From the "The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War, 1939–1945: I: Vella Lavella".

“On the fifth day under that dense jungle canopy, Lt. Beaumont decided to fight his way out to the beach. The wounded were suffering acutely from exposure and lack of attention. After burying the dead, he cut poles with which to make stretchers for the wounded, lashing them with vines and branches, but they were discarded as too unweildy. Beaumont's small force then set off at ten o'clock on the morning of 1 October. Private R. J. Fitzgerald1 led the wounded, himself one of them. Beaumont and six men covered the party as it crept through the jungle. Four and a half hours later they reached the beach, only 1000 yards away, but 49 men, including all the wounded, had been saved. A passing barge sighted Beaumont and his men inside their beach perimeter late that afternoon and advised headquarters, which immediately despatched a reconnaissance party in a landing craft with the object of making an overland advance to relieve them. When the craft moved in towards the shore Private R. Davis swam out to it, though fired on by machine guns from either flank of the perimeter. Private C. T. J. Beckham crept through the undergrowth at dusk and destroyed one of them. That night, after immediate rescue was abandoned, the hungry garrison retrieved a bag of Japanese rations dropped by parachute, killing the enemy who were searching for it.

Next day, 2 October, two barge parties, the first under 2 Lieutenant C. D. Griffiths, and another, which arrived later, under Lieutenant D. G. Graham, moved in as far as the coral growth would allow and men attempted to swim ashore with rations. Sharks were held off with tommy guns. Japanese snipers killed Lieutenant M. M. Ormsby in the water and wounded an American sailor, D. H. Stevens. Sergeant W. Q. McGhie reached the shore but lost food and medical supplies in the water. A second daylight attempt ended disastrously. Griffiths, Warrant Officer R. A. Roche, Private S. Hislop, Private W. M. Pratt, and Graham spaced themselves in the water and attempted to get a line ashore to Beaumont. It caught in the jagged coral with maddening consistency, hindering the swimmers. All were killed except Graham. Fitzgerald, who had endured the agony of the perimeter, was killed on the barge and the rescue was abandoned until nightfall. A party of strong swimmers, all volunteers, arrived from headquarters at Graham's request and, led by Corporal M. H. Cotterell, they swam ashore in the gathering dusk with a rubber boat and a native canoe. By eleven o'clock that night the last men were transported to the waiting barges. Beaumont and his party had accounted for forty Japanese killed and an unknown number wounded. They themselves had lost six killed and eight wounded.”

Griffiths is buried Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia.

Cadet Stanley Edward Clarke was commissioned 2nd Lt 12th June 1943 into the Royal Artillery (278813). Mentioned in Despatches for North West Europe 4th April 1946 as a Temp Captain R.A. Captain Army Air Corps 1st May 1947. He finally retires 21st December 1963 as a Captain Parachute Regiment T.A.

In box of issue (addressed to his father at Semilong, Northants) With Admiralty nok slip named to William David Warner. (HMS Bittern)  He was the 25-year old son of David and Elizabeth Warner of Semilong, Northampton and having no known resting place except the sea is commemorated on Panel 42, Column 3 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.  H.M.S. Bittern was an 805-ton double screw Bittern Class gun vessel launched on 14 July 1937 and captained by 42-year old Commander Edward B. Pusey.