President Kennedy's wartime rescuer honoured by US Navy

An elderly villager in the Solomon Islands, one of the poorest and most remote corners of the Pacific, has been honoured by the United States Navy for a crucial, but little remembered, contribution to world history — the day, 64 years ago, when he saved the life of the future American President, John F. Kennedy.

Last week, Donald Winter, the US Navy Secretary, presented gifts including an American flag to Eroni Kumana, a native scout for the Allied forces who came to the aid of Kennedy and his comrades during the Guadalcanal campaign in August 1943. Mr Kumana, who is now in his mid-eighties and almost deaf, paddled 35 miles (56km) through Japanese-controlled waters to summon help, carrying a message by the future president, carved into a coconut.

“I think it’s a remarkable circumstance,” said Mr Winter. “He changed our history . . . and I’m very thankful to him for doing it.”