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Alone on Guadalcanal: A Coastwatcher's Story (Bluejacket Books) Paperback – January 15, 2013

by Martin Clemens (Author)

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This remarkable memoir tells the compelling story of the near-mythic British district officer who helped shape the first great Allied counteroffensive. Scottish-born and Cambridge-educated, Martin Clemens managed to survive months behind Japanese lines in one of the most unfriendly climates and terrains in the world. After countless partisan and spy missions, in 1942 he emerged from the jungle and integrated his Melanesian commando force into the heart of the 1st Marine Division's operations, earning the unfettered admiration of such legendary Marine officers as Vandegrift, Thomas, Twining, Edson, and Pate.

This book is based on a journal Clemens kept during the war and might well be the last critical source of analysis of the Solomon's campaign. His eyewitness accounts of harrowing long-distance patrols and life on the run from shadowy Japanese intelligence operatives and treacherous islanders are unmatched in the literature of the Pacific war. First published in 1998, the story, with an introduction by Allan R. Millett, is essential and enjoyable reading.

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

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A remarkable memoir by the near-mythic British coastwatcher who helped shape the first great Allied counter-offensive in the Pacific war. -- New York Review of Books

Significant as an account of the raw physical and moral courage demonstrated by British and Australian coastwatchers against overwhelming odds. -- Choice

The only man who could tell it has finally told the story. And he has told it well. -- Leatherneck

About the Author

Martin Clemens served as a British colonial administrator in the Pacific, Palestine, and Cyprus, specializing in political administration and antiterrorism.

Series: Bluejacket Books
Paperback: 284 pages
Publisher: Naval Institute Press (January 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591141249
ISBN-13: 978-1591141242
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 39 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1880 in Books > History > Military > Naval
- #2168 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > World War II
- #7612 in Books > History > Military > World War II

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First-person account --Great read !!

Bydrjon February 12, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have now read four books about the coastwatchers: Lonely Vigil (by Walter Lord), Alone on Guadalcanal (by Martin Clemens), The Coast Watchers (by Eric Feldt), and Coast Watching in WWII (A.B. Feur).

If you want to get a feeling for what life as a coastwatcher was really like, Alone on Guadalcanal is the book for you, as it is a first-person account put together by a single author. The author, Martin Clemens, was a government official before the invasion by Japan, and so the book offers not only the perspective of a coastwatcher but also that of a (thoughtful) British colonial official who was trying to manage things on that end as well. As a government official, Martin Clemens kept a diary all during his time in the Solomon Islands and so he was able to do a great job recounting his days as a coastwatcher.

Seeing that Alone on Guadalcanal was first published in 1998, one might well wonder just how much Martin Clemens could remember. In fact, as the author explains in the book's preface, the first draft of the book was written in the early 1950 but a final book never materialized because by that time there was already a great abundance of military books on the market and publishers did not have much interest in his story. It was only decades latter that a chance meeting between Martin Clemens and a US Marine veteran got the ball rolling again and eventually lead to the publication of the book by the Naval Institute Press. To make a long story short, even though the book wasn't published until 1998, the author actually did most of the writing in the early 1950s, when his memories were still relatively fresh.

If you would like to learn about how the coastwatcher organization aided the fight against Japan in the South Pacific, the most comprehensive book is The Coast Watchers. This book was written by the man who set up and managed the coastwatcher organization (codename Ferdinand) from 1939 until early 1943 (when he stepped down after suffering a heart attack), and was the first book on the coastwatchers published after WWII (the first edition coming out in 1946).

Lonely Vigil covers much but not all of the same ground as The Coast Watchers, but goes into greater detail and is a more enjoyable read. This does not mean The Coast Watchers was a bad read, just not as enjoyable as Lonely Vigil. This should not be surprising, since the author of Lonely Vigil (Walter Lord) is a highly accomplished author.

Coast Watching in WWII (subtitle: Operations against the Japanese on the Solomon Islands, 1941-43) sounds as though it would offer a comprehensive review of coast watching operations during those year. In fact, this book covers only the coastwatching operations on Bougainville and neighboring Buka Island. This book is primarily the edited memories of two coastwatchers on Bougainville: Jack Read and Paul Mason). That should be interesting, but these accounts are stylistically dull by comparison with the Alone on Guadalcanal (discussed below) and Lonely Vigil, which is based on both written records and numerous interviews and recounts the same coastwatching tales on Bougainville in a more interesting fashion. In short, if a person has read Lonely Vigil (which was published about 20 years before this book), he could skip reading this book and miss little or nothing.

I'm very glad I read three out of these four books about the coastwatchers. As explained above, since I had read other books on the coastwatchers, I found Coast Watching in WWII was not a worthwhile read in terms of content or style (but I read it to the end so I could be fair). In terms of good reading, I enjoyed the first-person perspective of Alone on Guadalcanal the most. Lonely Vigil was also a compelling read.

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Not so much alone, as a very junior level person who inherits a lot of lone responsibility

ByRLLon August 30, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Story of a young British colonial officer who finds himself in the middle of WWII, coast watching and then the Guadalcanal campaign. He is functioning mostly as a supervisor, director of intelligence, and coordination between the Americans and English - but with a lot of action on his own part.

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Drop this one and pick up Walter Lord's A Lonely Vigil

Bykennon November 3, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I don't want to waste a lot of words, or your time, so let me sum it up for you, the reader: this is an ok book written by a poor writer. But all is not lost on these great Solomon Islands and the brave Coastwatchers: read A Lonly Vigil by Walter Lord, who covers Martin Clemens in great detail as well as the other key players of the courageous Solomon Island coast watchers.

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This book took me by surprise. I was expecting ...

ByGrunton August 29, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book took me by surprise. I was expecting a coastwatcher's memoir with a general description of coastwatcher activities throughout the Solomon Islands. Instead I found an account of life on Guadalcanal before and during the Japanese occupation, plus the author's experiences assisting the US Marines following their landing until the island was secured. It is well written and holds one's interest, but was not what I expected.

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A Must Read

ByChekkon March 12, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

How is it, that no one has picked this book up, and not have a movie made out of it? I have read
Over a hundred of these types of non fiction, and this is one of the best. The author, English, barely hangs on along with the poor Solomon islanders, while the blood seeking Japanese invade. Enter the U.S. navy, marines, army, common wealth forces and others to do epic battle on land, sea and air. I was sorry the book ended. Excellent read. God bless the military

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This is a fascinating story of a little known part ...

ByChris Gon July 16, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a fascinating story of a little known part of history during the war in the pacific theater. My understanding of life in the jungles of the Solomon islands before during and after the Japanese invasion has been greatly increased. The trials Mr. Clemens went through are staggering. He's an unsung hero.

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Coastwatcher diary

ByRio Azulon October 31, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

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.

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Bravery at its finest

ByAmazon Customeron August 25, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Reading this gave me insight into the struggle of a group of men who toiled along with the Marines in miserable conditions, and even less support than the Marines. They saved many Americans with their knowledge and bravery defending "their" island.

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Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

WONDERFUL READ VERY INTERESTING

Published 10 months ago by arthur bullard

Gives an excellent insight into the war in the Solomons

Gives an excellent insight into the war in the Solomons.... Beyond the usual stories of the US Navy and Marines.

Published on September 12, 2015 by RPG

Great book, buy it

Great book from an participants insider perspective

Published on August 13, 2015 by Rhino 3349

Amazing

Truly an amazing story of an incredibly brave man who brilliantly survived and made a huge difference in the battle.

Published on June 28, 2015 by Amazon Customer

Hard to get into, but my dad, Lt ...

Hard to get into, but my dad, Lt. Thomas Leineweber is referenced in the book, so I had to have it!!!!

Published on August 28, 2014 by CULVYHOUSE

The forgotten heros

Without the coast watchers it's doubtful if the Marines could have held on to Guadalcanal the cactus air force needed that warning.

Published on February 3, 2014 by charles malone

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