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A Father's Great Expectations - S1-E1

Factual error: When JFK leaves to become a PT-boat commander he is wearing full lieutenant's rank insignia. He was actually a lieutenant junior grade when he took command of PT-109.

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A Father's Great Expectations - S1-E1

Factual error: The officer who phones Joseph Kennedy Sr to tell him that JFK is missing in action introduces himself as a commander at the War Department. However, he is wearing naval captain's rank insignia and (since the War Department only dealt with the army and JFK was a naval officer) would actually work for the Navy Department.

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Factual error: Throughout the film, Wallace is portrayed as a Highland clansman in traditional highland garb. This was done by Gibson to emphasise the Scottish/English conflict, but it is not historically accurate. In fact, Wallace was a Lowland knight from exactly the same ethnic background as the Anglo-Normans he was fighting and would have worn the same style of armour as they did.

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Factual error: Until 1916, British soldiers were not permitted by regulations to shave their upper lips. That included officers (even generals). Almost all the 1914 cavalrymen should therefore have moustaches. Many don't.

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Factual error: Major Stewart addresses the Indian NCO as "Sergeant Major" and he is so described in the credits. There was no such rank in the British Indian Army. Indian cavalry sergeants were known as Daffadars. More senior Indian cavalry officers held VCO ranks (Jemadar, Risaldar and Risaldar Major) which had no British equivalent. Given the importance of rank and protocol, it is highly unlikely that a British commissioned officer would be unaware of this.

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Show generally

Factual error: Admiral Burkley, Kennedy's physician, is depicted wearing the insignia of a full admiral (one wide and three narrow rings) and the star of a line officer above his cuff rings. In actual fact, Burkley was a rear admiral (one wide and one narrow ring) and medical officers wear an oak leaf above their rank rings.

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Factual error: At the end the narrator talks of "the Honourable" Winston Churchill. He was actually the Right Honourable.

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Series 5, Episode 2 - S5-E2

Factual error: Matt says he was in the Royal Marines, to which the submarine captain says "you were in the army?" Any naval officer would know the Marines are certainly not Army.

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Series 5, Episode 2 - S5-E2

Factual error: Many of the Royal Navy details are completely wrong. The submarine captain's cap badge is not that of the Royal Navy. "Midshipman" Leonard wears the insignia of a chief petty officer. "Officer" (not a naval rank) Neal wears the insignia of a petty officer. "Officer" Shaw wears the insignia of an able rating. The Flag Office Submarines is depicted as a full admiral, whereas in fact he was a rear-admiral and the position no longer exists.

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Show generally

Factual error: The two junior Royal Navy officers in Sierra Leone are listed on the credits as Junior Third Officers. This is a Merchant Navy rank - they are actually Lieutenants.

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Factual error: Although addressed as "Kapitänleutnant" in the film, Hartenstein had actually been promoted to Korvettenkapitän three months before the film is set. He is never seen wearing rank insignia, but he does correctly wear a Korvettenkapitän's oak leaves on his cap peak.

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Factual error: The Merchant Navy rank insignia is very poorly researched. Each officer seems to have a different style of insignia, despite working for the same company and they incorrectly wear rank insignia on the shoulders of their blue uniforms as well as the cuffs. The main character, Junior Third Officer Mortimer, wears a bizarre mix of insignia, apparently consisting of a Royal Navy petty officer's sleeve badge, a Royal Navy chief petty officer's cuff buttons, and a rank badge of three inverted chevrons on his shoulder boards that doesn't seem to resemble anything from reality. In reality, he should simply wear a single cuff ring (or shoulder bar in white uniform).

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Part 1 Roots: The Saga of An American Family - S1-E1

Factual error: The slave ship 'Lord Ligonier' flies the White Ensign. This has always been reserved for the Royal Navy; British merchant ships (as American ships were in 1765) have flown the Red Ensign since 1674.

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Factual error: None of the British army officers is wearing the gorget, which was an officer's insignia at this time.

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Factual error: Barbossa addresses one of his officers as "lieutenant-commander". This rank was not introduced into the Royal Navy until 1914.

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Show generally

Factual error: John Basilone was actually a Sergeant when he won the Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal, but is shown wearing the insignia of the higher rank of Platoon Sergeant. However, when his medal citation is read out it does give his correct rank (although senior sergeants in the US forces are commonly addressed simply as "sergeant", official citations give their full rank).

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Par Avion - S3-E12

Factual error: The police officer introduces himself to Claire as "Officer" Barnes. In Australia, ordinary police officers hold the rank of Constable, not Officer. (00:06:10)

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Par Avion - S3-E12

Factual error: The neurosurgeon introduces himself as "Doctor" Woodruff and also has this written on his coat. In Australia, where this scene is set, surgeons are always addressed and referred to as "Mister" after the British fashion.

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Factual error: At his wedding, Captain Von Trapp is wearing three medium-width rank rings on the cuffs of his uniform (similar to a Commander in the Royal Navy and US Navy). In the Austro-Hungarian Navy, in which he served, this rank badge did not exist. Von Trapp actually held the rank of Korvettenkapitän (Lieutenant-Commander), indicated by one medium ring and one narrow ring. Even had he held the rank of Linienschiffskapitän (Captain), he would have worn one medium and three narrow rings. The only rank which had vaguely similar insignia to that in the film was Linienschiffsleutnant (Lieutenant), with three narrow rings. Even allowing for artistic licence re Von Trapp's actual rank, the insignia he is wearing simply did not exist.

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Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1 - S2-E23

Factual error: The prison Desmond is released from looks nothing like any British prison, let alone the British military prison (the "Glasshouse"), which is more of a training camp than a traditional prison. The guards wear no cap badges on their berets (all British service personnel wear cap badges) and their berets are worn almost vertically on their heads, whereas British berets are pulled hard to the right. The NCO who releases him is credited as a "master sergeant" in the episode credits - an American rank which has never been used in the British Army. (00:05:30)

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