A bogus war hero who was exposed when he wore an “impossible” array of medals at a Remembrance Day parade has been sentenced to 60 hours’ community service.
A court was told that 62-year-old Roger Day started lying about his military career to impress a younger woman he later married. Day told his wife, Maxine, that his original medals had been stolen and she set about putting together a replacement set, buying them from veterans and from the internet.
It was when Day wore the medals, which spanned the period from the Second World War to the Gulf War, at the parade in Bedworth, Warwickshire, that his deceit was unmasked.
Magistrates in Nuneaton heard that Day had met his bride-to-be at a local opera club and was desperate to impress her. She became his third wife in 2005, five years after they met.
Day, a father of three, admitted deception at Nuneaton Magistrates Court. The court heard that his only genuine military experience had been as a teenager in 1963 when attended an 18-month Junior Leaders course.
He told the police that he claimed to be the veteran of dozens of battles because “Maxine needed a hero in her life”. He told her his 17 medals had been lost in action or sold and she set about replacing them “out of kindness”.
In addition to the medals, he wore an SAS beret and badge. Experts said that he would have had to have been a “world-famous Rambo character” to have earned the medals in combat.
A member of the public complained to the police and Day was arrested and charged under Section 197 of the Military Act 1955.
James Francis, for the prosecution, said: “The medals were displayed incorrectly and grouped with other medals which no one person could have collected. Mr Day married his wife, who is 24 years younger than him, five years ago. In order to maintain interest in him he made up stories about having served in the British Military and various accounts of bravery he was involved with.
“Out of kindness his wife began to purchase the medals from collectors as various replacements for him. He started wearing the medals over the years and began bragging and told stories to others while wearing the medals.
“He attended local pubs with medals and insignia and told detailed stories to the vicar at the local church who then made him a church warden. After marching in the parade on Remembrance Day he enjoyed refreshments with veterans and free coffee.”
Day pleaded guilty to a charge read out in court as: "On November 11, 2009, you wore a decoration on a badge, on a wing stripe and or on an emblem so nearly resembling a military decoration, badge, stripe or emblem as recognised by defence council as to be calculated to deceive contrary to section 197 1B of the Act 1955.”
Simon Marlow-Ridley, for the defence, said that Day had been shunned by friends and neighbours and received hate mail since being exposed. He said: “Mr Day did not realise it was an offence in what he was doing. Mr Day met his wife who has had some difficulties through her life.
“He thought that she needed a hero in her life and that is what he set out to be. He started telling her stories that were not true and clearly she responded to them and unfortunately he got carried away with the fantasy.”
Magistrate Alan Jones confiscated Day’s medals and ordered him to do 60 hours’ community service.
He said: “You have pleaded guilty to this very unusual offence of wearing medals that you are not entitled to wear. You have worn them publicly on more than one occasion.
“On this occasion you will realise that you have deceived the general public and caused widespread outrage. However, since owning up you have fully co-operated with the police and admitted the offence at the first opportunity.
“It remains that you wore these medals initially and although no direct harm has been caused it has offended a lot of people, in particular the armed forces.”
After the hearing Day, from Hinckley, Leicestershire. said: “There is no way that I knew what I was doing was an offence. The medals were bought by my wife and she was hoping to sell them to make back some of the money we are lacking at the moment. She paid over £600 for them. I never want to look at them again.”
The medals
This chest full of medals would make the recipient by far the most decorated soldier for bravery in the British army (Tom Coghlan writes).
A Distinguished Service Order with Palm indicating Mention in Dispatches: the DSO is awarded to senior officers for distinguished leadership in wartime. Mention in Dispatches is a separate award that should be worn on a campaign medal, not on the DSO.
Military Cross with palm indicating Mention in Dispatches: MC for bravery under fire to officers, NCOs and “other ranks”. Again, the MiD is not worn with the MC.
Queen’s Gallantry Medal: for “exemplary acts of bravery” is primarily a civilian award but soldiers can receive it for bravery not in the face of the enemy.
Military Medal: for “bravery in the field” awarded only to NCOs and “Other Ranks”. Discontinued in 1993
Distinguished Conduct Medal: second only to the Victoria Cross as an award for “distinguished conduct in the field”. It was replaced by the Conspicious Gallantry Cross after 1993.
Meritorious Service Medal: for 20 years meritorious service. Only 89 are awarded to the army in any year.
General Service Medal (1962): for service in various campaigns between 1962 and 2007. Here it has two campaign clasps, one of which is for the Dhofar Campaign where the SAS were extensively deployed. It ended in 1976.
South Atlantic Medal: for service in the Falklands War
Iraq War Medal with Rosette: service in the 1991 war with rosette, which usually indicates combat.
Accumulated Service Medal: for at least 1080 aggregated days of deployment to a combat zone.
Kuwait Liberation Medal: Awarded to some British personnel but not allowed to be worn publically.
Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal: for fifteen years of service.
Nato Medal: for 90 days’ service with a United Nations mission.