Martin Clemens & the Coastwatchers

Discussion in 'War Against Japan' started by jacobtowne, Aug 7, 2007.

  1. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    Today, August 7th, is the anniversary of the U.S. landings on Guadalcanal and nearby Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo. Coincidently, I've just finished reading Alone on Guadalcanal: A Coastwatcher's Story by Martin Clemens (Naval Institute Press, 1998), an outstanding book about this struggle.

    Clemens, a Scot, was posted to the Solomons in 1938 as a British Colonial Service administrator. He was district officer on Guadalcanal at the time the Japanese arrived in 1942. On August 15th, 1942, he arrived at Henderson Field to join the Marines as British liaison officer.

    Here's a well-known photo of Clemens with some of his scouts, who, along with Australian coastwatchers, "contributed so vastly in proportion to their numbers," in the words of General Vandegrift.

    JT
     

    Attached Files:

Share This Page