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commander. However, the seismic change in his career was not immediately apparent as he appeared in small roles in a further 15 films over the next 12 years.
In 1962 Young directed the first official James Bond film ‘Dr No’, which was an unexpect- edly huge commercial success. The producers immediately followed up with ‘From Russia With Love’ and Young cast Llewelyn in the role ‘Q’ – the head of the Quartermaster department. Over the next 36 years Llewelyn appeared in 16 fur- ther Bond films, the only exception being ‘Live and Let Die’ which does not include any refer- ence to ‘Q’. Although an instantly recognised and much-loved character in the Bond films, the franchise did not make his fortune, as Llewelyn was paid a day rate and did not share in the film’s immense profits.
Appearing in a small number of other films including ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and a major role in the TV series ‘Follyfoot’ Llewelyn remained wedded to the role of ‘Q’ in numerous documen- taries, adverts and promotional trailers and fea- tured in ‘This is Your Life’ in 1995. His last Bond appearance was in the 1999 ‘The World is Not Enough’ when he introduced John Cleese as his heir, and, when questioned by Bond about his retirement, quips that: “One should always have an escape plan” – before being lowered through a hatch in the floor. After the film’s release, Des- mond Llewelyn stated that he would continue to play ‘Q’ “as long as the producer wants me, and the Almighty doesn’t.” A few weeks later, on 19 December 1999, he was involved in a road traffic accident and died in hospital.
was deployed and Willoughby, together with a small group of soldiers, rescued the Sultan from the palace, which was threatened by insurgents. Earning the gratitude of the Sultan he was also mentioned in despatches.
In 1964, Willoughby was commanding A Com- pany during the Indonesian Confrontation and became involved in one of the few large-scale actions of the campaign on 6th September. Successfully clearing four enemy positions in a rolling attack, then beating off the subsequent counterattack, he was awarded an immedi- ate Military Cross. After a period, Command- ing Ypres Company at Sandhurst, during which time the present Sultan of Brunei was one of his cadets, Willoughby took command of his Bat- talion in 1972. Retiring from the Army in 1978 he became the chief executive of the St Moritz Tobogganing Club.
During leave from his Regiment in Europe in the late 1950s, Willoughby started riding the Cresta Run at St Moritz, breaking the record for a two- man toboggan in 1961 and representing Great Britain in the World Games at Garmisch-Parten- kirchen in 1962. A fearless competitor, he suf- fered over 50 falls at the notorious shuttlecock bend, on one occasion breaking his neck. As an administrator he would instruct those who fell at the bend to get to their feet: “Only then do I know that neither of your legs is broken. Then I want both of your arms in the air and across your chest so that I can see that you are capable of taking your toboggan out of the way, because you are wasting our time down there!”
Always immaculately turned out, and with an aura of a bygone age, Willoughby was never- theless a skilled administrator who oversaw the growth of the club while still preserving its amateur status. Professing total ignorance of anything electronic, he despised mobile phones, baseball caps and anybody who said “cheers”. Nevertheless, his meticulous attention to detail, overseen from his perch in the clubhouse over- looking the track, ensured that all competitors adhered to strict safety standards. As a convivial host, invites to his vodka parties were greatly prized, yet he found time to become a keen gar- dener and expert grower of orchids. Awarded the MBE in 2002 for his services to the sport, he died at St Moritz on 27 Feb 2007, the day before he was due to watch the Willoughby cup which he had founded.
DIGBY WILLOUGHBY 2nd Gurkha Rifles 1955
The son of an Indian Army officer, Digby Jeremie Willoughby was born in India on 4th May 1934. Educated at Blun- dell’s School he was commissioned from Sandhurst in 1955 and joined 1st Bat- talion 2nd Gurkha Rifles on operations in Malaya. In 1962, during the Brunei Revolt, his Battalion
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