has his 'Grow-bag'?
It's a green flight suit.
Different services have a different rank system as do different nation's armed forces. Do your homework and you may well be able to catch him out that way. IOW catch him out as a ranker! ;-)
Or (bullsh1t bullsh1t) remind him that being ex-forces is like Fight Club:-
The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club!
The second rule of Fight Club is.........
I was the second man on the balcony in the Iranian embassy siege Josh, you were right behind me.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
The problem with waltiness is that some people get carried away with their dits and make themselves look like a walt. What happened to that bloke on here who got hounded for it, was there ever a consensus on his waltiness? I can remember pm'ing him about RAF Halton, my uncle was CO there many years ago and he seemed to know a lot about the place although his reasons for being there did seem a bit suspect to be honest.
I thought you were second man behind Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones at Goose Green...
we are all Hezbollah/the second man (depending which side of the barrel you prefer being on!)
I was the man with the Panasonic Handycam and iPad.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I heard that walts are nowadays starting their walting careers by starting threads such as this one, so they can try and learn what pitfalls to avoid and what to say or not say when bullshitting.
Good point. I also found my one and only promotion - to full lieutenant, so it's not just commissions that get a mention.
Last edited by Carlton-Browne; 21st March 2014 at 20:04. Reason: Unnecessary capitalisation
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
From the way you describe it, he does sound like aircrew!
Now, now :)
I don't talk about it
If he is claiming to be in the mob in recent times, ask him about JPA.
There's a few on here. Alongside the double agent dual ID members, we could start our own unit.
Anyone who talks about being in the forces without being asked is lying.
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
Just go to a main library, they often have a copy of the Army List (I think it's called). Red book detailing all those commissioned along with their commission type and regt/corps
I think that's kind of cancelled out by the fact that a pilot will end up telling you he's a pilot very quickly!
I was in the Cubs, 1967 - 1969, and still have my neckerchief and woggle just in case we are recalled. I rarely look at them as my wife says I get the 15 yard stare if I do
I never talk about it though
Pff. I am such a bad-ass I was thrown out of the Scouts!
This is actually true :-)
That Embassy had the biggest set of double doors in the world !
RIAC
Yep, aircrew do have a bit of Ron 'i'm kind of a big deal' Burgundy about them
I was an airframe mechanic working on the line at Cranwell from 85 to 88 and know the place fairly well, despite all the babychams and egg nog.
I have heard my friend refer to the "two winged master race" before!
Sadly, they wouldn't even let me join. My totally undeserved reputation went before me.
Funnily enough I was going to post a query like this having stumbled across a suspected Walt leaching off a female employee of mine who claims to have been on mt Longdon. I'll get over to Arrse.
Ask him at what point he was officially allowed to first walk across the carpet in the main entrance at CHOM.
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