I like to read the papers every morning including the Daily Mail which I find very entertaining, and this made my blood boil this morning.

Bogus SAS veteran arrested from the Daily Mail, UK

By Andy Dolan



A carpenter who marched alongside war heroes wearing an impossible collection of military medals has been arrested on suspicion of deception.

Roger Day, 61, was pictured at a Remembrance Day parade wearing 17 medals including the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross - the highest bravery awards after the Victoria Cross - as thousands cheered from the pavements.


When he was confronted about the medals last week, Mr Day, a keen amateur actor, claimed the collection was 'Pukka', claiming he had served in the SAS and could not talk about his heroics because he was bound by the Official Secrets Act.


But today it emerged married Mr Day had been arrested on suspicion of 'wearing military medals without authority as to be calculated to deceive'.


A Warwickshire Police spokesman said he was arrested under section 197 of the Army Act 1955, which makes wearing decorations without authority a criminal offence, after attending a police station for a pre-arranged appointment. He was bailed to report back to police in January.


A drive to identify the mystery medal wearer was launched after he was pictured wearing a beige SAS beret amongst 600 war veterans marching in the centre of Bedworth, Warwickshire, on November 11.


Military experts claimed no single serviceman could have been awarded all of the medals, which included campaign awards for both the Korean war - which ended when Mr Day was at primary school - and the Falklands, medals for both officers and other ranks, and foreign decorations.


Mr Day was tracked down to his three-bedroom detached home in Earl Shilton, near Hinckley, Leicestershire, where he lives with younger wife Maxine.


Citing the Official Secrets Act, he told reporters: 'They're all proper, pukka campaign medals. Medals I won in conflicts while I was serving with the British forces.


'All I can say is South Atlantic, the Gulf, Kuwait and one or two other stations.'


Day during the march wearing a beige SAS beret and medals, listed below


An Army insider claimed that Mr Day had served just 14 months in the Army in the 1970s before dropping out because he apparently couldn't 'hack the pace'.


The source said: 'There is absolutely no connection between the man's name, rank and date of birth to anything he claims to have been awarded for. It is pure fantasy.


'He was in the Army for less than two years. His service history is extremely thin and there is no record of him being awarded a medal or even serving a tour of duty.


'It looks like he left the Army for no other reason than being unable to hack the pace.'


Former friends also claim Mr Day had claimed to be part of the SAS team that ended the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, whilst regulars at his local pub, The Plough, said he was once thrown out after wearing an SAS badge to the pub.


One regular said: 'One of the lads who was a soldier pulled him up on it because no one from the regiment would ever wear an official pin badge in a non-military capacity.


'He started getting very jittery and aggressive...and I asked him to leave.'


Mr Day refused to comment on his arrest yesterday.


But a spokesman for Hinckley Ex-Servicemen's club said it has launched an investigation and may expel Mr Day from the organisation.


Secretary Paul Savage said: 'He even sang a song he'd written about our boys in Afghanistan just days before the memorial day parade in November and urged people to get behind the heroes.


'Everyone here is shocked. We are having a meeting of the club to discuss his membership which will almost certainly mean his membership is terminated.'