Ian Fleming: A Biography

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Ian Lancaster Fleming was born on 28th of May 1908 in Mayfair, London. He was the son of Valentine Fleming and Evelyn St Croix Rose. Valentine was a barrister and Member of Parliament and the son of Robert Fleming who was an extremely wealthy Scottish merchant banker. Evelyn was the daughter of a wealthy London solicitor. At the start of the First World War, Valentine joined the army and quickly rose to the rank of Major. He was killed by German shelling in France on the Western Front on 20th May 1917. Evelyn inherited her husband's estate on his death but in his will, Valentine set a clause that if Evelyn should re-marry, she would lose the estate. She was effectively forever marred to Valentine. Ian also had three brothers, Peter (1907-1971), Michael (1913-1940) and Richard (1911-1977).He also had a maternal half sister, Amaryllis (1925-1999) who was conceived during a long-term affair with the post-impressionist artist Augustus John some six years after Valentines' death. Ian attended Durnford prep school in Dorset in 1914; he did not enjoy his time here as he was subject to bullying, terrible food and physical hardship. Fleming attended Eton College at the age of thirteen and although he was not academically gifted he excelled in the field of athletics. He received and defended his title as Victor Ludorum between 1925 and 1927. During his time at Eton, he edited the Wyvern which was the school newspaper at the time. He did not fare well at Eton, and his mother removed him a term early on the advice of his housemaster E.V. Slater to attend a crammer course to gain entry into Sandhurst Royal Military College. He was accepted into Sandhurst but did complete his training and left without an officer's commission. At the age of nineteen, at the command of his mother, Fleming was set to Tennerhof School in Kitzbühel, Austria in order to prepare for an opportunity to

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