Ian L Fleming

Ian Lancaster Fleming was the writer who's brief and manly unsuccessful life in Navel Intelligence, brought James Bond to life and to the world as the epitome of factitious Spy agents in a series of fabulist books and films.

James Bond and his creation was modelled on the real agents in SOE and was to introduce the life of a super hero to the general public in books and film.  Bond’s exploits covered many of the events and happenings of what was expected secret agents should be, but in reality, were as far from the truth as his adventures were.  The closest Bond would get to danger in real life, would be to trip over and spill his drink on a film set.

Casino Royal was the first introduction we had of him, it was mixed with fictional people and based on some factual, and the gadgets he had were taken from some of those that SOE agents would have liked rather than the ones they were given.

Fleming was born in 1908, his father, a Conservative MP, died in combat shortly before Ian's ninth birthday. Fleming went to Eton, where he failed at most things academic except sport. His mother Eve arranged for him to enter officer training at Sandhurst.

This was cut short in 1927 when Fleming caught gonorrhoea from a paid prostitute at which point he was removed from Sandhurst, something his hero apparently did not have to copy.

He was sent to complete his education at a private school in Switzerland then spent three years as a student in Munich and Geneva.

In 1931 Fleming returned to Britain, joining the news agency Reuters. Two years later he became in his own words, 'the world's worst stockbroker', with a gift for exotic and risky investments. After a while this life in the banking world paled and he sent freelance reports on Russia and Germany to the “The Times” in the hope of securing a job in reporting.

World War II  he became assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence. His commanding officer was Admiral John H Godfrey and was certainly the inspiration behind Bond's often exasperated controller, one can see why.