Quick Facts
Biography
John "Jack" Livesey (born 15 May 1954) is a British military imposter who posed as a decorated war hero; in actuality he served in the army as a cook for three years. His fabricated military record included twenty years in the Parachute Regiment, fighting with the 2nd Battalion in the Falklands War, serving five tours of duty in Northern Ireland, receiving the Military Medal and reaching the rank of Colour Sergeant. He has worked as a historian, author, consultant, lecturer and battlefield tour guide on the basis of his alleged military experience.
Career
Jack Livesey served as a chef in the Army Catering Corps from 1971 until 1974, when he was discharged following a mental breakdown. Livesey admitted that he created a 'fantasy world' to compensate for his early discharge from the army: 'I built this fictional guy up which was better than admitting the failure that was my military career […] It wasn’t the best way to end your military career. It was going to be my dream – the Army was a wonderful life and I screwed it up and created this fantasy'.
Livesey was featured as a military historian in the documentary Death and Destruction in the Falaise Gap and on the History Channel series Battlefield Detectives. He worked as a historical adviser on the 2005 BBC documentary series D-Day to Berlin and the 2006 movie Flyboys. He claimed to have also advised production crews, uncredited, on the miniseries Band of Brothers and the movie Saving Private Ryan.
Livesey authored books of military non-fiction, three which were co-written by George Forty, a well-known author and a former curator of the Tank Museum.
Livesey worked at the Imperial War Museum Duxford for seven years, first as a volunteer and later as a collections assistant, until he resigned in 2006.
Criminal Convictions
In 2004 Jack Livesey was convicted of benefit fraud for receiving nearly £30,000 in incapacity benefit while he was employed at the Imperial War Museum. He was sentenced to only a suspended twelve-month jail term due to his supposed military service and character references submitted by veterans, including Air Commodore Peter Thorne and Major Gordon Corrigan, who knew Livesey and believed him to be a war hero.
Livesey was exposed as an impostor when investigations following his conviction found that the references submitted by the veterans were based on false claims that Livesey had made to them. He was charged with perverting the course of justice. He admitted to lying about his army career, but denied he was aware the references were submitted. His partner, Bridget Pollard, testified that she had compiled the references. In mitigation Livesey's attorney stated that his client had been diagnosed with dependent and histrionic personality disorder, and argued these disorders impaired his client's ability to tell fact from fiction. Livesey was found guilty; he was sentenced to three years in jail and was ordered to pay £3,500 in prosecution costs. He filed on appeal on the grounds that his sentence was excessive. The appeal was denied.