James Bond's Medals - Pierce Brosnan.
Marker
Posts: 154MI6 Agent
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Marker
Posts: 154MI6 Agent
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Comments
Damit, We both started threads on the same topic featuring the same video on the same day, but you started it first. 😂
I'll repost my posts on the matter here and ask Barbel if he can close down my thread.
This video's is about BrosnanBond's medals, but Connery's Bond also wore a parade uniform. Discussions about those medals would be interesting too. I feel the video ignores that Bond is wearing an SBS uniform and was more likely to serve in special operations.
A couple of medal seems ill-advised to me. The Rhodesia medal. Really ? The Northern Ireland medal may not be completely uncontroversial either. No offence to those who did serve in that conflict, but wouldn't it be a better choice to have Bond wear medals from the Falklands war and the 1st Gulf war? Not to mention the two Cod Wars against Iceland? 😁
I was just going to ask that you be banned for plagiarism!😉
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
I thought the Rhodesia medal was a strange choice. I wonder why that decision was made by the film/costume people?
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Going on from N24s nicked thread. It’s a RN uniform with FAA pilots wings on the shoulder. It’s not an SBS uniform, far from it. It has nothing in any way to do with the SBS, and neither has Bond except in some weird DC Bond universe. It’s a stretch to have Bond in the SBS and reduces him from an elegant RN officer to basically a thug super soldier, which isn’t Flemings Bond in anyway. Plus Bond is an officer, so it’s an even bigger stretch and weird choice to have him as an SBS head shed. The NI medal would have been standard fodder for someone seconded to DI during those times. Rhodesia is too early for Brosnans Bond though.
It's the only sensible solution.
This is the Special Forces patch:
And look at the arm on Bond's uniform. Isn't it the same? The photo isn't very clear.
I belive you on the uniform. Could it be that Bond's uniform says he's a Royal Navy commander who's also a qualified pilot and took part in special operations and/or is SF qualified, but wasn't in the SBS?
Here's Bond in uniform in YOLT. Can anyone tell us more about the uniforms and his medals?
No. The patch is this one. Representing that he qualified as a pilot within the RN. Theres nothing on his uniform that represents any branch of the Special Forces.
He does have a similar patch to the one you listed on his right shoulder, but that just means he has a Royal Navy Parachute qualification, which is always worn on the right shoulder of the uniform.
Stop being so right, it’s irritating! 🤣
Sorry🤣 I can’t help it. I’m on a roll today and I’m taking advantage of it while it lasts.
I do have a slight advantage though. I wore that uniform for years in the RN. Although, I didn’t qualify for any pilots wings.
The thing is, Bond never was SF until his 2006 film resume. And he doesn’t need to be You can get up to some very epic commando type things in the RN that covers all that, as well as RNDI shenanigans. Making him SBS or SAS is a bit lazy and not really something Flemings Bond would have been. Officers generally aren’t highly regarded in those Regiments as they don’t have to put in the time, effort and blood and sweat that the regular operatives do And Bond certainly wouldn’t have gone in from the ground up. It just doesn’t work like that.
Ages and ages ago I did a write up on Bonds medals in the films. It must be on here somewhere but sadly all the pictures will have gone as I deleted that photobucket account.
I think I read somewhere that most officers only serve tree years in UK SF units, so I can understand if NCOs find it irritating.
The scenario you and I describes sounds like the best: Bond wasn't in a SF unit, but got the skills and missions of an SF operator. Probably after serving for some time in the regular navy first.
The RN had (still has?) its own commando arm. Not the RM but drawn from sailors. Perhaps the most famous member being Surgeon Commander Jolly of the Falklands war fame. My guess is that the early cinematic Bond, up to Brosnan would have been a member of this unit rather than the SBS (the notion that Bond was SBS never sat well with me).
I've added an image showing Commander Jolly's RN Commando sleeve patch (is sleeve patch the correct title?)
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Further to the above.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
It would be interesting to learn what Connery's Bond's medal ribbons were.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
RN commandos are something that Bond may have been involved in and could well have been how he got his parachute qualification. That is entirely plausible.
According to the RN the All Arms Commando Course is there to "To prepare Navy, Army or Air Force personnel for service with 3 Cdo Bde RM by developing the temperament, mental resolve, physical robustness and core military skills necessary in the demanding environment of expeditionary and littoral operations." Unless of course I'm thinking of the wrong thing. it looks like the course is there to qualify personell from the other arms of the military to work with the Royal Marine Commandoes. But those who pass the course are not royal Marines . They work as medics , chaplains , in the artillery etc. Royal Navy Commandoes still wear the green beret and are considered commandoes.
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/roles/royal-marines-commando
That definition has somewhat changed from what it was 25+ years ago then. Which isn’t surprising I suppose since cut backs and amalgamating regiments are so prevalent now and the RM performing more and more roles. Remember 30 AU used to be RN too. Albeit a loooong time ago.
RNC’s certainly aren’t trained to the same level as RMCs and are very different, basically offering basic supporting roles to the RMs. They are often looked down upon by their RM counterparts.
I don't know much about the mechanics of military service but I imagine that personnel who pass the all arms commando course and go on to serve with their particular branch would then be eligible to participate in various specialist training courses related to commando service. If we assume that Connery's Bond did serve with the RNC, that's where he could have built up a 'CV' of skills which would ultimately be of use during his later career with the secret service?
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.