Stuart in the Solomons

[Keith Webb]

Just in from a friend who visited some of the more remote islands is this Stuart which he was told was dragged in by some timber workers many years ago who were hoping to use it. He comments: "It is in the jungle on an island opposite Kolombangara island in the Western Province. I haven’t been able to locate any provenance of this. It was moved to this site by a logging company from further along the island it sits on."

Looks to be fairly intact. Anyone know it's history?

[Big D]

Hi Keith

I didn't see that one when I was over there.

Are the Stuarts that were dug-up at Hell's Point still there? Do you know? I have some photos somewhere. They were dug up about 3 years ago while I was there.

[Keith Webb]

Hi Darryl

I don't have any other details - that Stuart was the only one he found.

[Big D]

Hi Keith

These are some of the pictures I had. These Stuarts were unearthed in 2012 at Hell's Point on Guadalcanal. I'll provide a bit more background if they are of interest.

[Sean Mayo]

Hi Darryl and Keith,

A great find, to bad it is so hard to get it back somewhere to be restored.
The Stuarts from Guadalcanal are in NZ I think? (I remember reading on the web about it)
I would be keen to hear more about them.

regards Sean.

[charlie fitton]

Originally Posted by Big D

Hi Keith

These are some of the pictures I had. These Stuarts were unearthed in 2012 at Hell's Point on Guadalcanal. I'll provide a bit more background if they are of interest.

I am most certainly interested

[Big D]

Hi all,

There is a bit more to the story than this but what I can say is this. I heard that word got out amongst the local people that there was a (one) Stuart tank buried at Hell’s Point.

There was some concern with the authorities that the locals would go digging around in what is a very dangerous area with all the unexploded munitions all over the place there to see if it could be found.

The local police then arranged a digger to go into the area where it was suspected the Stuart was. They unearthed not one, but at least five Stuart tanks.

I thought the condition of the tanks was quite good considering they had been under the earth for 70 years. When I looked at them, the lighter gauge steel such as that on the 37mm ammo racks was certainly quite corroded on some of them but other parts of the hulls were remarkably good. The tracks were also in relatively good condition.

We had to follow a designated path into the back of Hell’s Point where the tanks were unearthed as there was ordnance obvious all over the place. In one hole there was another Stuart Hull minus its turret, and a turret not far away which were both partially buried. There were steering wheels, periscopes, engine valves and all sorts of bits and pieces in and around the hole where the Stuarts were taken from.

Sean – I wasn’t aware these had been moved from Guadalcanal. I had heard that one was to remain at the entrance to Hell’s Point. Yes, a lot of fishhooks in trying to get something out of the Solomons.

There were other dumps around the area as well. We looked at some stuff that had been buried near Bloody Ridge. Lots of interesting bits and pieces.

I'll attach some pictures of a Stuart M2A4 that was being restored at a museum in Honiara. Apparently this one was knocked out by a Japanese anti-tank gun near the airfield and suffered extensive fire damage inside. There can’t be many more of this model left.