Location
Lat 9° 32' 6S Long 160° 29' 16E  Beaufort Bay is located at the center of the western coast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. A native trail led from Kokumbona over the mountains to Beaufort Bay.

Prewar
Prewar, a native trail led from Kokumbona via Vurai over the mountainous interior of Guadalcanal to Beaufort Bay. A Roman Catholic Society mission station was established at Beaufort Bay led by Belgian Emery de Klerk. During the Pacific War, he declined to be evacuated and remained on station during 1942-1943.

Wartime History
By December 1942, American patrols probed from the Kokumbona to Beaufort Bay. Emery de Klerk aided the Americans by serving as a coastwatcher, recruited native laborers and provided expertise on the terrain.

During January 1942, U.S. Army soldiers were sent to Beaufort Bay to block the trail at Vurai village to prevent any Japanese from escaping in this direction, or landing troops at Beaufort Bay.

References
United States Army In WWII - The Pacific - Guadalcanal: The First Offensive

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Last Updated
March 20, 2022