Western Pacific High Commission

Western Pacific High Commission

• The WPHC provided a High Court for the region.
• Some WPHC things were crated up and stored in two sites during the war, but not the whole office. The WPHC had a concrete strong room that they figured was adequate for all but a direct hit (Tofiga; confirmed by size of door for the strong room).
• Is the Forum Secretariat the successor of the Western Pacific High Commission? Not answered. Forum Secretariat: 331-2600.
• The wphc_numbers numbering system for files changed during the war. vaskess Vaskess didn't like the change (Tofiga). If a paper came in and no old file was found, a new file would be opened. Perhaps there is a second bone file from after the changeover in the numbering system. Some files were given new numbers, some weren't.
• WPHC files were split between Fiji and the Solomon Islands when Britain appointed a Governor of Fiji (circa 1953). The WPHC moved to Honiara on Guadalcanal in 1952. After the split there were two archives and two archivists.
• Tofiga worked on closing the WPHC in 1978. The last files were packed in August of that year. Files that originated in Tarawa were sent to Tarawa. Files that originated in Suva went to London and then to wphc_archives Auckland.

Patrick D. "Paddy" MacDonald

• rose from errand boy to Colonial Secretary
• Employed by WPHC from ~1941 to 1978.
• Took the bones from the office to Hoodless at FSM in summer of 1941.
• Colonial Secretary and in charge of boxing things up in 1978. Acting Archivist 6 April 1978
• Both files and office equipment were sent to London. Lists of files were drawn up and typed. They were then packed in small archive boxes--no more than 5 files to a box. The small boxes were then stacked in a wooden packing crate. They fit perfectly, with no need of any kind of straw or other packing material.
• Tofiga remembers Paddy as "fair, firm and meticulous."
• Ron Gatty: "The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending. Paddy was pretty damn good."
• Daughter: Veronica ("Ronnie").
• Died in the late 1990s?
• Almost certainly knew everything about the bones.

Bruce T. Burne

• "Little ginger-haired fellow with a moustache" worked with Paddy MacDonald in 1976.
• Qualified archivist (Tofiga). Member of archivists' association, PARBICA.
• Archivist for WPHC in 1971-1976.
• Seemed highly critical of Paddy Mac's work after Burne resigned.
• Foua Tofiga said that Macdonald did long lists of all of the materials to be packed. I didn't see the lists in the Auckland archives.
• The WPHC used to be in Government House--an old wooden building. (TIGHAR went through it in 1999.)

British High Commission in Fiji

• They are quite confident that there is nothing at all about the case in their records. Please go away and don't come back.

WPHC Chronology

Date	Event
1941-42	Resident Commissioners' correspondence lost for GEIC & BSIP because of Japanese capture of Tarawa.
1942	Sir Harry Luke leaves Fiji
1944	The British Return to Tarawa
1945	Peace in the Pacific (GBG’s trunk)
1952	WPHC Moved to Honiara (an "outpost of nothing"--Gatty).
1954	* Central Archives Open in Suva, Fiji * Records Destroyed at FSM by Acting Director (!)
1970	Fiji gains independence
1972	GEIC removed from WPHC
1973	New Hebrides removed from WPHC
1976	* Archival Process begins (Paddy Mac!) * Kirbati and Tuvalu split.
1978	* Archives separated: GB, Tarawa, Funafuti. * Tuvalu independence.
1978	WPHC defunct.
1979	Kiribati independence.
High Commissioner & Governor General of Fiji
1942	Sir Harry Luke left Suva on July 20.
1942-1945	Major-General Sir Philip Even Mitchell, KCMG, MC, appointed Governor of Fiji July 22, 1942. "I came out here not to govern but to wage war." That's all he did. He didn't last long. They appointed another High Commissioner when the war moved away from Fiji.
1945-1947	Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham appointed Jan 1.
1947-1952	Sir Leslie Brian Freeston, KCMG, OBE November 22, 1947 until Jan 29, 1952.
1952...	Sir Ronald Herbert Garvey, KCMG, MBE. Governor-designate. Took office on February 5, 1952.

Notes on the Move to Honiara

1229114 WPHC 9/II F.10/49/1 WPHC Arrangements for the 
move to Honiara--General Considerations

[This file is arranged in book order.]

Minute 1: "The documentary accumulation of years in these
offices is very considerable and it may well be that some
part of it could be destroyed and some left in Fiji for
safe custody at least until such time as it is convenient
to move it across. We do not want to clutter ourselves
up with anything that is not essential to the smooth
working of the combined Secretariat." H.E. 19.7.52

RCS Stanley was the H.C.

P. 20 Minute A: to CS from FAS: "... it was decided that
all records after 1920 should be regarded as 'live.' The
remainder of the current records being provisionally
'dead.' In packing arrangements we should attempt to
get the dead files out of the way and pack them separately.
Current files should be packed last ..."

11 Oct 1952: 'Dead' files to be taken to Honiara, not 
left in Suva.

28th Oct 1952: They're planning to bring the strong room
door from Suva to Honiara.

Departure of HC for Honiara: 15 December 1952.

F.10/49/2 General considerations, vol II.

F.10/49/6 Movement of Records from Suva to Honiara

Calculates size of storage spaces needed to house 
current records, with room for growth. The strong
room has only 300 cubic feet of cupboard and filing
cabinet space and 400 cubic feet of shelf space.

358 cubic feet for records from 1920 onwards.

Shipping inventory for materials sent to Honiara
(18 pages).

Inventory of a camphor wood box labelled "High 
Commissioner's Office, Personal and Urgent."

One of the secret files: 41/2 Roman Catholic Mission.

List of Residual Files. [I don't know what that means.
Seems to be stuff left behind for Suva. For example,
Foua Tofiga's Confidential Personal File is left behind.]

Box lists for Files.

Box contents for ASP, Financial Secretary.

Packing cases contents ... Many other such lists ...

OK, I've looked at every page. I'm pretty sure they didn't
ship the bones & sextant box to Honiara with this material.
But they're not noted as left behind, either.

F.10/49/8 Residual functions of the WPHC in Suva ...

Printing, Receptioning, Artisans & Marine. P. 21:
Continuation of survey of pre-1920 records ...
p. 30 Finish physical transfer to the Fiji government
of all the remaining WPHC property in Suva.
"You should also arrange for the sale by public
auction, or by tender, whichever appears to be 
likely to produce the best prices, all the equipment
left in the WPHC buildings which is not to be taken
over by Fiji Government, e.g., obsolete refrigerators,
mirrors, etc." (Suva, 7 March, 1953).

Correspondence follows approving the sale of paving blocks,
bedding, other furniture.

Item 43: List of office furniture left in WPHC Offices
(20.3.53).

Residual Office closed 26 May 1953. Two keys to the
WPHC archives & strongroom. The last thing to be
sold is Marquand's refrigerator after he hauls outta
town.

F.10/49/10 Shipping and Customs Arrangements in Suva.

Two or three motor cars and two bullocks will be shipped.

17.5 tons of office records shipped.

The safe door weighed 1/2 ton.

2 bullocks and six bales of hay.

1 crate of hens.

The actual bills of lading are in this file. I
just sampled the stack. It seems unlikely that
a box of bones would be declared. Contents are
listed very generically: household items, 
furniture, bullocks, etc.

WPHC Archive in Auckland, NZ