Customer Reviews

Alone on Guadalcanal: A Coastwatcher's Story (Bluejacket Books)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Superb account of the early days of World War II in the Solomon Islands. No other book is as effective in taking the reader back to this uncertain period just prior to the turning point of the war. Mr. Clemons work is truly a unique perspective and anyone remotely interested in this campaign and period of history must remind themselves that Mr. Clemons was one of only a handful of people in a position to witness firsthand, the early events that unfolded into a military campaign of epic proportions. I am a VERY SELECTIVE READER and this is a classic piece of work. For those of you who have read every book on this campaign - this one fills in the gaps and truly personalizes it all. When I put the book down and relect on what I read, it feels like I was there - very nice. Contains some `fresh' pictures too. It's based off of Mr. Clemons diary/notes he kept during his time on Guadalcanal. There's even a picture of his dairy/notepad in the beginning of the book!

For people interested in the Pacific WWII. This is the only book that provides the complete story of Coastwatchers and how they helped win the war on Guadalcanal. Never before been told and written by a near-mythic Coastwatcher Martin Clemens A compelling true adventure story. Of particular interest to Marines who were there but didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on in the background. For First Marine Division Marines this is a MUST read. I was there with Martin Clemens.

I have read Walter Lord's book "Lonely Vigil" about the Pacific Island Coastwatchers several times and greatly enjoyed it. This, however, is a full book about just one of these Coastwatchers, and goes into quite a bit more detail about the daily routine and happenings during that time. He was most likely the most experienced and senior Coastwatcher, and his interaction with U.S. forces was extremely helpful.

As an ex-patriot Australian now living in the U.S., I'm ashamed to admit I knew almost nothing about Guadalcanal, other than its reputation for being a bad place to be during WW2, until reading this outstanding book. My ignorance of the incredible risks Clemens and the Allied Forces took at that time is particularly surprising given that I knew the author as the father of a close friend when I was growing up in the late 1960s. I sat across the dining table from him during many Sunday dinners and heard nothing of his adventures in the Solomon Islands. Perhaps the author's reluctance to bore those around him with war stories, and my youthful lack of curiosity, deprived me of hearing the story first-hand. I'm truly grateful that he has shared this exciting and harrowing story with the world. Having read his account, I'm inspired to read other perspectives of the events that took place at that time. This book has reinforced my appreciation for those Allied soldiers who bravely fought off this persistent invader on our very doorstep while Australian civilians quietly went about their business at home.

A wonderful book and a finely documented living history. Refreshing account based on Mr. Clemens actual diary notations. I have read almost every book on Guadalcanal and this one is definitely different. It reflects lulls between events and actually provides new information. The history and events in his story builds some natural suspense and his work is highly accurate! Not many books are written in a manner that makes you actually feel like you were there. Particularly good is the detailed writing of periperhal events surrounding well know events and battles. This work fills in many blanks will add another dimension to existing knowledge bases of historians and those interested in early pacific war. Also, not just a WWII campaign story but an excellent example of what can be accomplished when the odds are against you!

Martin Clemens is deserving of our gratitude and respect. His book provides a view of the Solomons prior to the 8/7/42 landings by the 1st Marine Division and illuminates the activities of the islanders in support of the allied forces. The book is not really a "page turner." However, students of the campaign will find it interesting and informative.

Throughout the Pacific islands, a small number of courageous individuals survived in the jungle, observing, reporting, ...and advising the allied landing-forces when they arrvived.

Composed mostly of Australians, New Zealanders, and miscelleneous British citizens, the Coastwatchers stealthily watched the Japanese military activities in the islands, and radioed their findings to allied headquarters that were generally hundreds or thousands of miles away. The prospect of being captured by Japanese military personnel was grave enough, the hardships of jungle-survival were sometimes much harsher.

Here is the story of Martin Clemens, in his own words. Clemens and the indigenous people of Guadalcanal made considerable efforts to aid the U.S. Marines and Navy in 1942, in the first major American offensive of World War II.

This is the story of a British civil officer who had just arrived in the Solomons when war broke out. It is his story, what he saw, what he thought, during the time from before the war started until the U.S. army had solid control of Guadalcanal.

Where it is weak is that there is no context for the story. If you don't know about the Solomon's campaign, you will be totally lost. And there is no context for what he sees so again, you don't know how key some of the battles he was in were.

I think this is a good book for people who have a strong knowledge of the Solomin's campaign. And in that case it will give you a unique viewpoint of the war. But don't read it unless you do have that knowledge.

This is an excellent book with many links to historically accurate accounts of the Guadalcanal campaign. Clemens was a coastwatcher as well as a British colonial service officer, left behind on Guadalcanal when the Japanese moved south from Rabaul. It was too long delayed in publication because of the huge numbers of memoirs and histories published in the 1950s when it was written. It is a major contribution to the history of the Marines on Guadalcanal, who Clemens helped immensely with his detailed, accurate information, and especially with his well organized set of native scouts. As a Marine, I admire him immensely for his candid and, at times, unsettling account.

This must be the original thriller!
Incredible story of collaboration and survival against all odds.
Gives new meaning to the phrase, Never Give Up