The Last Commando, Second World War veteran who inspired James Bond, turns 100
Global News
Tom Boneham was just 19 when he learned of a new unit being formed in the British Army in late 1942. Not much was known of it other than it was “hazardous.”
The motorcycles had filled up a long stretch of parking in the southwestern Ontario town of Tillsonburg, long enough that then-98-year-old Tom Boneham and his caregiver/friend Christine Grim had to walk around them.
Boneham noticed a patch on one of their jackets that said “30 Commando.”
“I’m in charge of 30 Commando,” he recalled telling them. “I’m one of the originals.”
And that, in fact, was true. British-born Boneham, who has lived in Canada since 1952, was one of the 35 original members of the top secret commando unit created by James Bond author Ian Fleming known as 30 AU (assault unit).
One of the bikers called inside to his friends and then one by one they lined up and shook his hand. How often do you get to meet one of the original James Bonds?
Tom Boneham was just 19 when he learned of a new unit being formed in the British Army in late 1942. Not much was known of it other than it was “hazardous.” For a young Brit at the height of the Second World War, it wasn’t much of a deterrent.
“I was a teenager looking for adventure,” he said with a laugh. “It sounds good!”
What he didn’t know was how exclusive a unit it would turn out to be. The commanding officer was none other than Ian Fleming, who would later become famous for creating the British spy James Bond. Not that many in the unit even knew Fleming by name.