Avalon was the final home of Arthur Reginald Evans, the Australian WWII coastwatcher whose actions helped rescue a young John F. Kennedy—decades before he became President of the United States.
A Mission in the Pacific
In August 1943, while serving as a coastwatcher in the Solomon Islands, Arthur Reginald “Reg” Evans received a coconut-carved message from a missing U.S. naval officer, 26-year-old Lt. John F. Kennedy, whose patrol boat had been sunk by a Japanese destroyer.
Before crossing paths with Kennedy, Evans served in both the Australian Imperial Force and Royal Australian Navy. Born in Sydney in 1905, he had worked in the Solomon Islands for years, giving him vital local knowledge. In 1942, he joined the secretive Coast Watch Organisation.
Evans was stationed on a remote island, monitoring Japanese activity. On the night of August 2, 1943, he saw a flash in the strait—the sinking of Kennedy’s PT-109. Evans sent local scouts Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana to search for survivors. Days later, they returned with news: Kennedy and his crew were alive, along with a coconut inscribed with a plea for help.
The Rescue Plan
Evans swiftly organized a rescue, directing the scouts to bring Kennedy to him. When Kennedy arrived, exhausted and unshaven, the two exchanged brief words of relief. To avoid detection by Japanese planes, Evans hid Kennedy under palm fronds during the boat journey. That night, under cover of darkness, a U.S. vessel successfully picked up all 11 survivors of PT-109.
The coconut message that sparked the rescue remained with Kennedy throughout his life. He later kept it on his desk in the Oval Office as a reminder of how close he had come to dying in the war and of those who had helped save him.
Lost to History, Then Found Again
Despite the significance of his role, Evans remained anonymous for many years. When journalists tried to identify the man behind the coconut message, early reports mistakenly credited a New Zealander named “Lieutenant Windcoat”, a name Evans knew was incorrect.
Evans was officially recognized in 1961 after Kennedy became President. Invited to the White House in May, he gained brief media fame and later returned with one of the scouts for a TV special on the rescue.
A Quiet Ending in Avalon
Evans lived out his later years quietly in Avalon, New South Wales, passing away on 31 January 1989. He rarely spoke about the incident, describing it simply as another day in a long war.
Yet his actions helped shape a life that would influence history. The rescue of John F. Kennedy remains one of the lesser-known but most extraordinary stories of Australian involvement in the Second World War.
Published 7-April-2025