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May 28: Ian Fleming Day?

By David Pegram

24th March 1958: Ian Fleming, British author and creator of James Bond, at his desk in his study. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images)
24th March 1958: Ian Fleming, British author and creator of James Bond, at his desk in his study. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images) /
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No, Ian Fleming Day is not on the calendar as an official holiday, but May 28th is of extreme importance in the world of James Bond. This is the day in which James Bond’s creator was brought into the world. His early life is one that perhaps shaped the characterization of Bond.

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Ohio State Football: Julian Fleming's defining year
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    • Fleming was born in London on May 28, 1908, to Valentine (Val) Fleming and Evelyn St. Croix Rose. Val was the son of a Scottish banker who was elected to Parliament soon after Ian’s birth. According to biographer, Andrew Lycett, in Ian Fleming, Ian and his older brother, Peter, “could not have been born in happier circumstances” (p. 5). Two younger brothers followed, Richard and Michael.

    Facing Tragedy

    As World War I broke out, Val joined the cavalry and left home. Ian and Peter, meanwhile, were sent to Durford School in Dorset. It was here, according to Lycett, that Ian picked up the game of golf.

    But in 1917, just prior to Ian’s ninth birthday, Val was killed in combat, in Picardy, France. He posthumously received the Distinguished Service Order, an honor bestowed by the British government upon those who demonstrate distinguished service in combat. Lycett described young Ian as taking the news hard and that he “suppressed” whatever feelings he had about his father’s death.

    Shaping Bond

    Though many have pointed to Fleming’s years at Eton College and The Tennerhof as having been strong influences on his writings, we shouldn’t overlook Fleming’s earlier years. There can be little doubt that the younger Fleming had already tasted enough of high society and wartime tragedy to get the wheels spinning. He was born into a family and era that would ultimately provide the tools to write a legendary hero.

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