Stolen Valour

48 seconds is all it took for Donald MILFORD to make a mockery of his service and turn a distinguished ex-serviceman into a valour thief.

Donald MILFORD was born 0n 26 October 1943 and joined the Navy in 1961 a few months short of his 18th Birthday. All the evidence points to MILFORD having enjoyed a notable career in the Navy and was the recipient of British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Military Division when holding the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

MILFORD is a senior member of the RSL in Darwin and has responsibility for organising commemorative ceremonies in his capacity as Director of Commemorations. Unfortunately, rather than being satisfied with a career in the Royal Australian Navy which included tours to Vietnam aboard HMA Ships Parramatta and Sydney he couldn’t resist the opportunity, when he sat in front of a microphone to embellish this service with a hint of ‘daring do’.

MILFORD was interviewed by ABC Radio in Darwin and reflected on Remembrance Day and his own War Service.

(click on the link below to hear the interview)

Unfortunately, his recollection of events is not matched by the records. As a 17-year-old Naval Rating with 40 days service in Vietnamese waters it is extremely doubtful that he went ashore, let alone had any experience with ‘tunnels’ and it is this simple statement that sees MILFORD "Hoisted with his own petard" . MILFORD’s Service Records are clear, he joined the Navy in 1961 at age 17. His tours of Vietnam occurred in 1968 when he would have been at least 25 years old.

He joins a growing list of former members of the Navy on our website who performed ‘secret missions’ whilst in Vietnamese waters.

His claim is offensive to the memory of the brave men who performed the highly dangerous role during the war. The Tunnel Rats are the men who served in the Engineer Field Troops in Vietnam (3 Field Troop and 1, 2 and 3 Troop of 1 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers).

Over the years there have been many “wannabes” and pretenders to the title “Tunnel Rat”, but it is only the men who served in those Field Troops who can carry that title. These are the men who went bush with the Amoured Corp and Infantry, staying out bush for four to six weeks, operating as Infantary plus carrying out our specialist duties of mine and booby trap detection and clearing, tunnel and bunker searching and demolition, plus bomb disposal.

Perhaps it was a lapse in judgment that made MILFORD make this outrageous claim, but to do so in a radio interview, for all to hear is unacceptable to the Veterans community. For this simple indiscretion, Donald MILFORD has earned a place on this website and becomes a reminder to any ex-serviceman or women who might consider embellishing their service history that someone is always watching out for ‘wannabes’.

Note:

"Hoisted with his own petard" is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase's meaning is literally that the bomb-maker (a "petard" is a small explosive device) is blown up ("hoisted" off the ground) by his own bomb, and indicates an ironic reversal, or poetic justice.

On any commemorative occasion in Christchurch NZ, Cameron Mouat would be considered to be a service veteran when he stands tall among genuine veterans.

In fact, Mouat has never served in any Defence Force. The medals he wears belonged to his father who served with Royal New Zealand Navy during World War 2. Unfortunately the photograph is too blurred to be able to individually identify them.

Executives from The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association (RSA) have counseled Mouat but he declines to heed their advice.

Here are excerpts from the NZ Honours and Awards.

medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/wearingmedals.html

Perhaps Mouat made an error when he first wore the medals on his left breast. His error was compounded when he refused to adjust after counseling by RSA executives.

Through his recalcitrance he has earned a place on this website, where we will exhibit his deliberate offence for ever more. It is likely he will re-offend, if so, we urge those who notice his defiance to point and laugh.

Stanley Ernest Preece was born in England on the 7th April, 1947. He claims military service in the Royal Artillery, British Army between 1963 and 1968.

He claims 21 days overseas peace time military service in Germany from May 1965 to June, 1965. He also claims active service in Malaya and Borneo , from September,1965 to 20 September, 1966.

In 2012, Preece completed an application form to join the Gympie Returned and Service League Sub Branch. He stated that he was a Gunner with the 40th Artillery Regiment British Army.

In the above photographs, Preece is wearing the following medals on his left side-;

1. The General Service Medal 1962. (GSM) with two clasps. (Malay Peninsula Clasp - Not entitled and Borneo- entitled. )
2. Queen Elizabeth 11 Silver Jubilee Medal. Not entitled.
3. Pingat Jasa Malaysia Service Medal. Entitled.
4. Hors de Combat Medal (Tin purchased medal)
5. British Army of the Rhine Medal. (Tin purchased medal)
6. British Forces Germany Medal.. (Tin purchased medal.)


Members of local RSL clubs have observed Preece wearing the three tin medals listed above that are unofficial, and have obviously been purchased from a United Kingdom Medal Dealer. Preece has awarded the medals to himself and had them court mounted.
When reminded of Commonwealth Governor General's medal wearing protocols and informed that the commemorative medals should be worn on the right side, Preece is reported as saying, "I would like to see who is going to f***ing stop me.

The tin medals are -;



1. HORS de COMBAT MEDAL (Tin) £47.00

Described as -; The striking of the Hors de Combat Commemorative Medal is a befitting way to recognise and pay tribute to the outstanding bravery of British servicemen and women who sustained wounds or injury in the line of duty.

2. BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE MEDAL. (Tin) £68.00



British Army Of The Rhine Medal Commemorative for peace time service in Germany.

3. BRITISH FORCES GERMANY MEDAL. (Tin) £39.50



British Forces Germany Commemorative Medal for peace time service in Germany.

There is also doubt as to the second medal Preece wears. -;

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH 11 SILVER JUBILEE MEDAL.
£35.00


This medal was struck in Great Britain in 1977 and 30,000 UK servicemen received the medal for services rendered to the Commonwealth.. In 1968, Preece left the British Army as a Gunner, equivalent to a Private soldier. He left prematurely on medical grounds, due to an accident. This followed four and a half years service. When requested, Preece could not provide proof of this award.

He also claims the Hors de Combat Medal, due to his claim of being wounded in action in Borneo. He has related to colleagues that he was wounded in an ambush. That claim is a lie.

We are uncertain of the exact accident details Preece endured, but we ARE certain that it was not due to wounds received in an ambush. We know that whilst in Borneo, he accidently stumbled sustaining an injury when he landed on a rock.

Preece also wears the Borneo and Malay Peninsula clasps on the General Service Medal.

His Discharge Records indicate that he served in Borneo/Brunei for the dates that the Borneo Clasp was awarded. He is entitled to that award.

However, his claim to the Malay Peninsula Clasp is false. It is a lie. His records indicate that he served from 24 September, 1965 to 4 November, 1965 – and later for short periods in March, April and September, 1966.



The qualifying dates for the Malay Peninsula Clasp is service between 17 August, 1964 to the 12 June, 1965. Preece arrived 3 months after the clasp ceased being awarded.

This might seem insignificant to the general public, but it continues to establish a pattern of fraudulent behaviour exhibited by Preece to embellish his military service, and snub his nose at the Veteran community.

As a further fraudulent Act, Preece submitted the following Wikipedia document to a veterans organisation, claiming it to be an authentic record of his active service.

The first submitted article describes “Operation Claret”, a military operation conducted in the jungles of Borneo in July, 1964 to July, 1966. The highlighted paragraph identifying “Gunner Preece sitting on the gun trail after the action”, has been added by someone following the original publication of this article. Someone, who would stand to gain from the false entry.



The original entry, below, was, and still is, the accurate and truthful entry regarding Operation Claret. There is no mention of Gunner Preece at all in this original description of Operation Claret.



The Queensland State RSL need to conduct a thorough examination of all the military claims made by Preece, starting from his three tin medals and other claimed entitlements, including the Queen Elizabeth 11 Silver Jubilee Medal. He should also be questioned about the fraudulent document he submitted, identifying a “Gunner Preece” in the article as being present during Operation Claret, Borneo, July 1964.

Preece was contacted by ANZMI, and invited to provide evidence of his military service in the British Army, his official medal entitlements and what he knows about the documentation identifying a “Gunner Preece sitting on the gun trail after the action with 14 empty shell casings in the background”.

Preece surprisingly responded with the following -;

“When I emigrated to Australia, I met up with an old army friend of mine who had completed 36 years in the British, Australian and New Zealand SAS as an intelligence officer. It was he who informed me about commemorative medals and the fact that I should wear then (sic)inline on the left as opposed to under my issued medals as they do in the UK”.

So as a result of that informative advice, Preece then went and had all his tin medals court mounted alongside his two genuine ones.

We will leave that explanation up to the reader to judge on it's merits.

Preece was afforded considerable time to provide an explanation for the differences in the documents regarding Operation Claret. Also proof of his award of the Queen Elizabeth 11 Silver Jubilee Medal. He responded stating -; "that he would not answer any further questions about his military service and medals, as he had been instructed by his Sub Branch to say nothing".

If this is true, then the Gympie RSL Sub Branch where he is a member, need a rocket from the RSL Queensland State Branch for supporting his fraudulent behaviour and wearing a host of tin medals, and another medal that he cannot prove was awarded. If this is not true, then we suspect that Gympie RSL Sub Branch will notify us and we will provide an update ensuring that the truth is published.

Preece has little credibility. He is a false pretender and a glory hunter. He is now featured on this site to rectify his edified version of the Wikipedia Operation Claret publication and his desire to portray himself as a bemedalled war hero.

Preece is entitled to wear two medals, not six.

He is entitled to the General Service Medal 1962 - with Clasp Borneo and the Malaysia Pingat Jasa Medal.

Welcome to the site Stanley Ernest Preece.

UPDATE LENIHAN 26 NOV 2019

Before you read this update re-read our original report .

In this matter, there has been malfeasance and neglect at all levels of RSL management from Queensland President, District President and Maryborough RSL President. After intensive investigation Lenihan was arrested on 21 Nov 19 by police, and a court date set.

When the matter is settled by the court, we will do a comprehensive report into the management of the Maryborough RSL

*******

Case Notes:

Mr Craig Lenihan is the General Manager at the Maryborough, Queensland, Returned and Services League (RSL) Club.  Prior to Lenihan’s appointment the Sub Branch was in disarray, handling complaints about a previous Sub-Branch President.  Unfortunately, the problems have been exacerbated by the placement of Lenihan who has lied about his military experience, even though being an ex-serviceman was not a criterion for the role of General Manager of the Club.

Before his appointment to Maryborough RSL Craig Lenihan previously managed the Nanango RSL and it was believed among the staff there, that he was a returned veteran (Info from two staff members)

Through direct statements and innuendo Lenihan has claimed to be a Returned Veteran who served in East Timor and "Has been shot at" and "Seen people blown up and his mates killed".  We hold numerous Statutory Declarations detailing how Lenihan has claimed to be a Veteran of Australia’s involvement in the conflict in East Timor.

With the usual guile of a wannabe, Lenihan explains the reason his name cannot be found in any Timor Deployment records is because he "served under another name"

Whilst several members of the Sub-Branch raised concerns about this matter with the Sub-Branch President, it fell on deaf ears. The Sub-Branch President, stated to an ANZMI researcher that ‘he did not wish to get involved  and that the researcher should be very careful because he could’ "fall flat on his face".  The RSL President then hung up the phone.

Researchers have tried to contact Lenihan on numerous occasions, but he will not respond.

It is indeed, a sad affair when an RSL President refuses to become involved in matters where staff members, representing the Sub-Branch are suspected of being Wannabes.  

It is also relevant that the President Mr George Mellick is a hypocrite, as whilst he does not want to become involved in the Lenihan matter he was heavily involved in having his predecessor banned from the RSL for being a Wannabe. After his successful campaign against the previous President, Mellick became the Maryborough RSL President.

The official word from the Wide Bay District Deputy President, Mr Trevor Williamson, is that Lenihan is no longer making such claims, and in any case, although Lenihan is employed by the RSL he is not a member of the Sub Branch and therefore, it is not the business of the Sub Branch to question his claims of Active Service in East Timor.

It is however, the business of ANZMI and Veterans everywhere, and it is the business of the Sub Branch to satisfy its members that a person, representing the organisation at a senior level, making claims to be involved in Armed conflicts with Australian Forces and being a ‘veteran’ are not false, particularly when its members have raised concerns.

ANZMI have numerous Statutory Declarations from people and veterans stating that Lenihan has claimed to have been on active service in East Timor with the Australian Army and had witnessed enemy action.  

On a Statutory Declaration it is stated that Mr Williamson said that he had “Seen Lenihan's medals” and that, “Lenihan had burnt and destroyed his medals”.  Mr Williamson now denies having spoken about Lenihan's medals and claims that the Statutory Declaration is false.

Discord, strife and friction prevails at the Maryborough RSL. Staff and Sub-Branch members have provided a number of Statutory Declarations to the effect that, Lenihan has claimed to be a Veteran of the East Timor conflict.  RSL District executives and the Sub-Branch President claim to have no interest in the matter. Lenihan the wannabe refuses to refute that he is a Returned Veteran, nor comment or provide any evidence of ever serving in the Australian Defence Force during Operations in East Timor.

There is no record of Lenihan ever serving as a member of the Australian Army.  Details of his claimed service in East Timor are flawed by his claims that he served in East Timor in 1991 - 1992.  In fact, Australians were not deployed to East Timor until 1999.

As well as Lenihan refusing to provide any evidence of his service we are happy to declare him a wannabe and provide space for him on this website

Joshua Richard Hyde made an error of judgement when he spread the word, to at least four reputable people, that he is an ex Commando from the Australian Defence Force. Those four people have provided Statutory Declarations relating to what he had told them.

The above photo of Hyde was taken when he was on private business in the Philippines, where he chose to wear Army uniform, complete with Australian flag on the shoulder.

Here are excerpts from what is listed on the Statutory Declarations.

He:

"Declared himself as a former serving member of the Australian Defence Force.

Served as a Commando in the Australian Army and specialised in Psychological Operations (PsyOps)

Claimed to be a former member of Special Forces in the Australian Defence Force.

Has been in combat in Africa and Afghanistan.

Regularly wore tactical clothing and Army issue sun glasses.

Gave advice on how to prepare physically and mentally for Army entry, based on his experience.

Claimed to have had direct entry into the Army as a Commando.

Said on occasion that he "skipped" Army recruit training at Kapooka and on another occasions said he did attend Kapooka.

Claimed to have served for differing periods of service from two years to three months.

Claims he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by his service.

Claims to have participated in counter terrorist operations, both as a Commando and a private contractor"

Despite the content of the properly prepared and signed four Statutory Declarations, Hyde vehemently denies ever uttering to any person that he has served in the Australian Army. Here is his defence:

"Please regard this email as my official response and statement to your research calls regarding my alleged service in the ADF.

At no time have I served or being a part of the ADF. I have not made statements of serving domestically or overseas with the ADF.

I do work in the defence sector with technology and have done for some time. I have worked in development with Australian Special Forces elements but not anyone from Commando so not sure where these have come from. I mentioned to someone going through ADF recruitment I wanted at one point to do direct entry in my 20's as I was offered at a YOU session and initial testing but to my knowledge at that time my friend asked about it but the program didn't exist from apprently poor success so wasn't sure if it was still available.

I have also worked with international police and defence agencies on the basis of armour technology and other procurement but as a private entity only. The photos on my Facebook page were of training and testing for products done with Philippines national police, as well as apparel/uniforms that were trialled there. These were clearly labelled as what was happening and made no reference to defence service. I have since taken these down. I was wearing the multicam uniform on the range but this was not ADF uniform. I wore an Australian velcro flag that was given to me by a friend who did serve as to represent being Australian. I have never worn service attire.

I am troubled to where these claims have come from or that 4 statutory declarations have come to you regarding the matter.

Aside from working on composite armour technology and some time in procurement that has been my only relationship to defence.

Given that these claims are potentially damaging to my reputation and slanderous I would like to know through my rights to information how to approach this legally should this escalate, and where there is proof of me allegedly making these claims aside from a stat dec. In all fairness it's easy for people to put something together based on he said she said but hard to defend it. The only thing I can recommend is passing contacts for some references who are current or ex Defence can attest to my character, would this be helpful? I know you have had one defence contact who has vouched for my character. This seems to be a head hunt from someone I've upset."

We have no doubt that Hyde has made ridiculous claims about Army service and those claims have now come back to bite him on his posterior.

All over Australia and New Zealand, defence veterans, ex service persons and civilians, are aware of the never diminishing abundance of "wannabes" who lie about military service.

Where ever these people appear, they are reported to ANZMI who expose them. We are sure that Hyde enjoyed the kudos of being a "Commando veteran" and we hope he now enjoys the shame of being exposed on this website.

Exactly who is Commander Graeme Robert BUROW, RAN? Well, in the mind of Graeme BUROW, he is a highly respected Legal Officer and senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy. In fact, BUROW is a fraud, wannabe and thief who is more deserving of being in the dock, rather than on the legal benches.

BUROW joins a long list of false pretenders on our pages who have used false military service to defraud unsuspecting people of their hard-earned money or steal their affections.

The BUROW naval adventure makes for great reading, if you are into fictional stories. He claims to have served in the regular Navy as a Navigational Officer for several years. During this ‘period of service’, he claims to have led boarding parties on a number of occasions and has been recognised for gallantry during such actions.

After his hectic life on the high seas, BUROW claims he left the Navy and found himself working for a taxi company. During this time, BUROW created for himself a couple of fancy qualifications including a Bachelor of Information Technology and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Technology.

Apparently, such a highly qualified legal advocate was quite happy to work for a taxi company than to actually ‘hang his shingle’ and practice law, but that is just one great anomaly with his story.

It seems BUROW is such a good Lawyer, that the Navy decided (or so he says) to return him to uniform as a Commander no less and a Legal Officer to boot. His social media communications with friends indicate that he was so needed by the Navy, they even waived his Selection Board and he was more than happy to accept praise for his appointment as Commander.

We hold Statutory Declarations confirming all of his false claims of military service and legal qualifications.

The fact is, Burow is a fraud and a valour thief. Like so many on our website, he has created a false military career in order to win the heart of the opposite sex. There is no record of Burow every having served in the Australian Defence Force, let alone as a Commissioned Officer.

We can only hope that any ladies who have the misfortune to meet Graeme Burow do not get sucked into to his web of lies. A quick Google search before meeting him will prevent years of heartache and stress.

Welcome aboard the good ship ANZMI, "Commander".