How James Bond’s longest-running ‘Q’ survived 5 excruciating years as a POW

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The Germans held Desmond Llewelyn captive for many of World War II.

Llewelyn was a prisoner of battle lengthy earlier than he gained fame by enjoying James Bond’s gadget grasp, “Q,” in 17 films. He was already an actor when he grew to become a second lieutenant with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, an infantry regiment within the British military. Llewelyn deliberate to renew his profession as soon as he and the opposite POWs bought out of captivity.

Also Read: How his father’s time in a Japanese POW camp influenced Bill Nye

He simply didn’t know when.

First captured in France in 1940, Llewelyn’s confinement stretched into years earlier than American troops arrived. Not positive whether or not the prisoners have been truly who they claimed or have been Nazis posing as captives, a U.S. soldier requested Llewelyn how lengthy he was a POW. Five years, Llewelyn responded.

“The war’s only been on three years,” the service member replied.

A Captive for five Years

For anybody with a way of army historical past, they notice Llewelyn was appropriate. The British entered World War II in 1939, two years earlier than the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and prompted the United States’ direct involvement within the battle. 

Born seven weeks after World War I broke out in 1914, Llewelyn grew up in South Wales. He studied to turn out to be an accountant, however analyzing monetary figures didn’t energize him the way in which performing did. Llewelyn needed to be on stage or in entrance of a digicam.

He barely bought the prospect earlier than becoming a member of the British army. Llewelyn hadn’t been in uniform a full yr earlier than the Nazis captured him. They first despatched Llewelyn to an officers camp.

“I spent quite a bit of time trying to escape, digging tunnels and things like that,” Llewelyn recalled to Double-O-Seven magazine in 2000. “I was actually caught down a tunnel and dug out, which landed me in the cooler for 10 days.”

That act of defiance additionally earned Llewelyn a reassignment to Oflag IV C, a jail camp at Colditz Castle in Germany. No matter Llewelyn’s level of cunning and ingenuity, that high-security facility was too safe for him to determine a method out. 

Looking for His Big Break

Llewelyn did some performing throughout his imprisonment, and as soon as he grew to become free once more, he was desirous to do extra. For the remainder of the Forties and all through the Nineteen Fifties, he grew to become a well known face in Britain, showing in quite a few tv sequence and flicks.

Llewelyn, although, was nowhere close to a star performer. He didn’t give off lead-actor vibes, however that was OK as a result of he was constantly working. His large break got here when Peter Burton, who performed MI6’s Major Geoffrey Bootroyd (Q’s actual identify) within the first James Bond movie, “Dr. No,” in 1962, couldn’t reprise the position in “From Russia with Love” the next yr.

Looking for a substitute, former British navy intelligence officer Ian Fleming—writer of the James Bond books—and director Terence Young settled on Llewelyn. Young and Llewelyn beforehand labored collectively on the battle film “They Were Not Divided.” Their relationship led to the most important break of Llewelyn’s profession, though the previous POW wasn’t shy about expressing how he needed Q to sound.

“My interpretation of the character was that of a toffee-nosed English[man],” Llewelyn as soon as recounted. “At the risk of losing the part and with silent apologies to my native land, I launched into Q’s lines using the worst Welsh accent, followed by the same in English.”

Llewelyn received that disagreement. 

A Consistent Presence within the Bond Universe

No actor has appeared in additional James Bonds than Llewelyn. He entertained followers worldwide as Q (quick for “Quartermaster”) in films spanning a powerful 36 years. From “From Russia with Love” in 1963 to “The World Is Not Enough” in 1999, Q was at all times there handy Bond the newest in spy gear.

He offered Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and eventually Pierce Brosnan with among the coolest stuff conceivable. As Q, the primary gadget that Llewelyn ever confirmed Connery was a special briefcase replete with weapons and an anti-tampering tear fuel canister. Llewelyn mentioned the grenade pen from 1995’s “GoldenEye” was his favourite instrument that Q ever offered to America’s favourite British Secret Service agent.

Just don’t count on Llewelyn to know the way any of that stuff truly labored.

“I’m hopeless with gadgets,” Llewelyn once confessed. “I can’t even get a ticket to work in one of those confounded machines on the London Underground. And I can hardly put on a kettle, let alone set a video.”

Keeping the Fantasy of Bond Alive

Although he typically felt typecast, Llewelyn informed People journal that he meant to maintain enjoying Q “as long as the producers want me and the Almighty doesn’t.”

Tragically, the Almighty intervened. Llewelyn died in 1999 from inner accidents that he sustained in a automobile crash, one month after “The World Is Not Enough” was launched in Britain. Llewelyn was 85 years previous.

Until the tip, the previous POW savored his key position within the James Bond universe.

“You must keep fantasy with Bond, and not only fantasy, but pure relaxation, enjoyment,” Llewelyn mentioned, in line with IMDB. “What you see on the screen is something that you don’t have in this world today. You can just sit back and enjoy it.”

The subsequent James Bond film might be launched as early as 2027.

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