A case of confused identity

Tweet Most of the local papers this week picked up on the story of a man from Pembroke Dock who claimed to have been a dambuster during the war. In fact according to his daughter, he was a market gardener during the war, and only joined the services – as a batman – later.

He managed to have himself photographed with the local AM and the Tory wannabe MP alongside a Spitfire at Carew airfield as well. I can’t honestly blame them for being taken in by him; I’m sure that he must have sounded completely sincere. There but for the grace of God, etc…

The story even made a number of the UK ‘national’ dailies as well – probably the first time for our local AM to make an appearance in the Sun. It has now also made the Mirror, but in a magnificent display of journalistic accuracy, they’ve promoted Ms Burns to being the man’s daughter, and reported her as having referred to her constituent as a "sad old fool".

Chesterton knew what he was talking about when it comes to journalists:

One can never hope to bribe nor twist
Thank God, the British journalist
But seeing what the man will do
Unbribed, there’s no occasion to