In 1942, the defence of Tonga became the responsibility of the United States and Queen Sālote agreed that the Americans could have a base in Tonga during the war. A United States warship and seaplane arrived on 3 March 1942, followed by two reconnaissance officers at the end of the month. More ships followed in April, and some departed not much later. The number of troops soon took over the island of Tongatapu, and there were approximately 40 ships in the harbour. A special farm provided vegetables for the US forces and the remaining New Zealanders.1 An American military cemetery was established for the inevitable casualties.
Luckily for Tonga, the war in the Pacific went well, which reduced the need for Tonga to be a major army base. During 1943, the evacuees from the capital were finally allowed to return home. However, the capital wasn’t particularly fun to live in at the time, as bored soldiers often caused trouble. A lot of American officers also went on to have Tongan girlfriends, or they visited prostitutes. The number of illegitimate births rose from 17% to 24%. Few of the mixed-race individuals actually knew their fathers, and it appears that none supported their children. Troops from the southern American states often had very little regard for the Tongans and their rights. Following a break-in in a Navy warehouse, a two-day raid known as the “Cigarette Raid” saw the rights of several Tongans seriously violated.
Queen Sālote’s response left the Tongans baffled. She reportedly said, “Well, I can speak to the General and he will see that it is put right. But these papālangis – these Americans – are here only for a short time. When they go, all will be forgotten; and they are here to help us and Britain in fighting the war against the Japanese and the Germans. It would be better just to be quiet and let it go.”2
Some Tongans were serving overseas, and when two officers were killed in action in 1943, Queen Sālote attended a memorial service at the airfield. The Tongans who served overseas often became ill with malaria and dengue fever, and when they were on leave in Tonga in 1943, it was decided that they would be demobilised without being recalled.
In January 1945, Queen Sālote left Tonga for the first time in many years. Her throat had been troubling her for a while now, and her doctors advised her to receive treatment in New Zealand. They hoped to prevent a tonsillectomy. She did end up undergoing an operation, which was very likely a tonsillectomy. She returned home to Tonga not much later.
The war in Europe ended on 7 May 1945, followed by the war against Japan on 8 August 1945. What remained of the Tongan Defence Force was stood down in October 1945. Few signs remained of the presence of the troops, but the clinics set up by US Army doctors were successful in reducing the occurrence of tuberculosis. Cecil Gribble, the Director of Education, commented, “Superficially, Tonga looks like its pre-war self, but for those who have eyes to see, deep and disquieting changes have taken place.”3 Among these disquieting changes were the now widespread use of alcohol and cigarettes. The common people had more access to money, and this made them more emancipated. Their businesses flourished after the war.
Queen Sālote had come through the war as a gracious but sometimes aloof host.
Be the first to comment