The best-selling biography of the greatest spy you've never heard of. A Suspicion of Spies is the first biography of 'Biffy' Dunderdale and tells the intriguing story of an extraordinary man – suave, sophisticated, genial and rich but also a ruthless and effective spymaster. Following his career, that spanned the Russian Revolution to the Cold War and beyond, A Suspicion of Spies is awash with stories of adventure, bravery, glamour and exoticism.
, Russia. A year-old Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale is working for his father, taking submarines from Vladivostok to St Petersburg for the Russian Imperial Navy. He takes a submarine out for sea trials along with a naval dockyard crew he’d never met before. Spotting a group of German ships, he gives the order to attack and sinks four of them. On returning to Kronstadt, breaking free from an anti-submarine net with just 30 minutes of oxygen left, he opens the hatch to find every gun in the port facing him and his crew. Fluent in Russian, he quickly defuses the situation. For this action he is awarded by Tsar Nicholas II the Order of St. Stanislav and the Order of St. Anne, imperial Russia’s highest knighthood for military valour
Wilfred Dunderdale
| A British spy and intelligence officer who was likely the real-life inspiration for James Bond Date of Birth: Country: Great Britain |
Content:
- Wilfrid Albert "Biffy" Dunderdale: The Real James Bond
- The Making of a Spy
- World War II and Beyond
- The James Bond Legacy
Wilfrid Albert "Biffy" Dunderdale: The Real James Bond
Early Life and Intelligence CareerWilfrid Albert "Biffy" Dunderdale, born on December 24, , emerged from the archives of British intelligence agency MI-6 as a compelling candidate for the inspiration behind Ian Fleming's iconic secret agent James Bond. Standing at a mere 5 feet 3 inches, Dunderdale possessed a reputation as a "restless adventurer," indulging his passions for beautiful women and fast cars.
During World War I, Dunderdale served in the Royal Navy, earning his nickname "Biffy" for his boxing prowess. After the war, he joined MI-6, where he quickly rose through the ranks.
The Making of a Spy
Dunderdale's fluency in Russian and connections in Odessa, Ukraine, where he was born, enabled him to undertake covert missions in the port of Sevastopol in One of his earliest significant assignments involved intervi
Odessa Ukraine. The Russian Civil War is at its height, a young British man working for Naval Intelligence picks up a report from one of his agents. The crew of the Russian submarine OUTKA are going to mutiny and throw their officers overboard. He leads a party of White Russian intelligence officers onboard and after a short altercation, arrests the culprits and prevents the mutiny. For this action he was awarded the MBE, to add to his two Mentions in Despatches for his intelligence work. This young man was Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale. Born in Odessa on Christmas Eve , he was destined from the outset for the world of intelligence. Engaged by Naval Intelligence aged 18 as an interpreter on account of his language skills – English, Russian, French, Polish and German, he would grow into everyone’s image of a buccaneering member of the British Secret Intelligence Service, in a career spanning forty years which Biffy described as “40 years of licenced thuggery”.
He soon proved his worth to Naval Intelligence as an effective agent runner. He had grown up in the dangerous and cosmopolitan port city of Odessa, where he made many friends and contacts. His nickname ‘Biffy’ proved he wa
Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale often features as a daring bit-part player in World War II espionage books, but now this extraordinary character takes centre stage in Tim Spicer’s insightful biography.
Dunderdale was an iron fist in a velvet glove. He combined charm with the ruthless edge necessary to be an effective spymaster. His year career of ‘licensed thuggery’ spanned the Dreadnought era to the Atom bomb.
Biffy was born in Odessa at the turn of the 20th century, to English expat parents. At the time, the area from the Black-sea, across Turkey to the Levant was rich with intrigue and Spicer gives a very vivid portrayal of the environment that shaped Biffy’s formative years. He draws on a colourful collection of characters, including the infamous arms dealer Basil Zaharoff, and George Eady and Edwin Whittal who attempted to bribe Turkey out of the First World War (an event that inspired my novel The Dardanelles Conspiracy).
By his boxing skills had earned Biffy his nickname and his father had inducted him into the intelligence world. A year later at 18 he was taken on by Naval Intelligence and was heavily involved in operations against the Bolsheviks.
After the Russian Civil
Biographies you may also like
Etang discher biography of christopher columbus Biography: Christopher Columbus is the explorer who is credited for discovering America. Of course, there were already people living in America at the time who we call Native Americans. Missing: etang discher.
Borivoj krgin biography of christopher columbus Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer, born in the Republic of Genoa, in what is today northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Missing: borivoj krgin.
Sirena huang biography of christopher Violinist Sirena Huang, Gold Medal winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, has been celebrated for her impeccable technique and incredible Missing: christopher.
Mussorgsky composer biography templates Learn about famous composers with a biography for kids highlighting the composer's composer's life, music and culture. Then check out our related resources for music students, private .
Kathy ireland husband photo greg olsen The former model explained on the MovieGuide Awards red carpet how she landed Dr. Greg Olsen and the help she got from her mother along the way. “I was having .
Uruha the gazette girlfriend experiences After many discussions among the GazettE members and staff about how we should send REITA off as the GazettE together with the fans, we have decided to hold a memorial concert to send .