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A Suspicion of Spies: The Biography of Wilfred 'Biffy' Dunderdale - With Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE
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I was joined today by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE. We spoke about his upcoming book about the life of the most extraordinary man - Wilfred "Biffy" Dunderdale.
A 17-year-old Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale is working for his father, taking submarines from Vladivostok to St Petersburg for the Russian Imperial Navy. He takes a submarine out for sea trials along with a naval dockyard crew he’d never met before. Spotting a group of German ships, he gives the order to attack and sinks four of them.For this action he is awarded by Tsar Nicholas II the Order of St. Stanislav and the Order of St. Anne, imperial Russia’s highest knighthood for military valour and ‘bravery in battle’.
Aged 18 he was engaged by Naval Intelligence as an interpreter on account of his language skills, English, Russian, French, Polish and German. He would soon grow into a buccaneering member of the British Secret Intelligence Service in a career spanning forty years which Biffy described as ‘40 years of licensed thuggery.’
Biffy appears in over 60 books and websites and yet no one has ever written the story of his life. ‘He was rather like a ghost one knew was there but the apparition never stood still long enough for a clear view.’ A Suspicion of Spies is the first ever biography of Biffy and tells the intriguing story of an extraordinary man – suave, sophisticated, genial and rich but also a ruthless and effective spymaster. Following his career, that spanned the Russian Revolution to the Cold War and beyond, A Suspicion of Spies is awash with stories of adventure, bravery, glamour and exoticism.
Biffy was a lifelong friend of Ian Fleming and many have considered him to be the blueprint for Bond. There is likely some truth in this. The tales of action and intrigue found in this comprehensive biography could be taken straight from the pages of From Russia with Love, which Biffy acted as ‘consultant’ for.
The link for the book is here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suspicion-Spies-Secrets-Biography-Dunderdale/dp/1999589149/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ulTaQ7hQWRCcsbpV9_Q9tLhCDSFzQ6FEjUlV39cArZmLtn4SyDNRxyJaCkePc3TzqpK1saxQ1QlFOkXK8Jfp61MYygMzVmKXKwNu2ZPIMmGCXYhpjX37ptFB-fkz67bPaFIL2uJq6RuUvlIdA6pLU0gcuD0si7x38CdY3oWyW-_vn_dDCCPtmybGxF95378Ncs0z0E7wH9wSTWJJjw7ayzsfr-GRGBVPfa4p5CPmIJ0.g12W7YnM7rgXEkVJjIPhdFV8XolpjEhej4bIWoQ3Ta0&dib_tag=se&qid=1720374625&refinements=p_27%3ATim+Spicer&s=books&sr=1-2
A 17-year-old Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale is working for his father, taking submarines from Vladivostok to St Petersburg for the Russian Imperial Navy. He takes a submarine out for sea trials along with a naval dockyard crew he’d never met before. Spotting a group of German ships, he gives the order to attack and sinks four of them.For this action he is awarded by Tsar Nicholas II the Order of St. Stanislav and the Order of St. Anne, imperial Russia’s highest knighthood for military valour and ‘bravery in battle’.
Aged 18 he was engaged by Naval Intelligence as an interpreter on account of his language skills, English, Russian, French, Polish and German. He would soon grow into a buccaneering member of the British Secret Intelligence Service in a career spanning forty years which Biffy described as ‘40 years of licensed thuggery.’
Biffy appears in over 60 books and websites and yet no one has ever written the story of his life. ‘He was rather like a ghost one knew was there but the apparition never stood still long enough for a clear view.’ A Suspicion of Spies is the first ever biography of Biffy and tells the intriguing story of an extraordinary man – suave, sophisticated, genial and rich but also a ruthless and effective spymaster. Following his career, that spanned the Russian Revolution to the Cold War and beyond, A Suspicion of Spies is awash with stories of adventure, bravery, glamour and exoticism.
Biffy was a lifelong friend of Ian Fleming and many have considered him to be the blueprint for Bond. There is likely some truth in this. The tales of action and intrigue found in this comprehensive biography could be taken straight from the pages of From Russia with Love, which Biffy acted as ‘consultant’ for.
The link for the book is here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suspicion-Spies-Secrets-Biography-Dunderdale/dp/1999589149/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ulTaQ7hQWRCcsbpV9_Q9tLhCDSFzQ6FEjUlV39cArZmLtn4SyDNRxyJaCkePc3TzqpK1saxQ1QlFOkXK8Jfp61MYygMzVmKXKwNu2ZPIMmGCXYhpjX37ptFB-fkz67bPaFIL2uJq6RuUvlIdA6pLU0gcuD0si7x38CdY3oWyW-_vn_dDCCPtmybGxF95378Ncs0z0E7wH9wSTWJJjw7ayzsfr-GRGBVPfa4p5CPmIJ0.g12W7YnM7rgXEkVJjIPhdFV8XolpjEhej4bIWoQ3Ta0&dib_tag=se&qid=1720374625&refinements=p_27%3ATim+Spicer&s=books&sr=1-2
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