Maxwell Knight

Charles Henry Maxwell Knight OBE, known as Maxwell Knight, (b. South Norwood, 9 July 1900 – 27 January 1968) was a British spymaster, naturalist and broadcaster, reputedly a model for the James Bond character "M".

Knight was the son of Hugh Coleraine Knight, a solicitor, and his wife, Ada Phyllis (née Hancock). He was christened in Holy Innocents Church, South Norwood on 3 August 1900, when his parents' address was given as No. 199, Selhurst Road, South Norwood.

Despite his age, he saw service during the First World War. Having been a naval cadet, he was appointed to the temporary rank of Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve on 2 May 1918.

In July 1918 he attended a hydrophone officers' course, and in August served for a short time as First Class Hydrophone Officer aboard the trawler, Ninus, until being admitted to hospital in Portland for treatment of sea sickness. On 1 September 1918 he was appointed to the armed merchant cruiser, HMS Andes. In December 1918 Captain C.T.H. Cooper of the Andes described him as "a promising young officer." He was demobilised in February 1919.

Having left the navy, he worked as a teacher in a preparatory school and as a freelance journalist.

He was married in Sherborne Abbey on 29 December 1925 to Gwladys Evelyn Amy Poole.

In an unpublished memoir, Knight recalled that he joined the first of the Fascist Movements in the United Kingdom, Rotha Lintorn-Orman's British Fascisti, in 1924, "at the request of the late Sir George Makgill who was then running agents on behalf of Sir Vernon Kell (Major General Sir Vernon Kell, Director General of the British Security Service, MI5). I remained with this organisation until 1930 when it more or less became ineffectual. My association with this body was at all times for the purposes of obtaining information for HM Government and also for the purposes of finding likely people who might be used by this department for the same purposes."

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