From our experience dealing with wannabes of all kinds, we find  they share many behavioural traits. We created a profile that is indicative that a person may be a wannabe. Tony Bees fits many aspects of our wannabe profile because he claims the following

 

Most Australian veterans would look twice or even thrice at Tony Bees rack of medals as worn when the Bribie Island Naval Association Sub Section and the Returned Services League Sub Branch combined to commemorate Korean Forces Day at Bribie Island on Queenslands Sunshine Coast on the 27 July 2006. However nothing seems to have been said, or done.  We stumbled on to Tony Bees photograph whilst working on another matter, subsequently we learnt that a Returned and Services League (RSL) Sub Branch has been wrestling with the Tony Bees issue for more than ten years. See the photo Below:

 

  

Bees is wearing on the top row a Military Medal and Bar (MM) (Imperial bravery medals) two British Army Korea medals, a General Service medal and another unrecognised medal. The bottom row consists of United States (US) medals including a Silver Star (bravery medal), Bronze Star, Purple Heart (awarded by US for being wounded in action) and two other medals. A "Bar" worn on a bravery medal means that the medal has been awarded twice. In the Bees photo the "Bar", is the silver horizontal device about a third of the way up the ribbon above the actual medal. It is clearly visible in the photograph and by wearing it Tony  Bees is declaring that he has won the Military Medal for bravery on two occasions.

 

 

 

We urge Ex Service Organisations to take early decisive action against suspected wannabes, those unable to solve a wannabe problem have an open invitation to seek our help - 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Simply send advice to information@anzmi.net 

 

We wrote to Tony Bees and requested that he show evidence of having received the various bravery awards. Here is his reply

 

Original Message -----

From: Tony Bee

To: information@anzmi.net

Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 9:14 AM

Subject: letter

 

Dear ANZMI.

 

Mr Bees joined the British regular Army in 1949 and trained as a Assault commando then went into a tank Regiment.

 

He served in Far East Land Forces in different countries and emergencies also in British Army Of the Rhine.

 

On the question of Medals in 1999 the then Executive of the Nambour RSL sub branch instigated an investigation on the same subject as you are doing now, and got the same results from the Ministry of defence.

 

Mr Bees however did get a reply from the war office on this issue,he then gave all the relevant documents to his Arbitrator at that time "RSM Frank Pallet  RAA OAM Retd" (since Deceased) to be passed on at that meeting, The executive were satisfied with this report and placed all the documents relating to this incident into thier (sic) Archives  by the branch Secretary.

 

Mr Bees does not receive any type of Pension from DVA nor any Benifits (sic) from DVA, that is why he has to do the job he does at his age to survive, He also states as it seems to be a problem for your faceless enquirers,He will never again wear any Medals to any ANZAC parade or reunion .

 

 Yours sincerely

 

 Sasquall

 

The email appears to have been written by Anthony Bees himself his email address is sasqual@westnet.com.au The word "sasqual" of course alludes to him being qualified as an Special Air Service (SAS) soldier.

 

Bees did not know that we had the above photo when he answered our letter and he has failed to address the issue of the Bar to "his" Military Medal  and the United States bravery medals. The only medals mentioned in the RSL meeting referred to in his email  above related to wearing a Military Medal (MM) with no Bar.

 

We well know that the UK Ministry of Defence will not disclose information about British ex servicemen.  Service Records can be acquired with the consent of the ex soldier but for obvious  reasons  Bees will not give permission.  There are many other avenues to gain information about soldiers from the United Kingdom. This includes Ex Service Associations, and for bravery awards recipients The London Gazette

 

In his reply, Bees alludes to an investigation at a Queensland RSL where, with the assistance of "RSM Frank Pallett RAA OAM Retd"  (now deceased) he produced "conclusive" evidence to the RSL committee "proving" his credentials as a Special Forces hero who had been awarded a Military Medal.  What was that evidence?

 

1.  A letter purporting to have been written by Major Lowther, Bart

     "proving" Bees clandestine service in Kenya. (The post nominal

     "Bart" means Baronet).

 

2.  A Statutory Declaration signed by Bees and witnessed by Frank

     Pallett JP.

 

At the meeting where the above evidence was presented by Bees the following verbal information was also tendered ;  "Bees informed us that he had been awarded the Military Medal for a brave act in rescuing a farmer's wife and two children hiding under a veranda in Kenya, Africa.  This was during the Mau Mau uprising not Korea as mentioned in this original email." 

 

The RSL never scrutinised the letter from Major Lowther, Bart, it was only shown to the RSL President, who then wrote a note to the committee.  Here is the Letter written by the then President, and the Statutory Declaration presented to the committee by Bees and Frank Pallett

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is what Anthony Bees declared on the "scribbly" Statutory Declaration:

 

"I do hereby declare that I wear the Military Medal Awarded to me by the British Government under circumstances which I am not allowed to disclose with great honour.  My no and rank on discharge 22276149 Tpr Bees.  I am fully aware of the Penalties for making a false statement as I am a Justice of the Peace Queensland"

 

Our UK Agent advises that there is not now, and never has been a "Major Lowther, Barts" of Special Forces, Thetford, England. The letter seen by the then President is a forgery and Bees is the most logical suspect to be the forger. The Statutory Declaration is false and as Bees has said on the declaration "I am fully aware of the penalties for making a false statement".   Anthony Bees has told lies on a Statutory Declaration to gain benefit and must be prosecuted by the law.

 

 

In his reply email, Bees has said:  Mr Bees does not receive any type of Pension from DVA nor any Benifits (sic) from DVA, that is why he has to do the job he does at his age to survive.

 

 

 In this statement he is drawing a very long bow. The Queensland State Coroners office say they have no "Part Time Coroners", in fact Bees works in the morgue of a regional hospital. Claiming to be a "Part Time Coroner" is  akin to a Council Street Sweeper claiming to be "Part time Mayor". In relation to "DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) benefits."  Bees has no entitlement to benefits from DVA, however we believe he is administered by DVA on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence, War Disablement Pension organisation and is in receipt of some benefits from that UK office. 

Anthony Bees claims to have been involved in clandestine military operations in Kenya that he is forbidden to speak about because of obligations under the Official Secrets Act of the United Kingdom. As well as the letter from the mysterious " Major Lowther, Barts" other evidence of this "secret work" is shown on his 1993 dated application to join the RSL. On the document signed by Bees on the 12 Oct 1993 - Shown below - Bees says his rank was from "Cpl - Major" and he claims service with the Army and "Other" in Korea, Malaysia and "Other". (Inferring secret service and secret destinations)

 

In the British Army there is a rank Corporal Major. If Bees was claiming to have been a Corporal Major he would have written "Cpl Major" on the RSL Application and not " Cpl - Major" indicating his rank went from Corporal to Major. A Corporal Major in the British Army is equivalent to a Warrant Officer - a Regimental Corporal Major being equivalent to a Warrant Officer First Class and a Squadron Corporal Major equivalent to a Warrant Officer Second Class. Bees Certificate of Discharge shows him as being a Trooper on discharge after twelve years service, that rank is equivalent to a Private soldier.

The above document shows his discharge date as 21 April 1966. The document he purports is his Certificate of Discharge shows his discharge date as 25 April 1961. The Certificate of Discharge further shows, that although his discharge date was 25 April 1961 it was signed on the 24 March 1961.  There are numerous suspicious  marks on the certificate that indicate it has been altered. See Below:  

We have further documentation from other sources to show Bees was never awarded an MM and Bar.  (For brevity we will not show the complete documents):

The British Commonwealth Ex-Services League, 48 Pall Mall London SWIY 7308 state:

"I have today had confirmation that the MM was not awarded to him for any operation whether covert or otherwise"
"you will wish to know we have checked all London Gazettes for the period from 1952 to 1962 which covers Kenya, Cyprus, Malaya, Suez, Korea, Trucial States, Aden and the Congo and no MM has ever been awarded to anyone called BEES.  These gazette issues include awards to all UK and Commonwealth Forces and locally enlisted forces such as the Aden Levies etc under British Command.  Unless it was awarded prior or after these dates then he is not entitled to wear this decoration" .

Google Search Engine

If you follow the instructions below there you have 90 pages of British Recipients of the Military Medal. Anthony Bees is not among them.
       Google Search    -    Military Medal
       Scroll to Military Medal Wikipedia
       Click and scroll down to Category: Recipients of the MM

There are numerous British soldiers listed who are shown as having received the award whilst serving with Special Air Service.
        .
The Royal Armoured Corps War Memorial Benevolent Fund C/- Regimental Headquarters, Royal Tank Regiment, Stanley barracks, Bovington UK state:

"I have made enquiries with the Medals Office (Army) and the Military Secretaries branch 16, MOD. Both offices have no record of Mr Bees being awarded the Military Medal (MM)"

UK Ministry of Defence - Army Historical Branch, 3-5 Great Scotland Yard London advise: inter alia

"We have found no records to suggest that Mr Bees was awarded the Military medal"

 

The London Gazette:

The London Gazette promulgates all honours and awards and officer promotions. Bees is not listed anywhere in the London Gazette as he would have been, if he were awarded an MM or been commissioned as an Officer as shown on his RSL Application.  In addition the mysterious "Maj Lowther, Bart" does not appear anywhere in the London Gazette.

It is well known that persons receiving honours whilst serving with Special Forces, for security reasons may be  listed in the London Gazette under their "home" unit, meaning the unit in which they served before working with Special Forces. This means that even though a medal may have been awarded for work with Special Forces it is still promulgated in the London Gazette against their "home unit".  Bravery Awards for Special Forces personnel are not suppressed for security reasons, especially those supposedly awarded fifty years ago.

We have found no records in the London Gazette to suggest that Mr Bees was awarded the Military Medal in any unit in the United Kingdom.

Bees Korean unit The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars know nothing of his MM and Bar. We received this email through an intermediary.

During this investigation we found no evidence to indicate that Tony Bees earned any of the USA awards that he "sported" on the occasion of the Bribie Island ceremony on the 27 July 2006. They are all fakes. This is the first known occasions that he has worn them, and a Bar to the Military Medal. Tony Bees laid a remembrance wreath at that event on behalf of the Sunshine Coast Korean Veterans Association Inc. On that occasion every genuine veteran attending must have found his rack of medals rather odd, however nothing was done by anybody attending. It is a gross insult to those being remembered to have the wreath laid by a scandalous, unrepentant pretender.

Bees is the President of the Korean Veterans Sunshine Coast Association Incorporated, in Queensland. Was his election to President assisted by his contemptuous acts of medal fraud?  Surely veterans from the Sunshine Coast could have figured out that Bees is a fraud, his array of medals is ludicrous. It has been stated by members of that organization that Bees is known to be a fraud, but "does such a good job as President they let him be" - How could genuine Korean veterans have such notions festering in their brains? Aiding and abetting wannabes and military frauds is equally offensive as the act it self.

Time and technology have caught up with older frauds like Tony Bees, who seem to think that migrating to the Antipodes shields them from scrutiny, however, ANZMI through the miracle of the Internet and their massive cumulative military experience can reach into filing cabinets in most countries of the world.

 Our ANZMI agent resident in the UK has been kept extremely busy these last few years - and looks forward to assisting us in any further investigations.