<P> Among these events presented is the suggestion that as a young man Number 6 was driving a vehicle and speeding which may (or may not) have resulted in a fatal accident . It is also suggested he attended some sort of private school and was once punished for not telling the headmaster about some of his friends' rule - breaking activities . </P> <P> During "Once Upon a Time" it is also stated (with greater certainty) that Number 6 flew a bomber in "the war"; exactly which war is not stated but evidently Number 6 was shot down and captured by the Germans, which presumably means World War II, which is possible given his stated birth date . </P> <P> Another scene from the episode suggests that he worked for an established British banking firm before someone (the episode implies it was someone connected with the bank) enrolled him to a top secret government job . </P> <P> Several episodes suggest he was a spy or similar operative, although director Alex Cox speculated in a 2017 book that he was in fact a rocket engineer who resigned because he felt his research was being misused . He is shown to be highly sagacious, if not a genius, with tremendous proficiency and expertise in subjects ranging from fencing, boxing and marksmanship to mathematics, languages and astronomy . </P>

Iron maiden i am not a number i am a free man