60 years ago… tragic midweek, RIP Ian Fleming On August 12, 1964, British author/officer/journalist/diplomat "Commander" Ian Fleming passed away in Canterbury hospital. The day before, Fleming had played golf at the Royal St George Golf Club in near Sandwich - Kent. Fleming was Captain-elect of the golf club which he named "Royal St Marks" in his 1959 book "Goldfinger". After evening dinner with his wife Ann Rothermere at the Guildford Hotel, Fleming collapsed suffering a haemorrhage (heart attack), rushed to Canterbury hospital where he died at 01:30… He was buried near his home at Sevenhampton near Swindon - Wiltshire. 1964 had been an amazing year, during his last winter vacation at his "Goldeneye" villa in Oracabessa - Jamaica, Fleming meet a lot of friends and even the American ornithologist James Bond, author of the "Field Guide to Birds of the West Indies" of which Fleming owned a 1947 edition. Fleming worked on his 14th & last novel "The Man With The Golden Gun" and looked forward to filming of "Thunderball", having seen the movie "From Russia With Love" in October 1963. Both the novels "The Man With The Golden Gun" & "Octopussy" and both movies "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" were released after Fleming's death. Aged 56, Fleming left a huge legacy as the movies boosted book sales and merchandise began to appear with a growing public taste for the adventures of his imperial spy hero James Bond. Ian Fleming (1908-1964) will also be remembered for his military career and as profound wearer of the 1961 Rolex Explorer 1016 gentleman's wrist watch. (Photo: AP/GettyImages FairUse)
