British Solomon Islands

[Sue from Southend]

OH's great uncle was a Trader/Planter in the British Solomon Islands just before WW2. I believe that most traders were evacuated to Australia before the Japanese landed. Does anyone know of any record of these evacuees? Or is it still too recent for these records to be public?

Thanks

[Uncle John]

Perhaps National Archives have the files. Even if access is barred they may be indexed. But it's possible the evacuation was too rushed for proper records to be made.

[Sue from Southend]

Thanks, UJ - for some reason TNA hadn't occurred to me and while it doesn't look as though the UK Archives hold any relevant records, the Australian Archives do and some are digitised! Now ploughing my way through looking for mention of Gt Uncle Arthur.

Thanks again for the nudge in the right direction....

[Sue from Southend]

Unfortunately Gt Uncle is not mentioned. There are lots of missionaries and Chinese women and children listed and a few Australians but not Uncle A.

I found mention of a massacre of 400 POWs by the Japanese in the records (not digitised) and wonder if he was caught in that. The family have never been notified of a death and I don't know if he married or who he would have named as next of kin - surely if he was amongst those POWs the authorities would have had to notify someone after the War, assuming they knew the names of the victims of course.

Another one for the back burner!