May 17 2008
20th Century Pirates, Rogues and Other Notable Characters
In the 1950’s and 60’s the (then) British Colony of the Bahamas was a magnet for colorful characters from many parts of the world, including supposed or true ex-military notables, soldiers of fortune, titans of business, celebrities, rogues of various stripes and others seeking an escape from Life or the Law, or just a peaceful place in the sun. Many of these “expatriates” kept a fairly low profile while others were of a more flamboyant nature.
The following is a short list (but by no means more than the tip of the iceberg) of some of the individuals who passed through, lived for a time or visited regularly in the Islands in the Sun: Burl Ives, Sloan Wilson, Craig Kelley, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Sydney Oakes, Sir Patrick Hennessey and Howard Hughes.
Visitors to the Bahamas during this period may have known some of these characters or run across them in the course of their Island Adventures. Others may be surprised to learn of what was going on unnoticed during their travels! I will recount some of these goings on in future posts, and invite any readers to contribute their own recollections as well.
Stand by for some stories that are wildly colorful, document the birth of modern tourism as we know it, and are unabashedly true!
By: Dann Lewis
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