Intrepid: Winnipeg’s James Bond
Itinerary
Sir William Stephenson is best known by his wartime intelligence codename: Intrepid. He was also a Canadian soldier, airman, businessperson, inventor, spymaster, and the senior representative of British Intelligence for the entire Western Hemisphere during World War II. Many people consider Stephenson to be the real-life inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond character as Fleming himself once wrote: “James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is … William Stephenson.” See his childhood home, where he went to school and stop by the Intrepid mural to learn all about this fascinating man. Spend some time at the 17 Wing Air Base Museum and see their collection of more than 300 artefacts from Stephenson himself. Visit the Sir William Stephenson Library and see a replica model of a Sopwith Camel biplane. The plane was used by Stephenson to down 12 WWI enemy aircraft (including that of Lothar von Richthofen, the younger brother of the Red Baron), Hear about the creation of Camp X and how Sir William Stephenson had a role in forming one of the world’s most famous spy agencies – the CIA.
Heartland Travel hosted a BBC Travel writer who came to Winnipeg to write about Intrepid. Check out the article here.
