Donald Gilbert Kennedy

Donald Gilbert Kennedy (March 1898 – 1976) was a teacher, then an administrator in the British colonial service in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. For his services as a Coastwatcher during the Pacific War (World War II), he was awarded the DSO, and the Navy Cross (U.S.). #tag:ref|Synopsis: The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Donald G. Kennedy, Captain, New Zealand, for extraordinary heroism in action against Japanese forces as a Coast Watcher at Sergi Point, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. Captain Kennedy he led his men in numerous skirmishes and destroyed or captured many Japanese troops, machine-guns, and barges, with negligible injury to his force. He also rescued many downed American airmen. The two most famous Tuvaluans from the school were Tuvalu's first Governor General, Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo and its first Prime Minister, Toaripi Lauti. In 1925–26 he built himself a radio transmitter, which he used to send messages to New Zealand. He also taught students how to build and operate radio transmitters. In 1938 he was awarded a Carnegie Travelling Scholarship to study for a year at University College, Oxford for a Diploma in Anthropology. Kennedy’s plans to return to Funafuti was ended by a deputation of islanders to the WPHC Commissioner, Sir Harry Luke, who provided a list of grievances about Kennedy’s drunkenness, cruelty and “always [being] after the native women and girls.” However, this deputation does not appear to represent the commonly held opinion of the Ellice Islanders, as a second deputation asked for Kennedy to return to the islands to complete his work as Land Commissioner and because the Islanders were grateful for Kennedy's work including in educating the Islanders at Elisefou school. An investigation of the complains after World War II concluded that the allegations were ‘vague in the extreme’ and that, without a proper enquiry, including giving Kennedy the opportunity to respond to the allegations, no judgment could be formed about his culpability.

On 20 April 1942, Kennedy established a base at Mahanga (Mahaga), which overlooked Thousand Ships Bay on the south coast of Santa Isabel Island. Following further Japanese advances, in July 1942 he transferred his headquarters to Seghe (Segi or Sergi) on the south coast of New Georgia, which was on the channel between New Georgia and Vangunu in the Western Province. On 7 August 1942, U.S. forces captured Tulagi and an airfield on Guadalcanal. As Seghe was under the flight path of the Japanese aircraft flying from Rabaul, Kennedy was able to provide warnings by radio to the U.S. forces of attacking aircraft. Kennedy reported on Japanese shipping in the New Georgia Sound (known as ‘The Slot’), which were attempting to reinforce the troops on Guadalcanal, and also rescued downed American airmen. Kennedy gained a reputation for physical abuse of his subordinates and islanders that he viewed as defying his authority.

By March 1943 the U.S. command were planning the New Georgia Campaign, which included an assault on the Japanese airfield at Munda, in the north-west of New Georgia and also landing at Seghe to build an airfield. Kennedy directed engagements when Japanese patrols were in the vicinity of Seghe. During the night of 19 May 1943 Kennedy and his crew on the 10-ton schooner Dadavata engaged a Japanese patrol in a 25-foot long Japanese Whaleboat on the Marovo Lagoon. During the firefight, Kennedy received a wound to his right thigh. At the time the wound was attributed to a bullet fired by the Japanese, however following a confession in 1987, it appears that the bullet was fired by Kennedy’s own lieutenant, Bill Bennett, who had recently been flogged by Kennedy. He ended his war service with the rank of major. Kennedy encouraged Neli Lifuka in the resettlement proposal that eventually resulted in the purchase of Kioa island in Fiji. Kennedy was invited to Kioa to act as an advisor to the community. He arrived on Kioa in September 1951 and initiated an ambitious development program involving clearing bush, planting coconuts and grazing cattle in order to create an enterprise that could attract further Ellice Islanders to live on Kioa. This program was not accepted by the settlers and the following year they expelled him from the island.

Retirement 1952 to 1976 He purchased the small island of Waya, in the Kadavu Group, Fiji in 1952. He and Mary were divorced in the same year.

In 1958 Emeline, an Ellice Islander, became his common-law wife. In 1973 Kennedy’s health declined; as a consequence he sold the island, after marrying, he and Emeline retired to New Zealand. He died in 1976, aged 77 yrs.

Publications Kennedy, Donald Gilbert, Field notes on the culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands’ (1931): Thomas Avery & Sons, New Plymouth, N.Z. Kennedy, Donald Gilbert, ‘Te ngangana a te Tuvalu – Handbook on the language of the Ellice Islands’ (1946) Websdale, Shoosmith, Sydney N.S.W.