War Hero Said to Be James Bond Model Dies at 90 -- Rest in Peace

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Subject: War Hero Said to Be James Bond Model Dies at 90

Author:
Jane

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Date Posted: October 17, 2003 9:20:00 EDT

Patrick Dalzel-Job, whose wartime exploits made him a model for James Bond, has died at 90, his son said Thursday.

Dalzel-Job died Sunday at home in Plockton, western Scotland, Iain Dalzel-Job said. The cause of death was not announced.

During World War II, Dalzel-Job commanded one of the naval teams led by Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, in undercover raids on occupied Europe.

Dispatched to Norway during World War II, Dalzel-Job saved the people of Narvik (search) from a Nazi reprisal bombing raid by arranging for them to be evacuated in fishing boats. He was threatened with a court martial, but reprieved when the Norwegian king awarded him the prestigious Knights Cross of St. Olaf, First Class (search).

Peter Jemmett, a member of Fleming's unit, said later that when Fleming's first Bond novels appeared in the 1950s, colleagues immediately recognized Dalzel-Job in the 007 character.

"In contrast to a number of people who have claimed that they were the James Bond, Patrick has never made any fuss about it," Jemmett said.

Dalzel-Job later acknowledged that Fleming had told him he was the basis for Bond, but added, "I have 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."

That woman was Bjorg Bangsund, who was a schoolgirl when she joined Dalzel-Job and his mother in sailing his schooner Mary Fortune as far as Arctic Russia in 1939.

In June 1945, Dalzel-Job returned to Norway searching for the girl, and married her within three weeks.

Dalzel-Job had volunteered for military service when the war broke out and, with his knowledge of Norwegian waters, was ordered to help organize the landing of the Allied North-West Expeditionary Force (search) in Norway, using mainly small local craft.

His evacuation � against orders � of the people of Narvik in May 1940 prevented large numbers of casualties; just four Norwegians died.

In 1943, he was involved in an unsuccessful attempt to attack the dry dock at the Norwegian town of Bergen using four midget submarines.

After training as a parachutist and diver, Dalzel-Job later collected enemy intelligence in France and Germany; in 1945 he accepted the surrender of the German city of Bremen.

His wife died in the 1980s; he is survived by his son.

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