Who Was James Bond?
Bob Pearson
Posts: 4MI6 Agent
Hello, my name is Bob Pearson and I'm new to the forum.
I have a question which I think most people will have asked at some time...who was James Bond? The reason why I am asking is that I am currently researching for a book on a Royal Navy officer, Patrick Dalzel-Job. This officer worked closely with Ian Fleming whilst he was with 30 AU and is rumoured to be one of the main inspirations for Bond. There are other names of course, but I am hoping that someone out there would like to voice their opinions as to who Fleming modeled his character on.
Many thanks in advance
Bob Pearson
I have a question which I think most people will have asked at some time...who was James Bond? The reason why I am asking is that I am currently researching for a book on a Royal Navy officer, Patrick Dalzel-Job. This officer worked closely with Ian Fleming whilst he was with 30 AU and is rumoured to be one of the main inspirations for Bond. There are other names of course, but I am hoping that someone out there would like to voice their opinions as to who Fleming modeled his character on.
Many thanks in advance
Bob Pearson
Comments
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Patrick Dalzel-Job was certainly a leading candidate both because of his extraordinary exploits during the war and because of his close proximity to Fleming. Others that are often cited include Sir Fitzroy Maclean and Merlin Minshall, both of whom Fleming knew. Sidney Reilly and William Stephenson are both intelligence legends. And then there are longer-shots like Dusko Popov and Biffy Dunderdale. In all likelihood, like most literary characters, Bond was probably an amalgam of people Fleming knew and had worked with, and others that he had read of or heard about.
I tend to believe that much of what Bond is was indeed based on Dalzel-Job and likewise I believe that Dalzel-Job is the closest there has ever been to a real James Bond.
Regardless of the true source though, Dalzel-Job was a truly brave and remarkable man and I look forward to your book!
I agree with the comments that Fleming's character was based on many varied personalities with PDJ perhaps being a lead inspiration. I now need to prove it! I envisage two years to completion of the book. Already there is some very interesting information coming to the fore, but I need to 100% sure of the info of course.
One other question I am trying to resolve is the use of the figures - 007. I have read various opinions on this,such as the spies of the Elizabethan age as well as some odd ideas, but I would warmly welcome other view points.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Kind regards
Bob
PDJ offers some very strong characteristic possibilities, as do of course others such as Reilly, Crioft etc. It is also difficult to dismiss Peter Fleming as clearly he was an adventurer in his own right including an unusual escapade to Norway just after the Germans had invaded - in fact he was the first Allied soldier to set on Norwegian soil after the invasion, although his stay was somewhat short. What is clear is that the subject is fascinating as it is absorbing - hopefully the research will allow me to highlight this question and encourage others to voice their opinions or indeed provide interesting supporting evidence.
Kind regards,
Bob
There's unquestionably some Fleming in Bond as there is some of most authors in their characters - especially favourable characters. But from all I have read of Fleming, I don't believe that Bond was based on himself any more so than he was based on others like PDJ etc. Fleming had an interesting war, but didn't engage in the sort of derring-do that others he knew personally or heard about did. It is undeniable that Bond's taste in clothes, food, drink, women, sex and his view of the world around him in general were based on Fleming's own tastes and opinions...but I think when it came to the action he modelled the character on PDJ and others as he reaffirmed when he said that Bond was based on "...all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war." To the best of my knowledge, he never actually identified any of them by name.
As for the 007 question...Fleming did actually answer that question in an interview once: "When I was in the Admiralty during the war, all the Top Secret signals had the double-O prefix. Although this was later changed for security reasons, it stuck in my mind and I decided to borrow it for Bond..." I've heard the Elizabethan theory, but I have never heard of a direct connection between it and Fleming.
I agree fully with your comments on the character make-up, and of course Fleming was never operational in the field, although interestingly he made a visit to Carteret (south of Cherbourg) after D-Day and met up with one of his 30 AU commanders, Lt Colonel Woolley who is reputed to have had an argument with Fleming, although I have no firm proof of this only rumour.
By chance, can anyone add detail to Fleming's visit and, aside from Col woolley, did he meet up with anyone else - perhaps with the French Resistance - FFI or similar?
Cheers
Bob