Agent Alfie is a student at the Thunder Raker Manor.
That is a very exclusive school and it is the reason why these adventures of young Alfie, aged 9, is in this compendium. Thunder Raker is a school for spies! This is the introduction letter from Mr. Trenchard, the Head Teacher, that we are shown at the beginning of the first recorded adventure:
"Thunder Raker Manor is an exclusive school for boys and girls from 8 to 18. Some of the children come daily, some are boarders. ... All our students are here because their parents or guardians are connected with the Security Services. Spies and agents are happy to send their children to Thunder Raker Manor secure in the knowledge that they will be safe from any possible threats.
"We teach a full curriculum at Thunder Raker, fully compliant with the National Thingummy. And alongside the English and Maths and History and Geography, our students learn skills that may just come in handy back home or in their future careers -if they have inherited their parents' inclinations and aptitudes.
"As well as being an honorary CT (Classified Training) Academy, Thunder Raker is especially pleased with its latest SATS results. We take the Special Agent Training Standards very seriously indeed and have achieved excellent levels in Surveillance, Code-Breaking, and Sabotage.
"And if the Security Services need a bit of help from some youngsters for a special mission, or if the villainous agents of that dastardly organisation known only as the Secret Partners for Undertaking Destruction (S.P.U.D.) try to take over the school or kidnap one of the teachers-rest assured, every one of our students is ready and prepared."
That all sound very impressive and actually quite a lot of fun and it is easy to see why parents who are spies or do spy-ish kind of work would be thrilled to send their children to the academy to be safe and to learn their mom's or dad's line of work.
The problem for Alfie is that, well, he really doesn't belong. His dad is a postman; an honorable and necessary line of work to be sure, but not a spy or anything like it. And he has no idea what Thunder Raker Manor really teaches. Neither does Alfie.
So why is Alfie a student there? Well, his family is new to town and his parents were wanting a really good school for Alfie, "a quiet boy who liked to keep to himself and not cause or get into trouble", and his dad heard that Thunder Raker was a good school and so he sent a letter (on official postal paper) to the school and the next thing you know, Alfie is admitted and that is what starts the whole thing. Oh, there was one little bit of confusion involved. Alfie's dad's name just happened to be same as the current British Prime Minister.