Blood and Fire - The Duke of Windsor and the strange murder of Sir Harry Oakes
Author: John Marquis
Reviewer: Robert Hart
Publisher: LMH Publishing Ltd.
FOR THOSE who remember or were told the story of Edward VIII, the King of England who abdicated the throne in 1936 to be with the woman he loved, John Marquis' 'Blood and Fire' reveals another side to the man known for probably the most inspirational love story in British royal history.
But what we have here is not a record of that romance, instead an in-depth presentation of facts and analysis of one of the most celebrated murder mysteries in the history of The Bahamas.
The author, who was a young journalist in 1960s Nassau, has since that time been re-examining the 1943 murder of the wealthy and influential Sir Harry Oakes.
PERSON CHARGED
The only person ever charged with the murder, the victim's freewheeling son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny, was freed. However, according to the author's account, de Marigny was made to suffer in the aftermath by the British colony's Governor, the Duke of Windsor, formerly known as Edward VIII.
Marquis reveals that the Duke was, far from being unfairly victimised and punished for choosing responsibility to his American socialite lover, Wallis Simpson, over responsibility to state, a blight on the British state at a time of war with Nazi Germany.
The author reveals that the Duke, who was sent to The Bahamas in 1940, shared many of the beliefs of the Nazis and was more dangerous to the Allied cause in Europe than anything else.
But in 1943, when the tide of war was turning in favour of the Allied Forces, the Duke was engaged in questionable financial practices to
ensure his economic survival in a post-war world in which those he supported in private were the defeated and impotent.
THEORIES FOR MURDER
Could these financial dealings have had anything to do with the murder of Sir Harry or the need to find a scapegoat? Some apparently think so, but there are other theories too.
With more than a decade of research backing him up, Marquis weaves through the possible scenarios of the murder, including a mob hit, while providing a stirring, though at times repetitive, retelling of Bahamian history.
COURT TRANSCRIPTS
The author examines court transcripts, from de Marigny's murder trial, which are somewhat reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson trial of the 1990s.
Maybe the Juice really didn't do it ...
Marquis alleges that the Duke led an elaborate conspiracy to cover up the murder and to hang de Marigny, a man whose very existence insulted his sensibilities.
The author suggests the Duke, with his sights remaining on a return to high office in England, was an efficient Governor and not likely the bungler he would have had to be to unintentionally take actions that prevented the real murderer from being captured.
