Meet the bloke who rocked up to the parade in Llandudno dressed as a Rear Admiral – medals, braid, and enough bling to make Buckingham Palace dim the lights.
Problem is… none of it adds up. At all.
Meet 64 year old Jonathan David Carley from Caernarfon who was spotted barging his way into a remembrance parade earlier this week.
Veteran sleuths over at the ‘Walter Mitty Hunters Club’ wrote “At this time of the year we get So many reports, and We don’t normally post up pictures without 100% proof of a subject having never served, however. This absolute belter turned up at Llandudno dressed as a Rear Admiral complete with a DSO, MBE, and a large group of medals that he couldn’t possibly have.”
He pushed his way into the Remembrance parade, mingled with dignitaries, and even saluted the memorial – all while wearing:
- A DSO that hasn’t been awarded in decades: The Distinguished Service Order is a serious bit of silverware — awarded for leadership under fire. The Royal Navy hasn’t seen one handed out in decades. So Jonathan rocking up in 2025 with a fresh one glinting on his chest? That’s not “distinguished service”, that’s distinguished bollocks.
- An MBE that doesn’t appear anywhere in the London Gazette: Every single MBE – every one – is listed in the London Gazette, the government’s official honours record. If your name isn’t in there, you don’t have an MBE. Simple as that. Yet despite his chest twinkling like a discount Christmas tree, his name is nowhere to be found.
- A QVRM that has never been given to a DSO holder: The Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal is a top-tier reservist award. But here’s the thing: no one who’s ever earned a DSO has also received a QVRM. They just don’t overlap. Wearing both together is like turning up to a commando course wearing SAS wings and a Blue Peter badge. A dead giveaway you’ve invented your own career on Photoshop.
- Not to mention two reserve long-service medals and cuffs hanging so low he looked like he’s borrowed the uniform from a theatre prop cupboard
Even better – no Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy matches his face, medals, career, or tailor.
And fun twist: he’s done this before. 2018. 2019. Same story. Fewer medals. Same energy.
There are even old newspaper clippings doing the rounds online claiming he once told people he rowed for Harvard and won races on the Charles River… yet no one can find him in the alumni records or the crews. Maybe he went to the Harvard Hotel somewhere off the A40. Who knows.
The Walter Mitty Hunters Club invested further and found “He does have a London Gazette entry however, October 1991 . A 2nd Lt (on probation) with the combined cadet force Cheltenham Collage. Where he was a history teacher.”
But during a remembrance parade this week he’s somehow promoted himself to 2-Star Admiral, Hero of the Seven Seas, Graduate of Harvard (also not true), and Champion of the Charles River Regatta (also not true).
Honestly… this might be the highest-ranking Walt the forces community have ever seen.
Shout out to TWMHCHQ for this one!
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