Anguilla has lost yet another of its freedom fighters whose contribution to the 1967 revolution, and his fiercely loyal commitment and resolve, have helped to shape the history and destiny of the island. Charlie Fleming, who is fondly remembered, died on Monday this week, December 28, at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He was 68.

The late Charlie Fleming

Though he has been relieved from a long spate of illness, his passing is of much regret to all who knew him. He was a man of an indomitable courage and strength of character and a product of one of the most well known and respected families in the eastern area of Anguilla. He was the first cousin of Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, among other close relatives.

Charlie, known for his casual lifestyle and humour, ranked high among a number of young men of his day who were in the vanguard of the Anguilla Revolution. He and they were determined to end the island’s long and unstable political and constitutional relationship with St. Kitts and set their beloved Anguilla on a course to self-determination. Charlie and his peers were lieutenants of Revolutionary Leader, Ronald Webster, and served as guardians of Anguilla’s various beaches and entry points to repel any possible evasion from St. Kitts. His outstanding contribution to the Anguilla Revolution was awarded when he was among the first nationals to receive a Medal of Honour and a Queen's Certificate. He was certainly one of the able, charismatic and well-suited Anguillian young men for that unique and dramatic period of the island’s history.

Charlie was a hard-working and faithful national of Anguilla. He spent some years working in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. He returned home in 1966 to eke out a living from the rock, just about one year ahead of the Anguilla Revolution in which he was to have played a key role as a foot soldier.

He lived at Mount Fortune for some time from where he operated an island-wide bus transportation service and also pioneered and established an island-wide water system and delivery service. His water plant, supplied by two wells he dug at Mount Fortune, was set up there in 1986 with assistance from Aqua Design. He was also the owner of Miss Charlie, a wooden sloop which ran a cargo service among the islands of Anguilla, Saba, Statia and St.Kitts-Nevis. In later years he took up residence just off the Long Path in Sandy Hill, where he continued and developed his water supply business which, during his illness, from 1992, has been carried on by his long-time partner, Ethlyn, whom he married in 2005 - a relationship that has produced one son. He also fathered 14 children in other relationships.

Though from the eastern end of Anguilla, Charlie had many close friends and associates, throughout the island, who still cherish the days of their friendships with him and will continue to remember him fondly. The lanky Charlie Fleming, with a quick smile, and a winsome personality, is unforgettable.

His funeral is planned for January 10, 2010 at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Anguillian joins in expressing condolences to the many relatives and friends of the late Charlie Fleming.

The late Charlie Fleming

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