Sir William Stephenson, man believed to be inspiration for James Bond, honoured with Manitoba lake
Manitoba is honouring Sir William Stephenson, the man who many believe is the inspiration for the fictional James Bond, by naming a lake after the real-life spy.
Stephenson – who was codenamed Intrepid -- was born in Winnipeg and known as one of the great spies of the Second World War.
Now, the Government of Manitoba is honouring Stephenson, who was born 125 years ago, with the naming of Sir William Stephenson Lake located between lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba.
“This is a great tribute to a really outstanding Canadian,” said Dwight MacAulay, president of the Intrepid Society, in an interview on Sunday.
MacAulay added that the naming of the lake is a great honour that Stephenson deserves.
“Countries all over the world have recognized his outstanding contributions to the world, especially during World War II,” he said.
“There’s no doubt about it that his efforts played a major role in bringing about an end to World War II.”
Stephenson led Allied war efforts in gathering intelligence, and was instrumental in ending the Second World War.
“I don’t know that we’ll really know all that he did during World War II since he dealt in that shady area of espionage and spying and so on,” MacAulay said.
He has been recognized in Manitoba and across the world, including being knighted by King George VI, receiving the Order of the Merit and the Order of Canada.
Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond, once wrote that Bond is a “highly romanticized” version of a true spy, but Stephenson was the real thing.
McAulay noted that Stephenson was a modest man who lived a quiet life after the war, but believes Stephenson would be pleased with the honour.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.