Did Welsh Spy Inspire 007?

A family have discovered their army veteran grandfather - referred to as James Bond - was a real-life spy who labored for 007 author Ian Fleming during World War Two. James Charles Bond, from Swansea, South Wales, was a member of the elite Particular Operations Govt, and never instructed his beloved ones about his secret past.

Mr Bond's grandson Stephen Phillips unearthed his late grandfather's 'On her Majesty's secret service' previous after going via World Struggle Two paperwork beforehand guarded under the Official Secrets Act. The papers confirmed former metal worker Mr Bond was a member of the elite Special Operations Govt the place he worked on missions underneath Fleming earlier than he grew to become an writer. Greengrocer Mr Phillips, 52, at all times suspected his late grandfather was hiding a secret from his army previous. He said: 'There has all the time been a nagging curiosity inside me and other members of my family about his identify and attainable hyperlinks with Ian Fleming.

As grandchildren we were all the time informed by no means to ask about the military and what granddad did in the war or where he served. We never actually knew why. Mr Bond's grandson has unearthed a group of documents, including these pictured here, showing who he worked for during World Conflict Two.

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Pictured along with his subsequent James Bond? It is just for the reason that stress-free of Official Secrets Acts information in 2014 that grandad's past in the army has been looked at. Mr Bond died in 1995, aged 89, without ever revealing his spy previous to his household. Creator Fleming labored for the top of British Naval Intelligence in the course of the war, and noticed first had the entire secrets of the British army.

He once skilled with the Seo and later coordinated covert missions, like those that might have been undertaken by Mr Bond. Mr Bond was in the army for about eleven years - however finished his working career in a steelworks and in retirement he took an element-time job as a lollipop man at Loughor, close to Swansea.

Mr Phillips said: 'One of the information I discovered was the Official Secrets Acts signed by my grandfather James Bond on June 3, 1944, three days before the D-Day landings. I can only assume that he was behind enemy lines during that time. My granddad was an Particular Operations Executive subject's intelligence officer.

Studying my grandfather was a spy and his title was James Bond didn't take much of a nudge to get me motivated. Granddad was a spy working behind enemy lines and in 1942 Ian Fleming put an elite crew of SOEs collectively for a mission details of which have not been disclosed. My granddad was one of that staff of six. It makes my chest pump with delight. Fleming, who died in 1964, had claimed James Bond was named after an American ornithologist - saying he needed a 'plain, simple name' for his super-spy. However Mr Phillips suspects it was a 'traditional purple herring' by Fleming to guard his granddad's true id beneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act.

He said: 'There have been 100-million troopers from 30 international locations and solely 13,000 SOEs. Only one SOE was called James Bond. Granddad was protected by Ian Fleming himself I imagine. I am also aware that the Official Secrets Act was signed for the mandatory objective of nationwide safety, protection for his family and the necessity for buttoned lips when he left the military. Because of the restricted data that has been released to me it is clear that some particulars of my granddad's previous are still coated by the Act and will remain buried.