Writings by Peter McQuarrie
Peter McQuarrie has lived and worked in the Pacific Islands for over forty years (Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji and Tokelau). A native New Zealander, Peter was married to Fuafua Penani, of Nui Island in Tuvalu. He has written widely about Tuvalu -- some of his major works can be found in the link above.

Bill Bartsch - War Relics in Tuvalu and Kiribati

Bill Bartsch worked for the Suva office of the United Nations Development Programme in 1974. Together with Peter McQuarrie, he visited severa of the islands in Tuvalu and the Gilbert Islands on a personal project to document the remains of war material from World War II. Early in 1974 he and Peter came to Nanumea, where Anne and Keith helped guide them to the wrecked planes and the vaka mutu on the reef. In this article, published in the South Pacific Bulletin in 1975, Bill describes his trip and his findings. Thanks to Peter McQuarrie for contacting Bill and scanning the article, and to Bill for permission to reproduce his work.

Bill Bartsch -- Nanumea's Wartime Remains Coming Soon!!

This article has an excellent description of the accidental grounding of LST 203 on Nanumea's reef, with dates and times and extracts from the ship's log book. It describes in great detail the efforts to free the ship, and then, when this failed, the salvaging of major equipment. It also has far more detail than the first article does about Bill Bartsch's and Peter McQuarrie's visit to Nanumea in November 1974 and being guided by Keith and Anne Chambers out to the LST and then through the bush to the airstrips and the various Second World War aircraft remains hidden in the interior. Thanks to Peter McQuarrie for providing the copy of this article written by Bill Bartsch, and to Bill for permission to reproduce it here.