One of Britain’s greatest spies of World War II known by the code name ‘White Rabbit’ has been identified as the inspiration behind Ian Fleming’s celebrated character James Bond, claims a new book.
A new biography of Wing Commander Forest ‘Tommy’ Yeo-Thomas claims that, like Bond, he surrounded himself with women and ruthlessly saw off his enemies.
It also suggests that many of his real-life adventures were recreated in Fleming's novels, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Yeo-Thomas was parachuted into occupied France three times - after one mission reporting back directly to Prime Minister Winston Churchill - before being captured and tortured by the
Gestapo. He was taken to Buchenwald concentration camp but managed to escape and reach the Allied lines.
Historian Sophie Jackson discovered Yeo-Thomas' link to Bond in recently declassified documents at the National Archives, in West London.