Solomon Islands in WW2



a hut built during the war

  During the second world war Solomon Islands, unknown to most, was the theater for some of the bloodiest scenes of the battle between America and Japan. Solomon Islands was discovered by the Spanish explorer, Alvero De Mendanna, on his way back from Peru in 1568. He named the Islands, Solomon's Islands (Islas Salomon), according to some, he found Gold on one of the Islands and thought this could the source of King Solomon's (biblical character) wealth, others however refuted this and claim that it was the beauty of the Islands that made him name it Solomon Islands.

Kennedy Island

For the next 200 year Solomon Islands remained unexplored til mid 19th century when missionaries started arriving, their purpose was to convert the heathen. At that time, the natives, Melanesians were notorious for headhunting,  cannibalism (??) and ancestral worship. By this time, the missionaries were not the only ones visiting the islands but so were the black birders, the whalers and then the plantation growers. The brutal recruitment of the Islanders by the black birders to work as labourers in Sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji prompted United Kingdom to declared a British protectorate over some parts of the Islands in 1893. The Solomon Islands was then divided between Germany and United Kingdom, Germany later hand over its territories to United kingdom in exchange for United Kingdoms withdrawal from Western Samoa.


Emperor Hirohito

 May 1942, the Japanese invaded the southern Islands as part of their strategy to protect their major base in Rabaul (Papua New Guinea). They began building naval and air force bases on Tulagi ( the old Capital of Solomon Islands), Florida and the main Island of Guadalcanal. These bases once completed would protect their major base in Rabaul from any attacks from the allies. The air force base in Guadalcanal  was constructed  purposely to provide air cover for their campaign as they move further south towards Fiji, New Caledonia and Western Samoa.
That same year on August 7, the Allied forces landed on the Island of Guadalcanal undetected due to bad weather. The battle started in Guadalcanal and neighboring Islands and slowly move southwards, to bougainvillea and Rabaul (Papua New Guinea).
The Japanese plan to withdraw from Guadalcanal after several attempts to re-take Henderson airstrip  was conceived in December 12, however it was finally endorsed by the Emperor Hirohito on December 30th stating the evacuation to start in January 1943. The battle of Guadalcanal was the longest and one that cost the Japanese a lot, strategically and in material-losses and man power. Approximately 25,000 Japanese ground troops lost their lives on the Battle of Guadalcanal, about a thousand died of diseases, Solomon Islands is infested with mosquitoes carrying malaria. Japan was not the only one that suffered a great loss of men but so was US and the Allied forces. In the beginning of the Battle of Guadalcanal, US lost a significant number of Naval personnel and their campaign was hindered by their lack of resources.




Local Scouts during WW2

The locals were also recruited by the Americans as scouts, they were given supplies and arms and their duty was to look out for the Japanese posts and report back to the Soldiers. Some of these scouts got caught in the cross fires and was active on the battle field. One of the famous scouts was Seargent-Major Jacob Vouza. Jacob Vouza was a coast watcher during the war when he was captured by the Japanese and tortured for information. He was beaten and thrown into the river where he was found after refusing to divulge information about the location and strategies of the Americans. After the war he was awarded a silver star by the Americans and a statue of Seargent-major Jacob Vouza  was constructed.

Crews onboard the PT-109

Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana are other brave islanders who was active during the world war 2. These 2 coast watchers were the first to arrive at the the scene of John. F. Kennedy and his PT-109's crew after their collision with the Japanese Destroyer. The Island they were rescued from is now called Kennedy island and is owned by the state. When John.F.Kennedy became president he invited his rescuers to his inauguration, unfortunately they weren't able to attend.
There were other brave Islanders who fought along side the Americans, what could be considered as one of Japans mistake during their south pacific campaign, mistreating and not involving the Islanders in their mission. The rest of the Islanders fled their villages and hid in the bushes only returning to collect ration and other essentials. The war finally ended in 1945 with the surrendering of the Japanese forces.
After the war Solomon Islands remained a British protectorate til 1978 when Solomon Island gains its independence. Today it is a sovereign state in the South pacific ocean with tonnes of reminders about the second world war. The stories were kept alive by the families of those who were involved the fierce fighting. Even the names of areas have something to do with the war for example, Red beach. Even today theres still the danger of hitting an unexploded bomb, finding bullets, knives, helmets and other accessories that were used during the war. The sunken ships and planes attract a lot of divers each year, the stretch of water between Guadalcanal, Savo Island and Florida Island called, Iron Bottom sound, is the resting ground of most of the aircrafts and ships sunk during the war. Every year a small ceremony is held and wreath is placed on the water to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for a purpose they believed in.
Was once asked if the Islanders felt any resentment towards the Japanese for their part in bringing the war to the Islands. I do not speak for all but from where I'm standing I don't see or feel any resentment towards  the Japanese from the other Solomon Islanders.Instead we applaud them for their help in developing our nation. It became a part of our history and history whether good or bad is something everyone should embrace rather than deny it ever happened. Rather than embarrassed, as an Islander I'm proud of the makings of this tiny Island nation. A state so small yet rich in heritage, culture, language and History.

Also chk out
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_guadalcanal.htm