Location
Lat 9° 26' 51S Long 160° 23' 25E  Ruavatu is located on the northeast coast of Guadalcanal. To the southeast is Aola and Aola Bay.

Wartime History
During September 1942, several hundred Japanese were cut off in this area and were later killed by 2nd Marines and 147th Infantry Regiment that closed on the area.

Ruavatu Catholic Mission
In 1898, a prefabricated church was sent from France and destroyed sometime during 1942. The Japanese captured four missionaries: Sister M. Sylvia, Sister M. Odilia, Reverend Arthur Duhamel and Reverend Henry Oude-Engberink. Initially, they did not kill them. One was an American, who was caught passing notes local people to deliver to the American forces. When this was discovered, all four were executed by the Japanese on September 3, 1942. Four posts are all that remains today. The graves of several of the missionaries executed by the Japanese are here.

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Last Updated
October 23, 2019