Anthony Cavendish

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I just finished reading "MI6 Life and Death in the British Secret Service" by Gordon Corera.

One of the MI6 operatives this book features is Anthony Cavendish, a handsome, dark haired devil of a man. Had a bit of Hoagy Carmichael in his looks when younger.

As it happens Anthony grew up speaking English, French, German and Swiss German fluently, because he was raised in Switzerland after his father died in an mountaineering accident. That bit sound terribly familiar, doesn't it?

Look him up, his story is remarkable and worth your while.

Here is one link to him; a bit short on the story I'm afraid: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/23/anthony-cavendish

The Domino Effect

Excellent book, and yes, I thought exactly the same thing about Cavendish both when I read the book and when I happened across Cavendish's obituary when he died last year. The other thing is that Cavendish became a journalist in the early 1950s, at the same time that Fleming was plying that trade. Although I don't ever recall coming across a reference to Cavendish is any book on Fleming, I find it inconceivable that Fleming wouldn't have at least been familiar with him and quite likely actually have known him.

Of course, there's a long list of people upon whom Fleming based Bond - most notably himself! But as Fleming never really commented on who was his prime inspiration (other than himself and Sir William Stephenson), we can only guess although Cavendish certainly sounds like part of the puzzle.