Sikaiana in World War II

These are pictures taken during World War II from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. In the 1980s, many Sikaiana people had very vivid memories of the events during World War II. Generally, they had very positive memories of Americans, remembering them for being friendly, wealthy, and more egalitarian than their colonizers, the British. They remember several combat incidents, and in particular three American flyers who were shot down and briefly stayed on Sikaiana. They also remember seaplanes landing on Sikaiana. These pictures must have been from one of these visiting seaplanes, probably 1942-43. Note that the people pose in the last picture.

The story of Paul Knight and a US navy crew shot down on Sikaiana can be found in file 6 in the Sikaiana Oral Traditions in this archive.