Who Gave Wartime

The Senator and the Solomons Who Was The Kiwi Who Gave Wartime Aid To Kennedy?

Most people probably know that Senator John Kennedy, Democratic nominee for the United States presidential elec tions in November, won a Navy Cross and Purple Heart decora tion for services in the Solomons during the war, but not much has been said of the details .

IT appears that Kennedy was at tached to a US Navy fast tor pedo patrol boat squadron operat ing from a base on Rendova Island: and was in command of PT-109 ort the night of August 2, 1943, when his active naval service came to an abrupt end.

An ex-Japanese Navy officer, now m business, was interviewed in the South Pacific service of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation in Sep tember and told his share in the incident.

He said that he was in command of one of three destroyers running supplies and reinforcements from Rabaul to the hard-pressed Jap anese forces at Kolombangara Island on the night in question.

Cut in Two The destroyers were running at high speed through Blackett Strait on the south side of Kolombangara and nearing the end of their run from Rabaul when, through the darkness, he suddenly saw the PT boat close ahead, and a moment later his destroyer had cut clean through the American craft.

There was, of course, no question of stopping—and it was not until after the war when naval records were compared that the Americans ascertained what had sunk PT-109, or that the Japanese officer knew what he had hit.

In The Sea Lieutenant Kennedy and the sur vivors of his craft found themselves in the water three miles from the nearest land—a little islet on the reef on the south side of Blackett Strait. The naval citation said Kennedy helped first to tow mem bers of his crew, who could not swim or who were injured and kept afloat by their life jackets, to one half of the PT-boat which remained partly afloat, and then gave credit for his subsequent handling of the situation.

From the wreck the survivors managed to swim to the small islet before dawn, and on the following night Kennedy swam out into the Strait with a torch in the hope

ntercepting a patrolling PT-boat, none was sighted, iter a further two days on the t some of the group moved along reef to the westward to a larger t close to Ferguson Passage ch enters Blackett Strait from south. There they obtained some ons from a wrecked Japanese ?e which also contained a one i canoe. i this, Kennedy again patrolled Ferguson Passage that night in hope of meeting one of the PT £ which he knew used this tage.

Help in Canoe

sxt day some Solomon Islanders ved in a canoe and Kennedy sent n off with a note to American es on Rendova which read: live. Native knows position and 5. Kennedy”. sxt morning a canoe arrived : with four natives and a note ;h read: “On His Majesty’s Ser , To the senior officer Nauru id. I have just learned of your ence on Nauru Island. I am in tnand of a New Zealand infantry ol operating in conjunction with Army troops on New Georgia, 'ongly advise you to come with e natives to me. Meanwhile I I be in radio communication your authorities at Rendova we can finalise plans to collect nee of your party. Lieutenant Dote.” mnedy went with the natives the evacuation of the two ps of Americans was duly nged.

Name Mystery

iere has been speculation in Zealand regarding the identity ieutenant Wincote. as the NZ V has no record of the incident cannot identify the officer, is possible that the name is led—and it is also possible that ione in the Solomons or some er ex-serviceman there might lie to shed some more light on subject. The New Zealand who ever he was, may not survived the war; otherwise it s almost certain that some > would have been heard from with the name of Senator iedy so much to the fore at pre e Nauru Island mentioned does appear to be marked on Ad- Ity charts. There is a Nauro d some miles away off the i-east end of Arundel Island, west of the well known Diamond dws — but this island does not the other details given in dean Press reports, as it is not to Blackett Strait or Fergu- Passage. nnedy suffered injuries which ved him from active service caused his discharge from the two years later following ment and convalescence.