The Real James Bond

[Rick Blaine]

... well maybe!

I stumbled upon a fascinating site the other day that I wanted to draw to the attention of the Lounge.

It is:

The story of Ian Fleming's TOP SECRET wartime Intelligence unit - 30AU

briefly: In 1942 Fleming formed an Auxiliary Unit known as 30AU or 30 Assault Unit that he nicknamed his own "Red Indians"; it was specifically trained in lock picking, safe-cracking, forms of unarmed combat, and other techniques and skills for collecting intelligence. They would move ahead of Allied forces and undertake covert infiltrations into enemy territory by any means necessary, to capture intelligence in the form of: documents; cipher, radio and radar equipment; weapons; and personnel. Patton has been quoted as refering to this unit as "a bunch of limey pirates!"

Not only is it a fascinating read, it has quite a unique look to the presentation that adds to its appeal. TLC recently had a show on detailing the work of some of these allied intelligence units.
I also bought one of there lovely repro pins for one of my fedoras.

 

[Naphtali]

Wasn't the "real" James Bond an ornithologist? And didn't Ian Fleming appropriate his name for 007 because Fleming thought the name to be colorless, anonymous, forgettable? Didn't James Bond die within the last two years?

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Here's a good overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond

 

[Twitch]

Ian Fleming simply picked the name for his character from a bird book cover- James Bond.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Wasn't the "real" James Bond an ornithologist? And didn't Ian Fleming appropriate his name for 007 because Fleming thought the name to be colorless, anonymous, forgettable? Didn't James Bond die within the last two years?

Yes... quite so.
I suppose, more exactly, what I meant was, HAD there been a real Commander James Bond, THIS unit & units LIKE this unit would have been the arena in which he would've learnt his trade, cut his teeth, so to speak.

I have always wished that they would do a "back-story" on JB, showing his wartime experiences & so forth.

 

[Twitch]

As a side note, I believe the latest Bond, Casino Royale is the most accurate in truly depecting the cold emotionless character needed in the espionage game. Agents had no glib jocularities just the steel cold ability to murder effectively .

 

[Gaige]

Been a James Bond fan for years and I have to admit that Casino Royale blew me away; I was none-too-impressed by Dalton or Brosnan... I was actually a big Roger Moore fan!

Anyways, I suppose I'm not a "purist" by any stretch of the imagination; the blonde hair just didn't bother me at all.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Ian Fleming was once asked if the character of his novels was based on the British spy, Sydney Reilly. Fleming responded with something like, "Oh no!....Bond is a figment of my imagination - Reilly was a real spy!".

-dixon cannon

Coincidentally; I once had two cats - One named Sydney Reilly and the other Pepita Bobadilla.

 

[Smithy]

Dixon, if you like Reilly, have a look at this...

http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/BritAgent/BATC.htm

It is one of his best friend's, Bruce Lockhart's "Memoirs of a British Agent" which is available in its entirety online and a fantastic and fascinating read.