Lawrence Whitfield Major

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Lawrence Whitfield Major
Born19 March 1932
Moss Town, Exuma, Bahamas
DiedFebruary 5 2008 (2008-02-06) (aged 75)
NationalityBahamian
SpouseStella Major m.1952 - Married for 55 years
Children16 children (10 living)

Lawrence Whitfield Major MBE QPM CPM was a senior naval officer in the Bahamas.[1][2][3] Whitfield joined the Bahamas' police force in 1950. In 1971, when the Police force created a Police Marine Division, Major was put in charge. During his career Major held other senior positions within The Bahamas' Ministry of Security. When Major retired from the Police he was an assistant commissioner. He was then appointed Superintendent of the Bahamas' main prison, then known as the Fox Hill Prison and now called the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

Early life and family[edit]

Major was born on 19 March 1932 to Lloyd Major and Lillian Major nee Saunders in Moss Town, Exuma, Bahamas.[citation needed] He was the third child and second son.

Legacy[edit]

In 1979 Major was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.[2] In 2016 the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the agency that evolved from the Police Marine Division that Major commanded, commissioned the HMBS Lawrence Major.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "HMBS Lawrence W. Major arrives in Nassau". Stronger Bahamas. December 4, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2016. Dr. Nottage reflected on the many contributions of the late Lawrence Major, calling the man in whose honour the vessel was named a great Bahamian son, a man for all seasons, and a career and esteemed public servant.
  2. ^ a b Ricardo Wells (March 18, 2016). "Defence Force Bolsters Fleet With Three New Vessels, Mobile Base". Bahamas Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2016. The HMBS Lawrence Major was named in honour of the late Lawrence Whitfield Major, a lifelong seaman turned maritime law enforcement officer. Mr Major joined the Royal Bahamas Police Force in 1950 and became a well-respected public servant, eventually taking charge of the newly formed Police Marine Division in 1971, which later became the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
  3. ^ Michael Craton, Gail Saunders (2000). A History of the Bahamian People: From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-First Century. University of Georgia Press. pp. 376, 381, 421. ISBN 978-0-8203-2284-1.