Courtesy Photo | Alexandra Christian Clemens, the 55 year-old daughter of Maj. Warren Frederick Martin...... read more read more
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By Pfc. Alfred V. Lopez
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – A barefoot, gaunt and ghostly man dressed in rags and accompanied by native scouts descended Mount Austen in Guadalcanal a week after the 1st Marine Division, commanded by Gen. Alexander Archer Vandegrift, captured and claimed what came to be known as Henderson Field. Sentries were overwhelmed by his ghastly appearance, but nonetheless welcomed the man who played a key role in the Division’s victory over Japanese opposition in Guadalcanal.
Retired Maj.Warren Frederick Martin Clemens, commander of the British Solomon Islands Defense Force in World War II, was honored by the 1st Marine Division with a morning colors ceremony at the Headquarters, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force building Sept. 13 for his invaluable service to the division at Guadalcanal. Clemens, who died on May 31, 2009, at the age of 94, was represented by his daughter Alexandra Christian Clemens.
“He related very well to the Marines because of his sense of fidelity,” said Clemens, a 55 year-old native of Melbourne, Australia. “He was also a man who engendered a lot of compassion and humanity.”
Maj. Clemens was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on April 17, 1915. He lost his father and brother at a young age, but the adversity gave him a springboard to success, said Clemens.
With a scholarship on hand, Clemens graduated from Bedford School and Christ’s College in Cambridge. He then joined the British Colonial Service and provided civil service for the people of the Solomon Islands in 1938.
Clemens took up arms and was appointed captain of the Solomon Island Protectorate Defense Force when it became obvious that the Japanese intended to take over the islands. He single-handedly formed a militia of scouts from the Melanesian natives and led them to disrupt the enemy occupation with guerilla warfare. He also provided American forces with critical details concerning Japanese construction of an airfield in Guadalcanal and locations of their encampments throughout the island.
“Dad felt that every human life had value,” said Clemens. “He bothered to learn the native’s language. That’s why they trusted and followed him.”
After the division landed, Clemens’ relationship with the natives proved to be valuable asset in the victory over the Japanese forces. After descending from their camp on the mountain, Clemens and his scouts joined the division and provided Marines with knowledge of the island’s terrain. The information they gathered was a vital tool to the division, especially during the Battle of Edson’s Ridge and the long patrols of the Raider Battalion.
“He told us [his children] ‘You cut everybody and they bleed the same color’,” said Clemens. “The natives could have easily joined the Japanese. They chose to stick with my father because he gained their trust.”
Clemens achieved the rank of Major and served as the British liaison officer with the 14th (US) Corps in the Solomon Islands. He was awarded the Military Cross for his heroism in Guadalcanal and appointed into the U.S. Legion of Merit.
Clemens had no reason to stay in the island’s dangerous environment, but he chose to selflessly fight alongside his scouts and Marines such as Gen. Vandegrift, Maj. Gen. “Chesty” Puller and Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone. He proved to be as unselfish and committed to his people and his duties as any Marine he fought with.
“He was terribly glad to find that the 1st Marine division had arrived,” said Clemens. “Being special in their own right, I think it was a perfect match, Clemens and the Blue Diamond.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2010 18:19 |
| Story ID: | 56810 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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