William Stanger was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on January 23, 1897. As a child he was adopted and was given the surname of his foster family, the Stephensons. In World War One, Stephenson served on behalf of the United Kingdom (Canada was still a British colony at that time) and was awarded two distinguished medals for his performance, including escaping from a German POW camp in 1918. After the War, he became a successful businessman in England, with manufacturing contacts across Europe, including in Germany. Through his business dealings, he knew of Nazi German military buildup – information he shared with British Opposition Member of Parliament, Winston Churchill, who later led the United Kingdom in World War Two. Once Churchill was UK Prime Minister, he installed Stephenson as head of British Intelligence activities in the Americas, working in New York, and his unofficial ambassador to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. His duties included viewing highly classified intelligence, stifling sabotage against British interests, investigating enemy activities, counter-espionage, and establishing a secret training camp in Canada for the development of highly trained secret agents (known as Camp X). For his extraordinary service to the British war effort, he was knighted by King George VI in 1945, earning the honorary prefix, Sir. Sir William Stephenson’s codename was Intrepid.
It is said that one of the individuals trained at Camp X was a British naval intelligence officer named Ian Fleming. After the war, Fleming would go on to write a series of highly popular spy novels about a British secret agent codenamed 007. Fleming has stated he based the James Bond character on the life and exploits of Sir William Stephenson.
Congratulations to MosesRIP and myst354 for the FTF!
Congratulations also to the Geopahkers for finding your 9,000th cache!
