It may seem an ambitious task to connect my father, James Bond, and Princess Anne, but bear with me. My father served in the Rifle Brigade in World War II. They were attached to 7th Armoured Division, the Desert Rats. I carry his shoulder flash in my wallet. One day I must record his stories, I’ll start with this one.
The short Lee-Enfield 303 rifle was an excellent weapon. Bren guns frequently jammed, and if you could get hold of any German or Italian weapons, they were highly prized. My father managed to collect a pair of Berretta 418 pistols, which fitted neatly in his tunic pockets. They were .25 inch calibre and held nine rounds each. He was serving in North Africa fighting the Italians and Germans. His battalion had an Italian interpreter, Micky Fiorentini, who was a tailor from the East End of London. One evening, on the outskirts of a town, Micky had an evening’s leave and was going to go into town. He asked if he could borrow my father’s Berrettas. Reluctantly my father handed them to him, but made it well understood that he wanted them back. Later that evening he heard a very drunk Micky staggering back into the camp. My father crawled out from the truck he was sleeping under, and bundled Micky under the truck before he attracted the attention of an officer. “Where are my Berrettas Micky?” He asked. The only response he got was “He wont hit that donkey again.” My father searched him and recovered his pistols. They were both empty.
In the first five James Bond books, Bond’s weapon of choice is a Berretta 418. In From Russia With Love the silencer of his Berretta gets caught in his waistband and he is seriously wounded by Rosa Klebb. After a brief spell with a larger Berretta, Bond is issued with a Walther PPK.
In 1974 a kidnap attempt was made against Princess Anne. A car driven by Ian Ball pulled in front of her car, and Ball jumped out with a gun, and began firing. Princess Anne’s chauffeur and bodyguard, Jim Beaton, as well as a nearby journalist who tried to intervene were injured. Beaton managed to draw his Walther PPK and got one shot off that missed. On trying to fire another shot, the PPK jammed. Thankfully a passing boxer, Ronnie Russell, punched Ball in the head, and that was that. When John Gardner wrote License Renewed in 1981 he armed Bond with a 9mm Browning. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about automatic pistols with Sir Anthony Standen, the James Bond of his day.
So there we are, my father, James Bond, and Princess Anne.