Tribute to secret army

Town mayor, Dr James Walsh, unveiled a new sign at the Marine Inn, Selborne Road, commemorating the 30 Assault Unit, or 30AU.

The unit was set up by James Bond author Ian Fleming, in 1942, when he was the personal assistant to the director of naval intelligence, to undertake top secret intelligence-gathering missions, going in before Allied troops to make sure vital information was not destroyed.

With their headquarters in St Augustine Road, the Marine was a regular haunt of the men, who "citizen billeted", or lodged, with the local community.

William Thomas, a 30AU veteran from Wales, said: "We stayed with landladies, and they were very good to us.

"I met my wife, Gloria, in the Crown, in the town centre, and so settled in Littlehampton after the war."

William, who now lives in East Street, said that it was fantastic to see the history of the unit being preserved.

Bill Powell, from Havant, who was at the unveiling with his wife Betty, said: "So many of us have gone now, and it means a lot to still have a base here."

The new sign, depicting the unit moving out from a mission, under cover of darkness, was painted by Ted Poole. who used to own and run Littlehampton-based Bay Studio, until his retirment four years ago.

"It was just fantastic to work on something of this scale. I had to do some research, which was fascinating, and painted it in a week!"

It is said that the unit was the inspiration for Fleming's James Bond.

Craig Cabell, who is currently writing two books, one on Fleming and one on the 30AU, said the character was based on one particular soldier, Patrick Dalzel-Job, who, it is rumoured, was a crack shot, could navigate a mini-submarine, could ski backwards and had a compass concealed in his button.

Dr Walsh said: "What we are doing today is honouring the living and remembering the dead. If it wasn't for these chaps, many of the freedoms that we today take for granted would not exist."

An exhibition on Ian Flaming will take place at the Imperial War Museum, London, from April 25 to March 1, 2009.