
"find
immediately the twelve
top german naval
commanders and make each
one write ten thousand
words on why germany lost
the war at sea" |
Ian
Fleming's last signal to
his naval commando unit,
known as 30AU, during
WW2. |
|
Life and Times
Evelyn
St Croix Fleming gives
birth to Ian Lancaster
Fleming at 27 Green
Street, Mayfair (May 28,
1908) |
Mr
and Mrs Valentine Fleming
buy Pitt House, Hampstead
Heath (1909) |
Ian
and older brother Peter
enroll at Durnford
Preparatory School, near
Swanage, on the Isle of
Purbeck (1915) |
Father,
Major Valentine Fleming,
killed by German bombing
in Gillemont Farm area,
Picardy, France (May 20,
1917) |
Fleming
is enrolled at Eton
(Autumn 1921) |
Mrs
Fleming buys Turner's
House, Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea (1923) |
Older
brother, Peter Fleming,
leaves Eton and joins
Christ Church, Oxford
(1926); younger brothers,
Richard and Michael,
eventually follow to Eton
aswell |
Fleming
awarded 'Victor Ludorum'
(champion of athletics)
(1925 and 1926) |
Fleming
placed in Army Class
(instead of the year for
University preparation)
in the final year at Eton |
Finishes
a term early and sent to
Newport Pagnell under
Colonel Trevor to prepare
for Sandhurst examination |
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|
Sent
to Kitzbühel, Austria,
to study (Summer 1926) |
Gentleman
Cadet Ian Lancaster
Fleming joins No.5
Company under Major the
Lord Ailwyn, DSO, MC
(passed 6th in the
entrance exam out of the
whole country - awarded a
prize cadetship) (Autumn
1926) |
Comes
2nd in the 120 yards
hurdle representing
Sandhurst in the
Woolwich-Sandhurst-Cranwell
athletics match at Queens
Club (May 1927) |
Quits
Sandhurst. Mrs Fleming
sends him back to Austria
for a year to get the
University education he
missed out on |
Sent
to Munich to continue
studies, becoming a
student at Munich
University |
Sent
to Geneva University to
improve his French for
the Foreign Office
examination to become a
diplomat (1929) |
Takes
a temporary job at the
Bureau of Intellectual
Co-operation of the
League of Nations to gain
experience as a civil
servant |
Fleming
comes an unimpressive
25th out of 62 applicants
(with only a couple of
places available) and
fails to get into the
Foreign Office /
Diplomatic Service (July
1931) |
Sir
Roderick Jones, head of
'Reuters', takes Fleming
on - mainly sub-edits
foreign stories aswell as
occasional reporting jobs
(1932) |
Takes
the Nord-Express from
Berlin to Moscow, to
cover the show trial of 6
British engineers of the
'Metropolitan-Vickers
Electrical Company'. They
were accused of aiding
state employees in
sabotaging 4 power
stations. Fleming did
well, gaining respect of
other senior journalists
there (April 1933) |
Asked
to report his findings of
the trial and details on
Moscow to the Foreign
Office on his return |
Grandfather,
Robert Fleming, dies |
|
Offered
job in Shanghai as
far-eastern correspondent
at end of the year -
before this, it was
planned that he was to
interview Adolf Hitler
(September 1933) |
Resigns
from 'Reuters', instead
joining 'Cull and
Company', merchant bank
(October 1933) |
Joins
'Rowe and Pitman'
stockbrokers as a junior
partner |
Fleming
spends £250 on starting
a collection of first
editions, covering the
'milestones of human
progress' (early 1935) |
Moves
into his first house, 22B
Ebury Street, Belgravia
(October 1936) |
Sent
to Moscow again, this
time reporting for 'The
Times' and also gathering
intelligence for the
Foreign Office |
Admiral
Godfrey, Director of
Naval Intelligence (DNI),
introduced to Fleming by
Admiral Aubrey Hugh-Smith
(brother of senior
partner in stockbroking
firm 'Rowe and Pitman',
where Fleming was working
at the time) at the
Carlton Grill. Fleming
earmarked as his personal
assistant when war breaks
out (May 1939) |
Fleming
begins working part time
(afternoons, 3 / 4 times
a week) within the Naval
Intelligence Division at
the Admiralty (July 1939) |
He
is appointed Lieutenant
(Special branch) in the
Royal Naval Volunteer
Reserve (July 26, 1939) |
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|
|
Spends
the war working in 'Room
39' at the Admiralty as
assistant to the DNI. Has
contact with the Special
Operations Executive (set
up for irregular
operations during the war
such as parachuting men
and weapons into occupied
Europe), also MI6
(Military Intelligence,
Section 6) which works
under supervision of the
Foreign Office and also
MI5, responsible for
Counter-espionage under
the Home Office |
Flies
to France to help try and
persuade the French Navy
to withdraw to the safety
of England - Admiral
Darlan refusing to
withdraw (June 1940) |
After
a while, Fleming told to
help the British
evacuation from Bordeaux
instead |
Around
this time Fleming quickly
promoted -
Lieutenant-Commander to
Commander |
Visits
SOE's sabotage school at
Ashton House, near
Knebworth (agent /
fighter training for men
dropped into occupied
Europe) |
Evacuates
Ebury Street in favour of
the Carlton Hotel (1940) |
Carlton
Hotel bombed, moves into
the Lansdowne Club,
Berkeley Square (Autumn
1940) - also moves to St.
James Club, Piccadilly
and then to Athenaeum
Hotel, Piccadilly by the
end of 1941 |
Accompanies
the DNI to the United
States to establish
closer relations with
American Intelligence.
Meets with J. Edgar
Hoover of the FBI and
also with Sir William
Stephenson, who had been
building up British
Intelligence throughout
North and South America
(mid 1941) |
Invited
by Stephenson to see new
training complex and take
part in its course for
American agents by Lake
Ontario, near Toronto.
Apparently Fleming
becomes one of its best
pupils |
Forms
his own group of
'Intelligence Commandos'
- known as No.30 Assault
Unit ('My Red Indians')
(1942) |
Rear-Admiral
John Godfrey leaves the
NID, succeeded by
Commodore E.G.N.
Rushbrooke (November
1942) |
Goes
to Washington to meet
with the US Navy
department's Office of
Intelligence and then
goes onto Jamaica, with
his school friend Ivar
Bryce, to represent the
DNI at a U-boat
conference. Bryce and
Fleming go and see
Bryce's Jamaican house.
Fleming decides to live
in Jamaica - land on the
north shore at Oracabessa
bought for £2000 (£2000
also quoted to build the
house). Names considered
for the estate -
'Shamelady' and 'Rum
Cove' |
Officially
released from his
Majesty's service
(November 10, 1945) |
|
Awarded
the Commander's Cross of
the Order of the
Dannebrog from the Danish
Government for services
during the war |
Moves
into 5 Montagu Place,
Marylebone; accepts offer
from Lord Kemsley to
organise a foreign news
service for his newspaper
empire - starts building
up the 'Mercury Service' |
Has
clause added to his
contract - guaranteed a
minimum of 2 months paid
holiday (so he can escape
the winter to
'Goldeneye'). Becomes
known as the 'Commander'
out there; one of his
neighbours being Noël
Coward |
Sees
a New York heart
specialist after
complaining of pain and
tightness in his chest
(1946) |
Completes
an article for the
magazine 'Horizon', an
island guide to Jamaica
(1947) |
Moves
into 21 Hays Mews,
Mayfair (late 1947) |
Helps
Lord Kemsley with the
'Sunday Times' and its
battle with the
'Observer' (late 1940s
and 1950s) |
Goes
to see Sir John
Parkinson, Harley Street
heart specialist, after
again complaining of
chest pains (1948) |
Moves
into flat in Hay's Mews,
Mayfair (mid 1948) |
Mrs
Fleming leaves the Grand
Hotel, Cannes to move to
'Emerald Wave' on Cable
Beach, Nassau, Bahamas,
on her son's
recommendation, for tax
purposes (July 1950) |
Fleming
moves to 24 Carlyle
Mansions, Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea (August 1950) |
Buys
'White Cliffs', Noël
Coward's house at St.
Margaret's Bay, near
Dover (Christmas 1951) |
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|
|
First
draft of 'Casino Royale'
written (January-March
1952) |
Marries
Lady Rothermere (Anne
Charteris) in the
Magistrates Office of the
Town Hall, Port Maria,
Jamaica. Noël Coward and
Cole Leslie (Coward's
secretary) are witnesses
(March 24, 1952) |
Becomes
European Vice-President
of the North American
Newspaper Alliance (NANA)
with Lord Kemsley's
permission (Ivar Bryce,
Fleming's friend, had
bought a controlling
interest) |
William
Plomer reads draft of
'Casino Royale' who
passes it onto Daniel
George (at Jonathan
Cape). Jonathan Cape
himself then sees it.
Fleming re-writes parts
of the draft |
Anne
gives birth to Caspar
Robert Fleming (August
1952) |
Caspar
Robert christened at
Chelsea Old Church. Noël
Coward and Anthony Eden's
wife, Clarissa, among
godparents (October 1952) |
Buys
Glidrose Productions to
ease tax burden for
forthcoming book(s)
(October 1952) |
Cape
accepts 'Casino Royale'
for publication (early
1953) |
Moves
out of Carlyle Mansions
and buys 16 Victoria
Square (March 1953) |
UK
publication day of
'Casino Royale' (Tuesday
April 13, 1953) |
Writes
3 articles for the
'Sunday Times' covering
Jacques Cousteau's
salvage of the wreck of a
Graeco-Roman galley from
around 250 B.C. off the
French coast near
Marseilles (1953) |
Macmillan
buys 'Casino Royale' for
US publication (March 23,
1954) |
CBS
pays Fleming $1000 to
adapt 'Casino Royale'
into a one hour TV
adventure as part of
their 'Climax!' series.
It stars Barry Nelson
(Bond turned into an
American for this TV
version), Peter Lorre and
Linda Christian -
broadcast live (October
7, 1954) |
Fleming
nearly gives up Bond -
"I have a fifth book
more or less in mind, but
after that the vacuum is
complete". SMERSH
was to kill Bond off at
the end of 'From Russia,
With Love' |
|
Sells
screen rights for 'Casino
Royale' outright to
Gregory Ratoff for $6000
(1955) |
Raymond
Chandler gives praise to
'Live And Let Die',
helping book sales.
Revives Fleming's
confidence in James Bond
(mid 1955) |
Actor
Ian Hunter shows interest
in buying screen rights
for 'Moonraker' - Fleming
replies with a £10,000
price tag for full rights |
Buys
the journal 'Book
Collector' from Lord
Kemsley (Summer 1955) |
Accompanies
Sir Ronald Howe,
Assistant Commisioner of
Scotland Yard, head of
CID, to the Interpol
Conference, that year
held in Istanbul. After
the week is up, returns
on the Simplon-Orient
Express: Istanbul to
Paris (September 1955) |
Accepts
proposition as one of the
governors of the Royal
College of Art (Autumn
1955) |
'Casino
Royale' is published for
the first time in
paperback by Pan Books
(Autumn 1955) |
Travels
to Inagau, Bahamas, to
accompany 'scientific
visit' to the flamingo
colony there (March 1956) |
Visits
the health clinic Enton
Hall in Surrey but, after
returning, is still
complaining of
palpitations and an
increased heart beat
(April 1956) |
The
Prime Minister, Anthony
Eden, and wife Clarissa,
spend 3 weeks at
Goldeneye, after Eden's
personal physician orders
him to rest. Fleming gets
a lot of publicity from
this and becomes more of
a public figure
(November-December 1956) |
'James
Bond, the sardonic secret
agent who stormed into
popularity as THE
post-war fiction hero,
now begins a new career.'
Fleming accepts offer
from the Daily Express of
turning the novels into
comic strip form |
Travels
to Tangier to meet with
John Collard, who had
documented the success of
Sir Percy Sillitoe's
International Diamond
Security Organisation,
which had been set up to
look into the
disappearance of
diamonds, thereby trying
to protect the world
diamond market (mid 1957) |
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Takes
part in the Bowmaker
professional-amateur golf
tournament held at the
Berkshire golf club
(Summer 1957) |
Fleming
turns the source material
he had got from Tangier
into the serial 'The
Diamond Smugglers' for
the 'Sunday Times'
(Autumn 1957) |
Travels
to the Seychelles to
write for the 'Sunday
Times' about supposed
French hidden treasure
(Spring 1958) |
CBS
offers Fleming the chance
to put Bond onto
television, Fleming to
write 32 episodes for
them over a 2 year period |
His
association with the
film, 'The Boy and the
Bridge' as unofficial
adviser in the final
stages of its production,
is how Fleming meets
Irish writer / producer
Kevin McClory. Fleming's
friend, Ivar Bryce, is
backing the picture with
McClory producing (Bryce
was in the U.S. and had
asked Fleming to go and
see how the film was
progressing aswell as
giving any private advice
on it in general) |
In
a private viewing theatre
at 146 Piccadilly,
Fleming views a rough
version of 'The Boy and
the Bridge'. He tells
Bryce he is impressed by
what he sees and
thereafter spends more
time with McClory - there
is 'considerable respect'
for McClory's abilities
and energy he had put
into the film. Before its
completion, McClory
suggests a James Bond
picture with Bryce as
backer (although he
doesn't like any of
Fleming's existing
plots). |
Ian
Fleming, Ivar Bryce,
Kevin McClory and Ernest
Cuneo meet at Bryce's UK
residence and a story
outline based on their
ideas is written up by
Cuneo shorty afterwards
(May 1959) |
|
Fleming
agrees to develop it into
a rough script to form
the basis of a film. He
continues to work on a
screenplay until July
1959. Jack Whittingham is
brought in by McClory and
a further script is
written known as 'James
Bond of the Secret
Service'. But the group
have problems finding
backers - MCA (the
company that Bryce had
approached to fund the
film) announces they want
to make the film but not
with McClory as producer. |
Fleming
and Bryce begin to cool
on the project. McClory
meets with Fleming at
Goldeneye and learns of
Fleming's doubts that he
could and should produce
a Bond film and that
Fleming is writing a
novel based on the
screenplay (May 1960) |
Life
magazine publishes a list
of favourite top 10 books
of President Kennedy -
including 'From Russia,
With Love' at number 9.
US interest in Fleming's
books takes off; Kevin
McClory applies for an
injunction to stop
publication of
'Thunderball' (March
1961) |
Publication
goes ahead; Fleming
suffers a heart attack
and is taken to the
London Clinic. Starts to
write
'Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang'
(April 1961) |
Arrives
in Brighton to recover
but travels to Dieppe,
France as more beneficial
(May 1961) |
Moves
out of Bekesbourne near
Canterbury and into
Sevenhampton House near
Swindon |
Harry
Saltzman options film
rights to the books from
Ian Fleming (except
'Casino Royale', the
contents of 'The Spy Who
Loved Me' and also
'Thunderball', which was
excluded pending the
outcome of the
litigation). He teams up
with Albert R. Broccoli
to form Eon Productions
and in June 1961 the two
agree a deal with United
Artists for the first of
a series of Bond films |
Attends
'Dr. No' premiere and
film party afterwards at
the Milroy (October 5,
1962) |
|
|
|
Visits
Japan, gathers material
for 'You Only Live Twice' |
Attends
'From Russia With Love'
premiere and hosts film
party afterwards for
friends at Victoria
Square (October 10, 1963) |
'Thunderball'
trial commences. Kevin
McClory sues for
'plagiarism and false
attribution', claiming
the novel was based on
scripts that he himself
and Whittingham had
worked on (November 20,
1963) |
Sees
a heart specialist,
instructed to lead a
healthier life - to avoid
smoking and rest more
(December 1963) |
Ivar
Bryce, who was also being
sued, opts for a
settlement rather than
continue. McClory,
through a Deed of
Assignment, is given the
film rights while Fleming
keeps the publishing
rights although future
editions to include the
following notice - 'based
on a screen treatment by
Kevin McClory, Jack
Whittingham and Ian
Fleming' (December 31,
1963) |
Sells
51% of Glidrose to
relieve tax problems to
golfing friend Sir Jock
Campbell's company Booker
Brothers |
Catches
a cold and then pleurisy
from playing golf in the
rain (late Easter 1964) -
after King Edward VII's
Hospital for Officers and
a short time at Victoria
Square, Fleming goes to
the Dudley Hotel, Hove to
recuperate |
Mother,
Evelyn Fleming, dies at a
hotel in Brighton (July
24, 1964) |
Attends
her funeral at Nettlebed
near Henley; returns to
Victoria Square |
Attends
a committee meeting of
the Royal St. Georges
Golf Club at Sandwich Bay
- he is to be the next
captain of the club
(August 1964) |
After
the meeting, Ian
Lancaster Fleming taken
to Canterbury Hospital
and dies of heart failure
(August 12, 1964) |
|
All non-Bond Fleming novels
first published in the UK by Jonathan
Cape.
All non-Bond Fleming novels
first published in the US by:
Macmillan: |
-
The Diamond Smugglers |
|
|
New
American Library: |
-
Thrilling Cities |
|
|
Random
House: |
-
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang |
|
|
 |
Based
on a series of articles
by Ian Fleming that
appeared in the 'Sunday
Times' in September and
October of 1957, a
non-Bond story based on
true events about diamond
smuggling out of Africa
worth £10 million a
year. |
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|
 |
Based
on two sets of articles
published in the 'Sunday
Times' in 1959 and 1960,
Fleming takes the reader
on a tour of thirteen of
the worlds most
exciting cities. Also
includes the James Bond
short story '007 in New
York'. |
|
|
 |
Childrens
story about an inventor
who rescues a former
grand prix race car from
the scrap heap and
restores it. Fleming
wrote the book for his
son, Caspar, and was
adapted into a musical
film in 1968. |
|
All Bond Fleming novels
first published in the UK by Jonathan
Cape.
All Bond Fleming novels
first published in the US by:
Macmillan: |
-
Casino Royale |
-
Live And Let Die |
-
Moonraker |
-
Diamonds Are Forever |
-
From Russia, With Love |
-
Dr. No |
-
Goldfinger |
|
|
Viking: |
-
For Your Eyes Only |
-
Thunderball |
-
The Spy Who Loved Me |
|
|
New
American Library: |
-
On Her Majesty's Secret
Service |
-
You Only Live Twice |
-
The Man With The Golden
Gun |
-
Octopussy and The Living
Daylights |
|
|
Opening from
'THUNDERBALL' by Ian Fleming
"it was one of those
days when it seemed to james bond that
all life, as someone put it, was nothing
but a heap of six to four against"
|