Geoffrey Boothroyd (1925 – 20 October 2001) was a British expert on

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s who wrote several standard reference works on the subject. He provided weapons advice to author

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

for the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novels and their film adaptions.

Career

Boothroyd was born in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

and employed by

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British Chemical industry, chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. Its headquarters were at Millbank in London. ICI was listed on the London Stock Exchange ...

in the manufacture of

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

James Bond

Boothroyd read

's early James Bond novels and wrote a letter in May 1956 to Fleming professing admiration for the character of James Bond, but not his choice of weapons. Boothroyd was particularly critical of Bond's sidearm, the .25 calibre Beretta, which he described as "really a lady's gun". Fleming responded to Boothroyd, and their subsequent correspondence about weaponry has been published multiple times. Fleming had previously thought the subject of guns to be dull and uninteresting, but responded enthusiastically to Boothroyd's suggestions. Boothroyd initially suggested that Bond should use a

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

, but Fleming preferred a

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...

because it would be easier to conceal. Boothroyd proposed a compromise solution of the 7.65mm Walther PPK, which provided higher

stopping power Stopping power is the supposed ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a ...

than the Beretta and had a double action, allowing a more rapid first shot after drawing from a

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...

. Fleming adopted this suggestion, giving Bond a PPK in the novel '' Dr. No'' (1958). The choice of the PPK directly influenced that gun's popularity and notoriety. The novel also contains a character named " Major Boothroyd" who issues Bond with the weapon (the real Boothroyd held no

military rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchy, hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, Intelligence agency, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military organisation , military lines, such ...

). Boothroyd also advised Fleming on the use of silencers and suggested various firearms for use by Bond and other characters. In the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' (1962), Major Boothroyd is played by Peter Burton; subsequent films renamed the character as 'Q'. For the cover of the novel '' From Russia, with Love'' (1957), Fleming wanted a design incorporating a pistol and a rose. Boothroyd posted his own weapon to illustrator Richard Chopping for use on the cover: a .38

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American Firearms manufacturer, firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith (inventor), Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the ...

snubnosed revolver, modified by removing a third of the

trigger guard A trigger guard is a protective loop surrounding the trigger (firearms), trigger of a firearm designed to prevent unwanted contact with the trigger, which may cause an accidental discharge. Other devices that use a trigger-like actuator mechanism, ...

. Boothroyd was questioned by police when a similar weapon was used in a triple murder in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

; the revolver was determined to be unrelated and

Peter Manuel Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel (13 March 1927 – 11 July 1958) was an American-Scottish serial killer who was convicted of murdering seven people across Lanarkshire and southern Scotland between 1956 and his arrest in January 1958, and is believ ...

was later arrested, convicted and executed for the murder. In 1964, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

broadcast a

television documentary Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

about Boothroyd's influence on Bond's weapons, entitled ''The Guns of James Bond''. It was introduced by the Bond actor

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

, filmed in costume on the set of '' Goldfinger'' (1964), and featured demonstrations of the weapons by Boothroyd in his home and on a

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

. The documentary was later re-released on the ''Dr. No'' Ultimate Edition DVD and is available on the BBC website.

Books

Boothroyd wrote over a dozen books about firearms, beginning with ''A Guide to Gun Collecting'' (1961) and ''Guns Through the Ages'' (also 1961). His last original book was ''The British Over and Under Shotgun'', published posthumously in 2004 and co-authored with Susan Boothroyd. Several of his textbooks have continued to be revised and issued as new editions after his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boothroyd, Geoffrey 1925 births 2001 deaths British non-fiction writers Gun writers British male writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers British male non-fiction writers