The name’s Bond: Welsh lollipop man with an unlikely claim to fame

Jack Malvern
The Times
James Charles Bond not only looked like the actor George Lazenby, but may also have inspired 007’s name
James Charles Bond not only looked like the actor George Lazenby, but may also have inspired 007’s name
WALES NEWS SERVICE; ALAMY
Jack Malvern
The Times

The sources for James Bond’s name have included a birdwatcher and a pair of schoolboys, but a new candidate has sprung forth: a former lollipop man from a small town near Swansea.

James Charles Bond’s name has been added to the roster of possible inspirations for Ian Fleming’s fictional spy after his grandson Stephen Phillips began researching records of his activities during the Second World War.

Mr Phillips, 52, a greengrocer, discovered that his grandfather had been an agent in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the secretive force charged by Winston Churchill to “set Europe ablaze” behind enemy lines. Documents on the Welsh Bond’s war record were released to the public only in 2014.

Stephen Phillips says that Ian Fleming, who was a senior intelligence officer during the war, could have been inspired by his grandfather’s name
Stephen Phillips says that Ian Fleming, who was a senior intelligence officer during the war, could have been inspired by his grandfather’s name
WALES NEWS SERVICE

James Charles Bond’s SOE personnel file is held by the National