The glaring red flags that gave away ‘fake’ admiral as top ex-Army colonel reveals the mindset behind Britain’s highest ranking Walter Mittys

Suspected ‘fake’ admiral Jonathan Carley sparked nationwide outrage after attending Remembrance Sunday with a trunk full of suspicious medals.

Dressed as a rear admiral, the 64-year-old laid a wreath before saluting the cenotaph at Llandudno in North Wales.

But it was the two medals on his chest that led online sleuths to question his legitimacy, as no soldier is believed to have been deemed worthy of both.

These included the prestigious Distinguished Service Order (DSO), awarded only to reservists, and the Queen’s Voluntary Reserves Medal.

The Daily Mail also revealed that Carley wore the same fake admiral costume at two other Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in Caernarfon (one in 2018, the other in 2019).

But a source said there were plenty of glaring red flags when it came to the suspected impostor, from ‘too long sleeves’ to questionable medals.

‘They don’t give QVRM to rear admirals; They said, “He is the highest commander I have ever seen.” ‘An admiral is more likely to become a knight. ‘That was very obvious.’

‘The DSO is a few steps away from the Victoria Cross, so everyone knows who has it. It’s obvious he’s a Walt!’

Meanwhile, military expert and former Colonel Philip Ingram has revealed the psychology behind ‘incredibly disrespectful’ people pretending to be veterans.

Pictured left to right: Distinguished Service Medal and Queen’s Voluntary Reserve Medal

‘I think there were probably a variety of motivations,’ the former Colonel said. 60. He told the Daily Mail.

‘They feel inadequate. ‘They want to present themselves as someone they are not, and this shows that something is wrong in their lives.’

The master also suggested that Walter Mitty types might ‘admire’ those who devote their lives to protecting British territory.

‘They want to be a part of it, and the way they do it is like an actor on stage. They put on costumes and go out.

‘They honor those who have served almost because they long for it, but they do it in a very strange way.’

Elsewhere, a source noted inconsistencies in Carley’s clothing, from the length of her “too long” sleeves to her wrong shirt.

‘A proper officer would never look like that and his shirt is not a Navy shirt, we don’t have such cut-off collars,’ they said.
‘Also, if he were a serving Rear Admiral, he too would wear a gray coat after the first of November.’

A source also added that high-ranking armed forces personnel would not ‘show up out of the blue’ for such an event.

‘They would be invited well in advance and would have their credentials checked by staff.’

Picture: Jonathan Carley (centre) at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in 2018

Jonathan Carley at another war commemoration in 2019 wearing rear admiral uniform

In military circles, the term ‘Walter Mitty’, a fictional fantasy from James Thurber’s eponymous novel, is used to refer to a group of impostors who pose as military personnel despite never having served.

A few of these have emerged over the years; one of which was a World War II parade in Warwickshire in 2009. It was Roger Day who admitted that he did not earn the 17 medals awarded for his service in World War II.

A year ago bus driver Jamie Barrett attended the Edinburgh Parade with members of the Parachute Regiment who served in the Falkland Islands. However, he bought his medals online.

When he came out he said: BBC: ‘I’m actually a Walter Mitty type of person.’

Although Colonel Ingram had a degree of sympathy for those impersonating veterans and those who served, he argued it was still ‘incredibly disrespectful’.

‘Those who do this cannot understand this. They think they respect the uniform and everything else. They did not serve because they are not.

He added: ‘Especially when you get the basics wrong, if you try to imitate it you’ll get it right.

‘Every year there are numerous examples of people being caught claiming to be doing things they haven’t done or being people they clearly aren’t.’

‘It increases your frustration with people who think that falsely presenting themselves as veterans will give them some kind of status.

He added: ‘They don’t realize how much you’re actually being ignored and lurking around.’

When the parade marshal on Sunday asked Carley who he was, he claimed to represent the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd.

However, both the Lord Lieutenant and the council claimed they did not know who the man was, while local officials stated that he was not on the guest list.

Roger Day (in a 2009 photo, he famously admitted at a parade in Warwickshire in 2009 that he had not won 17 medals, one of which was awarded for service in World War II)

Bus driver Jamie Barrett (pictured in 2008) attended the Edinburgh Parade with members of the Parachute Regiment who served in the Falkland Islands. He bought his medals online

Photos also show him posing alongside officials at war memorials at least twice in 2018 and 2019.

Meanwhile, his neighbors in the famous coastal castle town of Harlech say he has been bragging about his bogus military service for years.

One of them told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s shocking that he’s trying to portray himself as an admiral.

‘This is so ugly. He told a few neighbors that he was in the military, but it’s obvious they were all lies.

When asked about the fraud allegations, Mr Carley refused to come to the door while two workers were repairing the roof.

Carley is mentioned only once in the London Gazette, the official record of military listing.

However, he is listed as a 2nd Lieutenant on probation at Combined Cadet Force Cheltenham College, where he is a history teacher.

He previously said he studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and earned a business degree at Harvard.

He said in a newspaper article that he was a boat captain at Oxford and rowed at the best university in the USA.

‘He coached at Eton and Cheltenham before moving to Shiplake as a headmaster,’ the article said.

Carley was a history and politics teacher at Cheltenham College in 1988 and moved to Shiplake on £17,500 a term four years later. Sun reported.

A source told the Daily Mail: ‘This has caused a huge row, it’s obviously fake. QVRM has never been issued to an Admiral and there is no Admiral in Reserve.’

Some described him as ‘the highest-ranking Walt’, while another described the unexpected guest as ‘archy’.

There are currently only 19 Rear Admirals serving in the Royal Navy.

Lord Lieutenant Harry Fethersonhaugh has since said: Sun You’ve never seen the man before [his] life’.

Meanwhile, a navy source told the publication that they were ‘99.9 percent sure’ that the man in question was fake.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: ‘Impersonating a naval officer is an insult to anyone connected with the service and could be treated as a criminal offence.

‘Nothing should diminish the poignancy of Remembrance Sunday, which can be a somber time for members of the Royal Navy family and an opportunity for people in communities across the UK to pay tribute to those who have served or are serving their country.’

A Llandudno council spokesman said: ‘The City Council was not aware of or notified in advance of the gentleman’s involvement. It appeared that day.

Jonathan Carley photographed saluting the war memorial in Lladudno this year

‘The Parade Marshal approached him and introduced himself as Rear Admiral and said he represented the Lord Lieutenants’ Office.

‘The Council would like to add that it does not want this to detract from an excellent parade and commemoration and that the gentleman respectfully laid a wreath before leaving incognito.

‘The council is aware that military organizations are investigating this matter and we await any response.’

A spokesman for the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd said: ‘The Lord Lieutenant had no knowledge of asking anyone to go to the event on his behalf.

‘The council sent a photo of the man but no one here recognized him. ‘The matter is currently under investigation.’