Geoffrey Boothroyd
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Boothroyd was a Scottish firearms expert and author of several works on the subject, who is best known as giving weapons advice to James Bond
author Ian Fleming
. He was born in Glasgow
.
Beginning with A Guide to Gun Collecting and Guns Through the Ages (both 1961) to The British Over and Under Shotgun co-authored with Susan Boothroyd (2004), Boothroyd was a prolific author on the subject of firearms.
Whilst employed with the Imperial Chemical Industries
, an ammunition manufacturer, Boothroyd wrote a letter to Fleming professing admiration for the character of James Bond, but not his choice of weapons, particularly the .25 calibre Beretta Jetfire. Fleming responded to Boothroyd with their correspondence concerning weapons being reprinted in various places.
As a result of the correspondence Fleming gave Bond a Walther PPK
pistol in Dr. No and made a "Major Boothroyd" a character in the novel. (The real Boothroyd held no such rank.)
Boothroyd provided Richard Chopping
, the illustrator of the first edition cover of From Russia, With Love, with his own .38 Smith & Wesson
snubnosed revolver
modified with one third of the trigger guard removed to coincide with Fleming's wishes of a design of a pistol with a rose. Boothroyd had to assist the police with their enquiries when a similar weapon was used in a triple murder in Glasgow
explaining that his weapon had been posted to Ian Fleming for a book cover. Peter Manuel
was later arrested for the murder, convicted and executed.
In the first Bond film, Dr. No
, Major Boothroyd, portrayed by Peter Burton
, recreates the scene from the novel. Starting with the following From Russia With Love
, Desmond Llewellyn played the Armourer, later christened Q
, in all the following films but one until his death.
Geoffrey Boothroyd appeared as himself in a short film The Guns of James Bond available on the Goldfinger Ultimate Edition DVD.
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
author Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
. He was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Beginning with A Guide to Gun Collecting and Guns Through the Ages (both 1961) to The British Over and Under Shotgun co-authored with Susan Boothroyd (2004), Boothroyd was a prolific author on the subject of firearms.
Whilst employed with the Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
, an ammunition manufacturer, Boothroyd wrote a letter to Fleming professing admiration for the character of James Bond, but not his choice of weapons, particularly the .25 calibre Beretta Jetfire. Fleming responded to Boothroyd with their correspondence concerning weapons being reprinted in various places.
As a result of the correspondence Fleming gave Bond a Walther PPK
Walther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
pistol in Dr. No and made a "Major Boothroyd" a character in the novel. (The real Boothroyd held no such rank.)
Boothroyd provided Richard Chopping
Richard Chopping
Richard Wasey Chopping was a British illustrator and author best known for painting the dust jackets of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels starting with From Russia, with Love .-Early life:...
, the illustrator of the first edition cover of From Russia, With Love, with his own .38 Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
snubnosed revolver
Snubnosed revolver
A snubnosed revolver has a barrel length of less than three inches. It was a popular type of firearm with undercover police officers due to its compact size and ease of handling...
modified with one third of the trigger guard removed to coincide with Fleming's wishes of a design of a pistol with a rose. Boothroyd had to assist the police with their enquiries when a similar weapon was used in a triple murder in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
explaining that his weapon had been posted to Ian Fleming for a book cover. Peter Manuel
Peter Manuel
Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel was a United States-born Scottish serial killer who is known to have murdered nine people across Lanarkshire and southern Scotland between 1956 and his arrest in January 1958, although he is suspected of having killed as many as eighteen...
was later arrested for the murder, convicted and executed.
In the first Bond film, Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
, Major Boothroyd, portrayed by Peter Burton
Peter Burton
Peter Burton was an English film and television actor born in Bromley, England. His biggest claim to fame is being the first actor to portray Major Boothroyd, better known as Q, in the first James Bond film, Dr. No...
, recreates the scene from the novel. Starting with the following From Russia With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
, Desmond Llewellyn played the Armourer, later christened Q
Q (James Bond)
Q is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. Q , like M, is a job title rather than a name. He is the head of Q Branch , the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service...
, in all the following films but one until his death.
Geoffrey Boothroyd appeared as himself in a short film The Guns of James Bond available on the Goldfinger Ultimate Edition DVD.
External links
- The Guns of James Bond http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1073622/9/index.htm
- Copy of a letter from Ian Flemming to Geoffrey Boothroyd regarding guns http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/06/may-i-suggest-that-mr-bond-be-armed.html