Corporal Ernest C Pankhurst
Ernest Carl Pankhurst was born on September 12th, 1921 in Austin, Texas to Ernest L and Mattie Pankhurst. He was the first of four children and after completing high school, got a job working for Cook Printing Company in his hometown. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and with the subsequent US declaration of war on the Axis powers, Ernest rushed to a recruiting office and enlisted in the Marine Corps nine days later. He was sent to Camp Lejeune for one month of basic training before being assigned as a rifleman to Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Elliot. Further training followed and Private Pankhurst bounced around companies in the regiment before finally settling with Company A. That same day, they boarded the USS President Jackson for the Pacific
Tulagi
The 1st Marine Division and 2nd Marine Brigade had the task of beginning the island hopping campaign in the Pacific with the invasion of the Solomon Islands, specifically Guadalcanal. After stops at Tonga Island, they arrived offshore Tulagi in the morning, with PFC Pankhurst’s 1st Battalion slated to land at Florida Island. Naval gunfire preceded the landing which hit the beaches at 7:40 AM, and the entire battalion was ashore within forty minutes. No enemy resistance was discovered on Florida Island. The forces on Tulagi, connected by a land bridge, faced sporadic resistance that got heavier past noon. As fighting raged, the 1st Battalion withdrew and landed at Beach Blue, Tulagi at 9:00 AM the following day and went into defensive positions at the extreme end of the island after it was secured on the 9th. To deter further Japanese landings on the island in support of the main Guadalcanal offensive, the 2nd Marines remained on Tulagi in a defensive role for two months.
Guadalcanal
In early October, PFC Pankhurst’s 1st Battalion was chosen to attack an enemy buildup of troops around the Gurabusu and Koilotumaria villages within Guadalcanal. On the night of the 9th, the battalion loaded into Higgins boats and set out for the landing areas, but were delayed until 4:00 PM the following day. When the villages were attacked, only light resistance was encountered and large amounts of supplies were destroyed. The regiment remained on the island and due to their fresh numbers, were called to the attack after the Japanese were defeated at the Matanikau later in the month. The attack on November 1st saw the 2nd Marines trailing behind the main attack force of the 5th Marines crossing the Matanikau river and encountering strong resistance in specific areas. By the next day, Corporal Pankhurst tailed the flanking maneuver of 2/5 which moved to box in the remaining Japanese forces between the sea. The final phase began at 8:00 AM on the 3rd, with the 2nd Marines, in conjunction with army units, flushing out bypassed enemy pockets and driving them towards the beach. By the end of the day, 239 enemy troops were killed and the pocket eliminated. A week later, Corporal Pankhurst’s unit was the main assault force to the west for a slow and meticulous purge of remaining enemy forces. On December 9th, they were withdrawn to positions near Point Cruz to relieve army units there which was completed on the 16th. At this point, the 2nd Marines remained mainly in defensive positions and escaped an enemy assault later in the month that hit a different section of the line. Corporal Pankhurst and his regiment were finally relieved on January 15th, 1943 and left Guadalcanal for Wellington, New Zealand the following month.
Although the battle was over for Pankhurst, he contracted malaria from the harsh jungles and was sent back to the US for treatment on May 5th. Even though his health was not the greatest, he managed to find time to marry Sadie Deglandon in June after being moved to the Marine Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was medically discharged on October 19th, 1943 and returned to Austin and his old job as a printer. Later in life, he became very involved with the church and worked as a clergyman. He sadly passed away in his home town on August 23rd, 1994.
Tulagi
The 1st Marine Division and 2nd Marine Brigade had the task of beginning the island hopping campaign in the Pacific with the invasion of the Solomon Islands, specifically Guadalcanal. After stops at Tonga Island, they arrived offshore Tulagi in the morning, with PFC Pankhurst’s 1st Battalion slated to land at Florida Island. Naval gunfire preceded the landing which hit the beaches at 7:40 AM, and the entire battalion was ashore within forty minutes. No enemy resistance was discovered on Florida Island. The forces on Tulagi, connected by a land bridge, faced sporadic resistance that got heavier past noon. As fighting raged, the 1st Battalion withdrew and landed at Beach Blue, Tulagi at 9:00 AM the following day and went into defensive positions at the extreme end of the island after it was secured on the 9th. To deter further Japanese landings on the island in support of the main Guadalcanal offensive, the 2nd Marines remained on Tulagi in a defensive role for two months.
Guadalcanal
In early October, PFC Pankhurst’s 1st Battalion was chosen to attack an enemy buildup of troops around the Gurabusu and Koilotumaria villages within Guadalcanal. On the night of the 9th, the battalion loaded into Higgins boats and set out for the landing areas, but were delayed until 4:00 PM the following day. When the villages were attacked, only light resistance was encountered and large amounts of supplies were destroyed. The regiment remained on the island and due to their fresh numbers, were called to the attack after the Japanese were defeated at the Matanikau later in the month. The attack on November 1st saw the 2nd Marines trailing behind the main attack force of the 5th Marines crossing the Matanikau river and encountering strong resistance in specific areas. By the next day, Corporal Pankhurst tailed the flanking maneuver of 2/5 which moved to box in the remaining Japanese forces between the sea. The final phase began at 8:00 AM on the 3rd, with the 2nd Marines, in conjunction with army units, flushing out bypassed enemy pockets and driving them towards the beach. By the end of the day, 239 enemy troops were killed and the pocket eliminated. A week later, Corporal Pankhurst’s unit was the main assault force to the west for a slow and meticulous purge of remaining enemy forces. On December 9th, they were withdrawn to positions near Point Cruz to relieve army units there which was completed on the 16th. At this point, the 2nd Marines remained mainly in defensive positions and escaped an enemy assault later in the month that hit a different section of the line. Corporal Pankhurst and his regiment were finally relieved on January 15th, 1943 and left Guadalcanal for Wellington, New Zealand the following month.
Although the battle was over for Pankhurst, he contracted malaria from the harsh jungles and was sent back to the US for treatment on May 5th. Even though his health was not the greatest, he managed to find time to marry Sadie Deglandon in June after being moved to the Marine Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was medically discharged on October 19th, 1943 and returned to Austin and his old job as a printer. Later in life, he became very involved with the church and worked as a clergyman. He sadly passed away in his home town on August 23rd, 1994.