William Sydney Marchant

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William Sydney Marchant
In office 1939 – 1943
Preceded by	Francis Noel Ashley
Succeeded by	Owen Cyril Noel
Born	1894
Died	1953

William Sydney Marchant, 1894 – 1953, was the United Kingdom's Resident Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1939 to 1943.^[1] As commissioner, he directed the evacuation of European settlers from the Solomon Islands prior to the Japanese occupation of the islands during World War II as well as leading the organization of coastwatcher units throughout the islands.^[2] Marchant relocated from this heaquarters at Tulagi to Malaita about two months before the Japanese occupied Tulagi in May, 1942. On Malaita he helped operate a coastwatcher radio relay station in support of the Allied Solomon Islands campaign until the end of his appointment in 1943.

[edit] References

Notes

Books

• Clemens, Martin (2004 (reissue)). Alone on Guadalcanal: A Coastwatcher's Story. Bluejacket Books. ISBN 1-59114-124-9. 
• Feldt, Eric Augustus (1946 (original text), 1991 (this edition)). The Coastwatchers. Victoria, Australia: Penguin Books. ISBN 0140149260. 
• Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58875-4. 
• Horton, D. C. (1970). Fire Over the Islands. ISBN 0589070894. 
• Lord, Walter (1977 (Reissue 2006)). Lonely Vigil; Coastwatchers of the Solomons. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-466-3. 

Web

• Rentz, John (1952). Marines in the Central Solomons (English). Historical Branch, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. Retrieved on May 30, 2006.

Government offices
Preceded by Francis Noel Ashley	Resident Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Protectorate 1939–1943	Succeeded by Owen Cyril Noel