Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Ian Fleming

Ian Lancaster Fleming was born in Green Street in London on 28th May 1908. He died, aged 56, on 12th August 1964 at Sandwich in Kent.

He was educated at Eton College and then abroad in Germany and Austria. After an early career at Reuters news agency, he became a stockbroker. During World War 2 he worked throughout as assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence in the Admiralty in London, privy to many secrets.

Following the war he became foreign manager, in charge of foreign correspondents, for Kemsley newspapers, owners of the Sunday Times and other papers.

In 1952 he wrote his first thriller, Casino Royale, and introduced James Bond, agent 007 to the world. He published a further thirteen James Bond titles before his death at a relatively young age.

He married Anne Rothermere in 1952 and in August that year his only son, Caspar, was born. While convalescing from his first heart attack in 1962, he wrote a short story about a flying car for Caspar - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.