Friday 26th October.

46 days to go.

Well it seems the 2 steps forward I took at work is now in a 1 step back phase. Someone has objected to some of the changes I implemented. Now we will need a series of meetings to sort out things. It is not always easy. This will not stop progress though. We just keep chipping away.

This is the final piece on the action around Guadalcanal. A summary of what happens next..........

The Battle for Guadalcanal took 6 months. From here the attack on other Japanese bases in the Pacific began. This enabled the attack on Rabaul and eventually New Guinea and the start of the attack on Japan. Each subsequent victory was measured against the victory on Guadalcanal.
For me it would be easy to cheer as the result of a victory by the Allies. However, in this place, which is not the first battle site I have visited, the feeling is different. In Europe the scenes of major battles have marched on. Progress has changed the landscape. The odd field or bullet marked building or perhaps a graveyard or memorial tribute remain as a reminder.

In the Solomons, some of the battlefields remain as they were in 1942. There are remains of aircraft on Shortland Island; it is still possible to pick up the odd souvenir of a shell or bullet casing. The odd dog-tag can also be found or bought. 65 years later it is possible to see what these men, of both sides, saw. These people from both sides fought bravely, some for ideals we will not understand, but, their courage must not be questioned. There were atrocities committed, from what I can see and from what I have read, these were mainly committed by only one side, although, it is not unbelievable that occasional acts by both sides would be unforgivable today. We must also try not to judge these actions by the standards of today. It was a different world then.

I have learnt so much in researching the things that I have written about. I have tried to report them in a concise factual way. There is far more detail written by far more knowledgeable people than my humble attempts. I just wanted the people reading here to get an idea of how things unfolded on Guadalcanal. If anyone wishes to discus anything I have covered please either leave a comment or email me.