A Solomon Islands homeowner in the middle of renovating his home discovered an unlikely find – three remains of US Marines who were believed to have been killed in Second World War’s Pacific campaign.
The remains are yet to be identified but John Innes, who is a historian based in the islands, said that they have a good idea about who the remains are based on the field records coming from the Guadalcanal campaign.
“There were three people: Drake, Morrissey and Bernes, buried alongside of each other when they were killed on October 9, 1942,” Innes stated.
Various battlefields of the said campaign are currently part of Solomon Islands’ heavily populated capital city Honiara and according to a historian, digging out remains has been common in current years due to digging works.
“They are accidentally found by people doing gardens or digging. Remains are being found all the time,” Innes added, pertaining to WWII soldiers’ remnants being dug up.
During the Guadalcanal campaign in WWII, US army estimated loss of about 1,600 men while the Japanese lost about 25,000 from their military force.