Opening up a can of worms

[AlanW]

Those people, who decided to "enhance" to their families, what they actually did during WW2, did not for one second, ever think that one day, records would be available, which would eventually shatter the images, that their loved ones had of them.

[K4KittyCrew]

Alan, I think those people who have enhanced their service records, not to mention those who had no service record at all and created a completely false identity would never have considered the big picture of what the future holds.
For anyone person to put in place such actions, knowing that they did not contribute whatsoever, is foolhardy and selfish to say the least.
To me, life is like a giant wheel ............ it eventually goes full circle.
John

[PAFG]

Presumably different people will have different reasons for embellishing their stories. I know a man - who definitely NEVER embellished his war record - who joined the Army before WW2 and was posted as a young officer to India. When the war started, he pestered for a posting back to England and was told to pipe down. Then, after Dunkirk, he tried again and came home in the summer of 1940. He spent four years in England training for D-Day and was then badly wounded by small arms fire during the run-in to the beach. He didn't get back to regimental duty until after the war.

As I say, my friend never tried to cover up the fact that as a pre-war regular officer his wartime active service lasted a few minutes. It's hard to imagine how much that must have hurt him down the years. So, I can easily imagine how others in a similar position might add a little here and there to their story.

I joined the Army in 1980. The only active service I saw was the first Gulf. I left in 1999, thinking that there wouldn't be much call for soldiering in future. Do I think less of myself for missing Gulf II and Afghanistan? Oh yes. Do I embroider my account of the 'action' I saw over 19 years of soldiering - absolutely not. Could I imagine getting caught in the trap of having suggested I'd done a bit more than I actually had? Yes, easily ("Northern Ireland? You simply wouldn't believe ...") It would have been much easier in late 1945 to spin a yarn or two - let's face it, everyone else in the pub would've been dining out on theirs.

Having said all that - I have little sympathy for those who have lied outright. Just the ones who have maybe helped people to assume too much about them ...

Richard

[GuyMassey]

As a family historian of about 25 years standing I have come across many, many embellished stories over the years. Generally there is a foundation in truth, but the tales of derring do have been exaggerated, not by the person in question but by proud parents, relatives and Chinese whispers. It is easy to see how it can happen, many service personnel wouldn't talk about their wartime experiences and so their exploits were left to the imaginations of others.

[AlanW]

The one in question, was a "Fabric Worker" who filled out an Airgunner's Logbook, with pilots who did'nt exist, on ops that did'nt take place.