Patrick Dalzel-Job, 90; War Hero Inspired Fleming’s Bond

Patrick Dalzel-Job, 90, whose wartime exploits made him a model for James Bond, died Sunday at home in Plockton in western Scotland, his son, 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 went against orders in evacuating via fishing boats the people of Narvik fleeing a Nazi reprisal bombing raid. He was threatened with a court martial but was reprieved when the Norwegian king awarded him the prestigious Knights Cross of St. Olaf, First Class.

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.”