Can someone clear this up for me ?

stumac7

Can someone tell me - is James Bond supposed to be Scottish?

I always thought that like Fleming Bond is English and has a Scottish father.

But have read a few things that suggest Bond was Scottish.

Does anyone have a definitive answer??

Cheers

Tilly Masterson 007

I was always sure he was English.

stumac7

are you shhure ? :-)

Tilly Masterson 007

Yes.

Son Of Barbel

Bond: My father came from the Highlands, from near Glencoe. On her Majesty's Secret Service, Chapter 6.

Bond: My father was a Scot and my mother was Swiss. (Same)

M: James Bond was born of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond of Glencoe, and a Swiss mother. You Only Live Twice, Chapter 21.

Bond: I am a Scottish peasant and I will always feel at home being a Scottish peasant. The Man With The Golden Gun, Chapter 17.

Argue with me all you like, but you can't argue with Ian Fleming. Bond is Scottish/Swiss.

Mark Hazard

And born in Germany (Pearson).

emtiem

Son Of Barbel wrote:

Bond: I am a Scottish peasant and I will always feel at home being a Scottish peasant. The Man With The Golden Gun, Chapter 17.

But not actually at home in Scotland!

It's a tricky one, probably best kept as saying he's British.

Personally I'd say he was an Englishman with Scottish blood as he was pretty much raised as an Englishman (although he went to Fettes of course) and lives as one, complete with accent (presumably- a Scots accent is never mentioned as far as I recall) etc. but 'British' is safest. It's what would be on his passport, after all.

John Drake

Anglo-Scottish is the phrase that springs to mind. While I'm more than happy to claim Bond as a Scot, doing so would also mean we had to claim responsibilty for Rod Stewart.

stumac7

So, Bonds Father was Scottish and his Mother was Swiss, but was he born in Scotland or England and where was he brought up ?

Mark Hazard

stumac7 wrote:

So, Bonds Father was Scottish and his Mother was Swiss, but was he born in Scotland or England and where was he brought up ?

Three posts above - born in Germany.

emtiem

Mark Hazard wrote:

stumac7 wrote:

So, Bonds Father was Scottish and his Mother was Swiss, but was he born in Scotland or England and where was he brought up ?

Three posts above - born in Germany.

Well, Fleming doesn't say that, but it's as good as any.

Loeffelholz

I'm a big fan of Pearson's "James Bond: An Authorised Biography of 007," and heartily recommend it to all---although the recent Young Bond books appear to render it obsolete

Nevertheless, it's interesting that the current 'official' dossier on Bond (first seen on the official CR website) picks up the Pearson line of Bond being born in Germany whilst his father was there as an employee of Vickers. A childhood spent constantly moving throughout Europe (and perhaps elsewhere) gives Bond a personal frame of reference much broader than that of someone who simply lived his whole life in Pett Bottom, Kent :007)

7289

I would say when in doubt, fall back on Ian Fleming.

The Fleming's were Scots. Although as I recall their is nothing about Bond being a Scot until OHMSS, written just after Dr. No was filmed - note the reference to Ursula Andress at Piz Gloria. I always felt IF made Bond's Scottish blood known in deference to Sean Connery's casting as oo7.

Interestingly in the late 1960's Sean Connery on a TV show called "Good Company" hosted by F. Lee Bailey described Ian Fleming as "A bit too English for me."

I always figured that this was Connery's way of calling Fleming a "snob".