In the 1990s Alexander Litvinenko worked for Russian Intelligence investigating, infiltrating and tackling international organised crime. He was poisoned with polonium-210 by Russian Intelligence operatives in London and died shortly afterwards on November 23, 2006. The case made headlines around the world and many books and films have been published about it.

In the 1970s Bill Fairclough worked for British Intelligence investigating, infiltrating and tackling international organised crime. He was poisoned with botulism toxin by another intelligence agency’s operatives in London, went into a coma and nearly died. No one told the press about it and in 2014 a little publicised book called Beyond Enkription was published which disclosed what transpired.

What happened to Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) aka Edward Burlington was roughly as described in the spy thriller Beyond Enkription, the first stand-alone novel in The Burlington Files espionage series. Indeed, nearly three decades later in 2001 Bill Fairclough became a favourite patient of the renowned neurologist Professor Andrew Lees in London’s University College Hospital. Why?

As Andrew Lees said at the time, it was a rare delight to be able to research a patient who hadn’t died after having been poisoned with such a large dose of botulism toxin. The toxin was ingested by Bill Fairclough during a festive dinner at the New Delhi Restaurant (since closed down) in Charlotte Street London W1.

Of course, if you are a true espionage aficionado you will know all about puffer fish poisons used by the Stasi and probably know about Ian Fleming’s “Trout Memo”. In addition, if you are a literary cognoscente you will have already studied Beyond Enkription and know a lot about not only The Burlington Files but also the links twixt Bill Fairclough’s MI6 recruiter and colleague Colonel Alan Brooke Pemberton CVO MBE and some other famous spies.

Excluding Pemberton’s own “People” these renowned spooks included Kim Philby (double agent), David Cornwell (MI6 officer aka John le Carré), David Stirling (SAS founder), Graham Greene (MI6 officer) and Greville Wynne (MI6 secret agent). As for Pemberton’s People best see this article dated October 31, 2022 in the news section of The Burlington Files website and read Duncan Campbell’s brilliant article in the New Statesman dated 22 February 1980 entitled “Salesmen of the secret world”.

Unfortunately for Bill Fairclough he was poisoned several times during his career. Some of those poisonings like the botulism case or his being poisoned by mosquitoes were intended to kill or maim him, others such as administering overdoses of LSD were intended to embarrass him. The last known attempt on his life was in 2012 near Punto Fijo in Venezuela: further details are currently embargoed. Some of these incidents are explained in his biographies which are freely available on the web.

This article was first published on November 23, 2022.