Wrong D-Day? British Army mocked after accidentally recreating porn meme with WWII veteran couch photo
The British Army faced a storm of mockery after posting a photo of one of the last living soldiers who participated in the 1944 Normandy landings, with the internet crowd finding it strikingly similar to a popular porn meme.
The ill-fated picture emerged on Twitter earlier this week. The photo, taken in Cornwall on the 77th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe, shows 96-year-old former Royal Engineer Harry Billinge sitting on a red sofa in the middle of the field. Six active-duty sappers from 24 Commando Royal Engineers are seen standing behind.
Sappers from @24CdoRE based in Devon paid a personal tribute to one of Britain’s few surviving D-Day veterans at a special event held in Cornwall on the 77th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Read more: https://t.co/h6mwPMIgD6#DDay77#HarryBillingepic.twitter.com/dRlyAmtad8
— British Army (@BritishArmy) June 8, 2021
One does not have to be a seasoned porn connoisseur to find the picture set-up strikingly familiar, and the Twitter crowd swiftly flocked to the Army’s feed to mock it. The veteran photo was compared to a popular ‘Piper Perri surrounded’ meme, showing the porn actress on a couch with five black men in the background.
same energy pic.twitter.com/P8cyEITsHR
— DJ greta tuneberg (@politics_man69) June 9, 2021
Having been given such a head start, the comment section was instantly flooded with assorted D-Day jokes of varying degrees of obscenity, with only a handful of users showing up to pay their respects to the veteran and thank the military for commemorating the landings anniversary.
Wow, what a nice picture. pic.twitter.com/5oRlCQHYOE
— Catch these Washed Hands (@GSmarts9) June 10, 2021
From D Day to Getting Some D Day
— Cailín Corcra 💜 (@_Cailin_Corcra_) June 10, 2021
Some users suggested the unfortunate set-up showed the Army’s social media team was not spending enough time on the internet, or they might have predicted how the photo would be received.
How to instantly tell when a public relations branch doesnt have anyone who spends time on the internet
— Jess, falcon haver (@dumbgoblinbaby) June 10, 2021
— 🏴Maya night funkin'🆖🏳️⚧️ (@MaytayMaya) June 10, 2021
Others, however, believed the person behind the photo shoot knew exactly what he was doing and the porn meme reference had been made on purpose.
You knew what you were doing when you posted this
— jon (@jonbeadle1) June 10, 2021
Some even deemed one of the sappers to be looking way too gleeful for the event, suggesting he might have been in on what was going on.
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