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Factual error: President Moïse Tshombe of Katanga was never a soldier and did not even pretend to be one. Nobody addressed him as 'General Tshombe' as the UN officials do throughout the film.

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Factual error: Ronnie Knight is shown being released from "HM London Prison." There are several prisons in London. None of them is or ever has been called "HM London Prison" (or even the correct form, "HM Prison London").

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Episode #3.1 - S3-E1

Factual error: A uniformed constable addresses Detective Sergeant Ripley as "Guv" in this episode and another officer addresses him as "Sir" in the following episode. These terms of address are reserved for officers of the rank of Inspector or above. Sergeants are addressed as "Sarge", "Skipper" or "Skip."

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Episode #1.3 - S1-E3

Factual error: The detectives determine that the killer must be using a boat which he used to dump the first body next to a canal in Birmingham. However, the barge he is using is far too large to navigate the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham, let alone the canals within Birmingham itself.

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Show generally

Factual error: Throughout the series and credits, the ranks of Detective Superintendent and Detective Chief Superintendent are abbreviated as DSU and DCSU instead of the correct DSI and DCS.

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Factual error: The RAF policeman at the end is wearing battledress with exposed buttons done up to the neck. RAF battledress had a fly front with concealed buttons and, unlike the Army, all ranks of the RAF wore it open-necked with a collar and tie.

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Factual error: The military policemen wear plain black armbands. Their armbands actually had 'MP' in red letters.

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Factual error: The Royal Navy officers wear a completely inaccurate cap badge that appears to be a wreath with nothing in it. It actually surrounds an anchor and crown.

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Factual error: King George VI was a qualified military pilot and always wore his pilot's brevet above the rank rings on his left sleeve when in naval uniform. This is shown in numerous photographs. He does not wear it in the film.

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Factual error: Although her correct rank of Second Subaltern is used sometimes, Princess Elizabeth is also referred to both by herself and other military personnel as Junior Subaltern, Second Lieutenant and Lieutenant. Military personnel know ranks.

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Factual error: Numerous military personnel salute while bare-headed in the film. British military personnel only ever salute while wearing headdress.

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Factual error: The Grenadier Guards officers wear ordinary rank pips on their epaulettes. Since 1919, Grenadier Guards officers have worn Garter Stars instead.

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Factual error: Jack's RAF uniform is wrong on a number of levels. He is not wearing the eagles at the top of each sleeve worn by all RAF airmen. He is not wearing the correct Air Gunner brevet (with a single wing), but in fact wears a made-up badge that is claimed to indicate he has shot down five enemy aircraft. He does not have a cap badge on his forage cap.

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Factual error: Jack could not be demoted from sergeant to corporal by his CO. Substantive NCOs can only be demoted by court martial. As aircrew, his rank of sergeant would be a substantive rank, not an acting one (since it was the minimum rank for aircrew). And rank chevrons were made in one piece (two for a corporal, three for a sergeant), so if he was demoted he would have a new set of chevrons, not the top chevron removed as depicted (not only would this be impossible, but it would be a clear indicator that he'd done wrong and given he is still an NCO this would be demeaning).

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Factual error: Jack is addressed by everyone as 'Airman', not as the correct 'Corporal'. The rank of Airman does not even exist in the RAF.

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Factual error: Pretty much every medal ribbon shown appears to be completely made-up.

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Show generally

Factual error: The real RAF chief meteorologist was Group Captain Stagg. For some reason, he is the only character in the series who has been fictionalised, as Captain Burns. However Captain is not an RAF rank. Unlike the fictional Burns, Stagg was not a pilot and had no medal ribbons (he had no previous military service before receiving a war commission for his meteorological skills).

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Episode #1.6 - S1-E6

Factual error: When Commander Anne Sampson appears in her body armour she wears the rank insignia only worn by the Commissioner (a crown over a pip over crossed tipstaves in a wreath) instead of that worn by her own rank of Commander (crossed tipstaves in a wreath). She has apparently been promoted four ranks.

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Factual error: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who phones Jesperson to tell him he has not been accepted is a colonel. In common with most Canadian police forces, the RCMP uses British-style civilian police ranks (inspector, superintendent, etc), not military-style ranks as the American police do.

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Factual error: The film is set in 1880 and Dan Leno is a major character, already well-established on the London stage. Leno was only 20 in 1880 and did not make his London professional debut as an adult performer until 1885; before then he had performed in Manchester and Sheffield.

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