War Hero Who Helped Inspire The Bond Character Dies At 90

Patrick Dalzel-Job died on Sunday leaving behind a legacy of wartime heroism for his country and inspiration for Ian Fleming’s famous literary character, James Bond.

While Bond’s exploits have been well documented, Dalzel-Job’s career was decidedly more clandestine. In 1944-45, along with Fleming, he served in the mysterious Commando 30 Assault Unit, which would seize German equipment and documents ahead of the advancing Allied forces. One of the commanders of the unit later described Dalzel-Job as “one of the most enterprising, plucky and resourceful” people he had encountered during the war. Rear-Admiral Jan Aylen could very well have been describing James Bond.

Patrick Dalzel-Job wrote his autobiography in 1991 called “From Arctic Snow to Dust of Normandy” in which he recalled his many wartime exploits including how he met his wife of over 40 years, Bjorg Bangsund, during sailing trips up the Norwegian coast to Arctic Russia to send topographical reports back to Britain.

Immediately after the war he returned to Norway in search of Bjorg and married her three weeks after finding her. She died in 1996.

They are survived by a son who commanded the leading company of the Scots Guards in the assault on Mount Tumbledown in the Falklands War in 1982.

Patrick Dalzel-Job may have been a model for James Bond, but he once commented that he had “never read a Bond book or seen a Bond movie. They are not my style… And I only ever loved one woman, and I’m not a drinking man.”

Patrick Dalzel-Job, dead at 90.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Sir Roger, shaken but not stirred

At Buckingham palace yesterday, 75 year-old Roger Moore received his knighthood for charity work, and admitted that he was as shaken as a James Bond martini during the ceremony.

Sir Roger, who was made a CBE in 1999 and has been for the last 12 years a UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador, stated: “I was worrying about whether I was going to get up again after kneeling.“

2003 has certainly become a year of highs and lows for the former Bond actor, with the low point being earlier in the year when Sir Roger suffered a heart attack while on stage in New York and underwent heart surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.

Sir Roger said that the Knighthood was better than winning an Oscar, and even spoke to the Queen about his Bond work.

Sources: BBC News and The Daily Telegraph.

CBn Forums Hit An All Time High!

Just to let everyone know that the CBn Forums has achieved it’s busiest day ever of 106 users online at the same time, earlier today.

This was helped mostly by the How about South Africa… thread, which includes news of Bond 21 pre-production details. The thread is only two and a half days old, but it’s already had over 1,000 views with 100 posts.

All the forum members, please give yourself a pat on the back.

Amazing what some news on the next Bond movie can do.

Remember, this is just the begining! CBn will keep you informed of all the latest developments in the next James Bond movie as they become known.

Rumour on Bond 21 location scouting

Just a quickie to say that it is possible that locations in South Africa may currently be scouted for the next Bond movie designated for the time being as just Bond 21.

CBn Forum member, Morton Slumber, has posted a small note to say that “Locations are being scouted there now, apparently.”

Many fans have wished for Bond to travel to the southern part of the “Dark Continent” in one of his next adventures. The last time that Bond visited Africa was in 1987’s The Living Daylights when Bond was in Tangiers, Morocco, and before that, in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me in which he was chasing after the submarine tracking microfilm in Egypt. However, both were in northern Africa, while the only other movie to be partly set on the continent was Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, which featured a diamond smuggling operation in South Africa, but Bond was never in that part of the world.

Commanderbond.net will keep everyone informed as further details come to hand that may confirm or deny this “rumour,” which unfortunately, is all it can be called at this stage as no official anouncement has been made about this yet.

Thanks to Morton for bringing us this tidbit of information, and please feel free to discuss this in this thread of the Bond 21 (2005) Forum in the CBn Forums.

A Q&A on DAD DVD

DVDFILE.COM has conducted a Q&A with the man responsible for creating the DAD DVD.

A fan of the movie series himself, Charlie De Lauzirika has tackled a Bond movie on DVD for the first time, following on from John Cork and David Naylor of the Ian Fleming Foundation who were largely responsible for creating the previous 19 Bond DVDs.

A rising star in the DVD production world, Mr. De Lauzirika has worked on Hannibal and many other Ridley Scott movies, such as Thelma And Louise.

The 2-page Q&A can be found here.

Thanks to DLibrasnow for bringing this news to our attention, and please feel free to discuss the answers in this thread in the CBn forums.

"James Bond Gang" members indicted

A news report from Newsday.com…

Three members of the reputed “James Bond Gang” of burglars were indicted Thursday for breaking into dozens of homes in upscale neighborhoods in New Jersey and New York.

The defendants are suspected of being part of the gang whose nickname derives from the unusual high-tech steps members took to evade arrest, including modifying a BMW with secret compartments to conceal loot and an oil-jet system to deter pursuers by spreading an oil slick on the road.

The full story and particulars of the indictments can be read on this page of Newsday.com.

First 3 Gardners To Be Reprinted

Exciting news for John Gardner fans.

After a long absence, the first three John Gardner James Bond novels, LICENCE RENEWED, FOR SPECIAL SERVICES, and ICEBREAKER are set to be reprinted by Coronet Books in a single paperback combo edition on June 9, 2003, according to this listing on Amazon.co.uk.

Licence Renewed was first published in 1981, For Special Services in 1982, and Icebreaker in 1983. The last time the books appeared in print was 1995.