Dambuster Fraudster

[Kyt]

Man who claimed to be a Dambuster is a fraud | The Sun |HomePage|News|Campaigns|Forces

A FRAUD who posed as one of the RAF’s legendary Dambusters heroes was shot down yesterday – by his daughter.

Eric Jephcott, 84, boasted of being rear gunner in a Lancaster bomber flown by Guy Gibson, who led the World War Two mission that blasted vital German dams.

Two weeks ago he was pictured pretending to be a former member of 617 Squadron – which carried out the famous raid 65 years ago last Friday.

But his daughter Heather Randell said: “My dad is a fantasist and a complete fraud.

“He wasn’t even in the armed forces during the war, let alone a Dambuster.

“While Guy Gibson and his colleagues were bombing hell out of the German dams, my father was probably shovelling pig**** on a farm.

“I don’t think he ever picked up a gun – unless it was at the fairground.”

Heather, who is estranged from her father, added: “His yarns desecrate the memory of the men who carried out the mission.”

Jephcott wore an RAF tie and a blazer with medals as he claimed he flew 38 bombing missions. He even posed in a Spitfire with his Welsh Assembly member Angela Burns.

She was welcoming the wartime fighter plane to Pembrokeshire, South Wales, where it will be refurbished.

Mrs Burns said yesterday: “This is rather a sad tale. I was taken in.”

Heather, 58, from Northampton, said Jephcott also passed himself off as a Dambuster on the 1943 raid’s 60th anniversary.

When challenged, Jephcott, of Pembroke Dock, could not explain why his name did not appear on any 617 Squadron flight manifesto or why his daughter questioned his claims.

617’s leader, Wing Commander Gibson was killed in action in 1944 aged 26

And this is the earlier Pembrokeshire visit

MyPembrokeshire.com - Spitfire Welcomed To Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire's very own Spitfire has been welcomed to the county by a Dambusters hero and the Conservative Assembly Member Angela Burns.

Eric Jephcott from Pembroke Dock was a rear gunner in Guy Gibson's Lancaster bomber that took part in the Dambuster raids in May 1943.

He climbed into the fuselage of the Mark VIII Spitfire when it arrived at RAF Carew Cheriton on its way to being restored at Withybush Airfield.

“Meeting Mr Jephcott bought home the true significance of the Spitfire,” said Mrs Burns.

“This is a wonderful restoration project that will give people the chance to work on and fly in a Spitfire and it is also a serious reminder of the sacrifice made by so many young men who died while flying these planes in the Second World War.”

The Pembrokeshire Spitfire Aeroplane Company has already spent £150,000 buying the incomplete shell of the rare plane.

It plans to spend three years and another £600,000 on restoring it to its former glory. It will then be one of only five flying Mark VIII Spitfires in the world.

“We thought it would be fun to complement the static display of aircraft planned for Carew museum with a flying museum,” said company director Ray Burgess.

Fundraising director Peter Kraus said that schools and colleges were going to be invited to help with the restoration of the iconic plane.

“We went for a Spitfire because of that purring of a Merlin engine over Pembrokeshire - it will be the real McCoy,” he said

MyPembrokeshire.com

Pictured welcoming the rare Spitfire to Pembrokeshire for restoration are: (l to r) Conservative Parliamentary candidate Simon Hart, Peter Kraus from the Pembrokeshire Spitfire Aeroplane Company, Dambusters hero Eric Jephcott, Assembly Member Angela Burns and Ray Burgess also from the Spitfire Company.

[Kyt]

He'd obviouslt taken in a lot of people over a period of time. This is from 2003:

Dambusters hero remembered

SIXTY years ago last week a Pembroke Dock man climbed into a Lancaster bomber and took part in one of the most famous missions in wartime history.

Tail gunner Flight Sergeant Eric Jephcott (then Eric James) was just 19 years-old when he flew with 617 squadron in the celebrated Dambusters raids, made famous by Barnes Wallis' bouncing bomb. Now 79, Eric's memories are as clear as ever about the night of 16 May 1943 when 19 specially- adapted Lancasters left RAF Scampton to attack four dams in Germany's Ruhr heartland.

"If anyone said they weren't frightened they were total bloody liars," he said. "For the actual job we had to fly 60 feet from the ground at a max speed of about 220. "

"The Mohne dam was heavily defended and there was a lot of ack-ack fire. We had to run in a few times but eventually I could see the dam go. "

"We had to keep radio silence and the only time we broke that radio silence was to use the code word that the dam had been breached, that was Nigger, the name of Guy Gibson's dog, he was the boss on the job."

Asked how it felt when his Lancaster the 'O for Orange' returned, he said:

"It was sheer relief that it was all over, I just wanted a cigarette and a good cup of tea, I didn't drink alcohol at that time."

Eric - known as the tail-end Charlie because of his gun position - was awarded the distinguished service medal for the mission. The attacks resulted in the Mohne and Eder dams being breached but the Sorpe and Schwelme remained intact. During the raids eight aircraft and 53 crew were lost.

"I lost a lot of good friends and that's why I never go to reunions, it brings back too many bad memories," said Eric.

As for the Dambusters film, he says: "There is about three minutes of fact, the rest is just hearsay."

Eric joined the RAF at the age of 17 and flew in 38 missions over Germany before the famous raid, being shot down twice.

Said Eric: "The first time we had been on a raid over Hamburg and on the way back the ack-ack brought us down. The skipper was killed and the rest of us bailed out over France. The resistance got us back to England soon after."

Originally from the Midlands, Eric moved to Pembrokeshire in 1951 and has stayed since.

[Kyt]

Just as an aside it's interesting that only three of the dams are usually remembered, and most people forget about the Schwelme when talking about the raid.

[spidge]

I do not know how this guy could get a way this.

These were Gibsons gunners!

Front Gunner
Flight Sergeant

Andrew Deering
(RCAF)


REAR GUNNER
Flight Lieutenant
Richard Algenon Dacre Trevor-Roper

[morse1001]

But it is a example of the ways that these liars, fantasists and conmen operate, they tend to come from "very small" places, where they think others would not have any knowledge to contridict them. Its when like the "dambuster", he goes public, that they get into contact with thoise who do have the knowledge!

He could now face crimminal charges as he was wearing medals that he was not entitled to!

[spidge]

I think it is a terrible way of gaining notoriety.

The worse part is how do you make an example of someone in their eighties?

[CXX]

Silly old sod!

[Kyt]

Originally Posted by CXX

Silly old sod!

succinct but oh so true

[Kitty]

Oh dear, I kinda feel sorry for him.