Coastwatchers executed on Tarawa Island 1942

The following from Radio Australia today: -

Families seeking closure on Coastwatcher deaths
Attempts to identify bodies thought to possibly be New Zealand Coastwatchers beheaded on Tarawa by the Japanese in World War Two may achieve a result by early next year.
The men volunteered during World War II to be coast-watchers, a chain of radio operators stationed on Pacific islands to look out for enemy fleet movements.
Some were postal telegraphists while others were unarmed soldiers.
The 17 New Zealand Post Office workers and five British and Australians were all executed by invading Japanese soldiers in 1942 and buried on Tarawa.
Last year though, a pit containing human remains was discovered which matches descriptions by eyewitnesses to what happened to the men.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Phil Bradshaw, New Zealand Defence Force says


Radio Australiaacific Beat:Story:Families seeking closure from coastwatcher deaths

I have looked through Eric Feldts book The Coastwatchers and I have not found a reference to these fellows. There must have a been a separate, parallel network of New Zealand coastwatchers. This I did not know but it will have me researching now

 

Those guys played a big part in the victory of Guadalcanal. If Cactus Air had not received vital Coastwatcher early warnings, that campaign may well have been lost.....My favorite was Paul Mason and his famous "24 bombers headed yours". All but 1 where shot down.

 

The quiet and behind the scenes fighters of the Pacific.

 

Here is a link to a page with first hand New Zealand accounts of some of the coastwatchers that were captured in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in December 1941. [SIZE=-1]

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/osaka/Zentsuji/coastwatchers.htm[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
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I am still trying to distinguish if they were officially part of the 'Ferdinand' network or otherwise. As far as I can see they are not mentioned in Eric Feldt's book, it was Eric Feldt who set up the coastwatcher network. The coastwatchers contributed far more to the outcome in the Pacific than their actual numbers would suggest. It was 'Bull' Halsey who said, "The coastwatchers saved Guadalcanal and Guadalcanal saved the Pacific."