Queen strips hero of top medal after his bravery report was ‘sexed up’
AN ARMY officer is to be stripped of his gallantry medal after it was revealed that senior officers had exaggerated his bravery.
Captain William Boreham, 35, was awarded the Military Cross for rescuing an injured comrade trapped in a deadly Afghanistan minefield.
In his citation, senior officers claimed the patrol had come under heavy fire from the Taliban as they carried out the rescue.
But, after a complaint from a different regiment’s soldiers who had been on the patrol, it was found there was no enemy fire. Now senior officers may face disciplinary action.
There is no suggestion Capt Boreham, of Nantwich, Cheshire, was involved in writing the misleading report or gave inaccurate information about the September 2012 incident.
This week the Queen will rescind his Military Cross – the third highest gallantry award. It is understood to be only the second time the Queen has withdrawn a bravery award.
Capt Boreham of The 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, had just arrived d in Afghanistan when he joined ned King’s Royal Hussars (KRH)RH) troops on a patrol in Helmand province.
Ten minutes into the march, the KRH soldier in front of him stood on an improvised explo- sive device (IED).
Capt Boreham led a stretcher party and arranged for a rescue helicopter to collect the casualty.
Royal Military Police detectives are understood to be questioning senior officers over claims in Capt Boreham’s citation on that the patrol came under heavy, sustained enemy fire.
The Mail on Sunday has been told the citation’s first draft was written by a company commander, then reviewed by commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Nick Wood. It was passed up the chain of command, known
as Ta Task Force Helmand, led at the ti time by Major General Bob Br Bruce.
While it w was customary for Task Force com commanders to sign off citations, the Ministry of Defence insists Maj Gen Bruce was ‘not part of the current investigation’.
Based on the report, the Army’s honours and awards committee agreed to award the Military Cross. A source said: ‘At some stage in the handling of Capt Boreham’s citation it appears that details about the Taliban attacking British troops with rockets and machine-gun fire were added. Either there was an innocent mix-up, or somebody “sexed up” the citation to give it more impact.’
The Mail on Sunday understands a number of senior officers could be charged with negligently performing their duty or deliberately falsifying an official document. If found guilty at a court martial they could face up to two years’ imprisonment.
The MoD confirmed an investigation was ongoing.