Richard James is an agent with the Circus.
That somewhat whimsical but now time-honored term is the one used for British Intelligence. James will become a well-trained operative with that organization specializing in The Troubles and the British prolonged battles with the various iterations of the IRA.
James grew up on his family's fruit farm in Kent and yearned for excitement and a break from what he found to be very boring work. He joined the military as soon as he was able and became part of the Parachute Regiment, along with his good friend Paul Jones. After a regular stint there, which he enjoyed but which did not live up to level of thrills he had hoped, he got out and looked for anything other than to return to the farm. Nothing quite worked out and reluctantly he was again in Kent.
Some success with a new way of grafting fruit trees earned him and Jones a bit of publicity and with it came an attractive offer to cross the Irish Sea and teach his method to Irish growers. James's wife, Anne, was as excited as he with the amount of money being offered for what was likely to be several weeks of work so James and Jones headed West.
Despite his continued desire for a bit more excitement than growing fruit provided, it is almost certain James would not have sought out a new line of work in the Intelligence business. What started the unlikely process was a visit to the local pub, a run win with local hooligans, and witnessing what would turn out to be an IRA assassination. It would be a slope in which the slide down would bring James to the attention of the Circus.
James will bring himself to offer to assist the Circus in its operation in Ireland, gaining the codename of Ferryman, and in the process, begin what will turn out to be a fairly long relationship with that organization.