tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post7889184567706781054..comments2024-03-26T13:27:26.499+00:00Comments on Zelo Street: Henry Bolton’s Army Career WASN’TTim Fentonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00726447899972084146noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-25467565005160077302018-02-10T21:58:18.867+00:002018-02-10T21:58:18.867+00:00Again, where was his best cadet status debunked?
...Again, where was his best cadet status debunked?<br /><br />I haven't seen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-49262361693348428842018-02-02T23:44:39.398+00:002018-02-02T23:44:39.398+00:00I was with you up until your absurd comment about ...I was with you up until your absurd comment about a racist party.<br /><br />It's no such thing and you are wholly innacurate for making such misled commentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-71883418151677321992018-02-02T15:51:30.728+00:002018-02-02T15:51:30.728+00:00When / where was his best cadet status debunked ? ...When / where was his best cadet status debunked ? I haven't seen it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-17648248018855356202018-02-02T14:14:37.535+00:002018-02-02T14:14:37.535+00:00The man tells lies, or as is so nicely put, massag...The man tells lies, or as is so nicely put, massages the truth. It's either true or it isn't. AGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06351019123606524491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-67940878461077032042018-02-02T09:10:48.595+00:002018-02-02T09:10:48.595+00:00Roger McCarthy, this veteran agrees entirely with ...Roger McCarthy, this veteran agrees entirely with your well balanced and rational comments (y)Max Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-56278892585544381702018-02-01T20:33:40.073+00:002018-02-01T20:33:40.073+00:00@15
He was NOT best cadet. This has already been ...@15<br /><br />He was NOT best cadet. This has already been debunked.<br /><br />So don't pretend otherwise.<br /><br />As you were.<br />Tim Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00726447899972084146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-24425885882291624442018-02-01T19:53:53.638+00:002018-02-01T19:53:53.638+00:00I served with Henry in ta in Newbury and reading. ...I served with Henry in ta in Newbury and reading. When he joined in around 91 just after I did (I think) he had recently left cavalry regiment where he had commanded a tank and a troop of scorpions in Belize, he was a corporal as far as i remember. When he joined ta he was working for mercury communications. He joined ta as a corporal i think in Wessex regt Newbury. And quickly went for ta commission at sandhurst in which he was best cadet. He commanded a platoon in Newbury (an infantry regt) when Newbury closed we were transferred to reading RGBW HQ coy where he commanded a Recce platoon. Can't remember when he left mercury and joined tv police but he got commendation for bravery in police, he was in ta at same time. He got a job with OSCE I think and went to Croatia and other places during the Balkans problems. He also worked for fo I think in Afghanistan as an advisor for US marines in Kandahar or somewhere similar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-72782007104904743412018-02-01T12:50:46.375+00:002018-02-01T12:50:46.375+00:00Couple of responses...
Glad to see a veteran drop...Couple of responses...<br /><br />Glad to see a veteran drop in and bring some actual knowledge to the comments. <br /><br />I did know POW is abbrev of Prince of Wales's but I have flu and my synapses are not all firing properly so I forgot that this was a subsidiary title of Royal Hussars (and thanks to endless cuts and mergers British regiment names are just ridiculous now) <br /><br />Do you need to be a major to command a TA infantry company? <br /><br />Certainly as the army has shrunk and become more and more over-officered it is NOW normal for British infantry companies to be commanded by a major with a captain as second-in-command.<br /><br />However traditionally British army infantry companies were led by captains and this was as far as I know still often the case what is now quarter of a century ago when Bolton was commissioned. <br /><br />As for his military intelligence role it is perfectly normal for captains to have staff jobs in intelligence - which is all he's actually talking about there.<br /><br />As for transferring from a regular cavalry/armoured regiment to a TA infantry regiment this is not that implausible as there were and are a lot more TA infantry battalions requiring officers than TA yeomanry regiments - so if you were looking to become a TA officer you might well have to consider changing your arm of service.<br /><br />So on balance the only obviously inaccurate part of the military part of his cv is: <br /><br />a) the implication he was a TA captain and company commander for the whole of 1990-2000 as we do know he was only commissioned in Sept 1992.<br /><br />But what he is doing there is the standard cv massaging trick of just mentioning the most impressive job title that he held in the course of a period of employment - I've done it myself.<br /><br />b) the pretence that his TA officer training course at Sandhurst was in any way at all equivalent to a degree. <br /><br />The rest is mostly plausible.<br /><br />Clearly as a revolving door leader of a racist party he is prima facie a loathsome human being - but to attack him for completely fabricating his military service record is do not think justified here.<br /><br />Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-34060475949580563112018-01-31T17:52:55.227+00:002018-01-31T17:52:55.227+00:00I think you've been a bit over Zelo-us here, w...I think you've been a bit over Zelo-us here, which is a shame because it may well be held against anything else you write. There is enough wrong with the man already without needing to distort things. <br /><br />Forces Reunited is not a reliable source as to what (if anything) anyone did in the Forces. It only contains what people put up there themselves. I know, I was that ... :O)<br /><br />Going from the Regulars to the Reserves is not unheard of. In my day it was obligatory. From there it's a small step to the TA. <br /><br />The London Gazette entry is probably as good a reference as anything as a reliable source. 28 September 1992, Page:16263<br />https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/53060/supplement/16263<br />This record also has his non-commissioned Army number as 24448913 which looks reasonable to me (mine is 2432.... from the early 1970s)<br /><br />Pretty much anything that happens with a commissioned officer will be recorded there. Lance Jacks, not so much unless they get severely medalled. <br /><br />If only half of his LinkedIn profile is true, it seems he used to be a pretty decent guy with a bright future. Pity he went over to the dark side.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-40059780304290960812018-01-31T17:27:24.162+00:002018-01-31T17:27:24.162+00:00At least he has his footballing achievements.
Who...At least he has his footballing achievements.<br /><br />Who can forget te legendary Nuttals / Bolton striking partmenship for England's 1977 World Cup campaign in Uraguay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-73795268301464788042018-01-31T16:41:15.209+00:002018-01-31T16:41:15.209+00:00He's no Don Draper, that's for sure.He's no Don Draper, that's for sure.KevMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09735450408611228230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-31805171919040272882018-01-31T16:29:17.217+00:002018-01-31T16:29:17.217+00:00"His Royal Hussars entry also has (PWO)- whic..."His Royal Hussars entry also has (PWO)- which looks odd to me as I don't think that is a standard army rank abbreviation but suggests he ended as a Warrant Officer - which normally indicates a technical or desk job outside of the combat chain of command".<br /><br />PWO - Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own)<br /><br />French Commando Course - could have easily done that.<br /><br />There's also quite a lot of inter-corps/regimental detachment that goes on in the British Army.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-38120493418475482142018-01-31T16:11:47.841+00:002018-01-31T16:11:47.841+00:00A Tankie Trooper/NCO does not become anInfantry Co...A Tankie Trooper/NCO does not become anInfantry Company commander which demands the rank of Major following Eleven years service, nor does he become an Intelligence Officer of the rank of Captain.<br />He’s a WALT.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777552712075948746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-33325210555480995722018-01-31T12:50:50.445+00:002018-01-31T12:50:50.445+00:00Well. Having accrued a few NVQs over the years (an...Well. Having accrued a few NVQs over the years (and sometime they come your way without any particular input from yourself) I do struggle to see just how I could have massaged any of them into a BA.<br /><br />I obviously don't have enough thwarted ambition to create career-enhancing porkies.pete cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-25368842757895459762018-01-31T12:23:20.064+00:002018-01-31T12:23:20.064+00:00If he was on probation as a new officer in 1992 th...If he was on probation as a new officer in 1992 this also suggests he was unemployed from 1990-92 (which a lot of people were at that time).<br /><br />He would have automatically been in the reserves on leaving the regular army in 1990 so I would guess that in 1990-92 he was in the TA but as an NCO or warrant officer and only took the TA officer course in 1992 after which he was commissioned.<br /><br />But obviously it looks better to say you were a TA infantry company commander for the whole ten years.<br /><br />However as that is a very part-time role then it can be combined with multiple other roles - which is what his cv does claim. <br /><br />Looking at the military section of his cv it is clearly massaged and a bit exaggerated but not intrinsically implausible - unless all of it is a fabrication and he is a conman of genius - and that is something I do find impossible to believe... Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-15034502169819722072018-01-31T12:22:32.640+00:002018-01-31T12:22:32.640+00:00Soz, that doesn't look right. Not sure what I...Soz, that doesn't look right. Not sure what I did there, but I was highlighting that his CV says he worked "with" the FCO, not "for" the FCO.ashiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293039068799898813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-57348586382347998402018-01-31T12:16:08.956+00:002018-01-31T12:16:08.956+00:00Not before time. I posted here as soon as he had ...Not before time. I posted here as soon as he had been elected that his CV didn't add up. As Roger McCarthy notes, it doesn't take great forensic skills to spot the holes in his Wiki entry. Yet our fearless press just gave him a pass. I'm also intrigued by the construct that "he worked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office". Does that mean "". Or just did some work for a company with whom the FCO had a contract? He looks a bit like what our forces chums would call "a Walt".ashiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293039068799898813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-6884728497056380702018-01-31T11:55:52.473+00:002018-01-31T11:55:52.473+00:00I'd add if he ever was in the Royal Hussars or...I'd add if he ever was in the Royal Hussars or any other cavalry regiment he probably at some point would have found himself driving around in a Chieftain because that is what those regiments do.<br /><br />It is however odd that he puts that under his territorial service as an infantry officer - maybe they let him ride in a tank in Bosnia?<br /><br />Also odd that he mentions neither his rank nor his unit - although FWIW his wikipedia entry does state he was promoted to Captain and lists a whole bunch of territorial units (which given constant regimental reorganisations is not that implausible).<br /><br />As territorial service is part-time he also appears to have been a very busy territorial - particularly as from 1992-2000 he was a full-time police officer.<br /><br />As for his time at Sandhurst it looks to me that he would have done quite a short course and nothing even vaguely resembling a degree - see https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/territorial-army-potential-officer-training.38085/ for various routes you can take to a TA commission.<br /><br />His Royal Hussars entry also has (PWO)- which looks odd to me as I don't think that is a standard army rank abbreviation but suggests he ended as a Warrant Officer - which normally indicates a technical or desk job outside of the combat chain of command. Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-121587265409398672018-01-31T11:29:05.436+00:002018-01-31T11:29:05.436+00:00OK I am not ex-military myself but I do know a bit...OK I am not ex-military myself but I do know a bit about army matters due to having known some ex-army types and to having done a bit of research on service records etc.<br /><br />Firstly I doubt Forces Reunited is a truly definitive source that identifies every last member of the armed services in any period.<br /><br />Secondly, if he was a territorial officer on the reserve list it is not implausible that he was also at some earlier point in a regular army regiment.<br /><br />Thirdly territorial army service is by definition very part-time (ask Clive Lewis) unless you do get called up and sent to a combat zone.<br /><br />Fourthly you are misunderstanding what commander means - anyone from a junior NCO upwards can command some sort of military entity and Commander of military intelligence is not a proper job title and probably means no more than that he was tapping away on a ruggedised laptop back at force Headquarters and maybe had a couple of subordinates.<br /><br />So of course he's massaged his CV - who hasn't? - but I find it unlikely that his whole military career is a fiction as if it were it would be easily exposed.<br /><br />Can I suggest you run this past an actual military veteran and get their view?<br /><br /><br /> <br /> Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-1213070338333178772018-01-31T10:35:04.743+00:002018-01-31T10:35:04.743+00:00Fifteen years a LibDem too, born in Kenya apparent...Fifteen years a LibDem too, born in Kenya apparently.<br /><br />What a "broad church" they run. All the way up to and including tuition fees - well done Cable and Clegg!<br /><br />Can't we keep out these immigrant Kenyans coming here, telling lies and interfering in our elections?<br /><br />Oh my continually aching sides.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4433144336299288135.post-65267121089147456892018-01-31T10:19:39.110+00:002018-01-31T10:19:39.110+00:00"Chieftain Tank" Rhyming slang?
Ooooh. ..."Chieftain Tank" Rhyming slang?<br /><br />Ooooh. Suits you sir!<br /><br /><br />Beware of those who leave information off of their CV and LinkedIn too.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ex MI5 (Honestly)noreply@blogger.com