Post Last Modified – January 07, 2022
A Tiny WWII Museum in Port Vila Vanuatu
On our amazing 🛳 South Pacific Cruise vacation that departed from Sydney, Australia we made a small visit to a tiny WWII Museum in 🏝 Port Vila – Vanuatu.
For me, it was one of the highlights of our day spent in Port Vila, for a number of reasons.
This tiny but very personal roadside museum on the island ,was started many years ago by a lovely now elderly gentleman named Eric.
I was so impressed with him on how proud and eager he was, to share his findings in his quaint museum. He was proud to dedicate it to the United States and Australian soldiers, that were stationed here in WWII.
He said most of the artifacts in his collection, he had retrieved in the ocean over the years.
WWII Museum Port Vila Vanuatu
The city of Port Vila is located on the south coast of the Island Efate. It is the commercial and financial hub of Vanuatu.
This island was occupied and established as a key American and Australian 🛫 airbase during WWII.
As a result, many military artifacts have been found and still to this day, around these islands.
A Tribute to the Islands Allies – A Tiny WWII Museum Vanuatu
Eric the Museum Owner in Vanuatu
Although the tiny museum is a popular roadside rest stop for the many tourists visiting the island, its still a worthwhile experience for a few minutes.
Listening to Eric talking about his life and his childhood memories as a young boy living on the island, is remarkable.
During our visit, he also had a large supply of small collectible coke bottles for sale, dating back to the period of the war and 1940s.
Any donation to help Eric with his living expenses is greatly appreciated, and well worth it after listening to his delightful presentation.
I purchased one of the old coke bottles for just a few 💵 dollars.
Such a bargain compared to what you would pay for one of this bottles in North America!
WWII Museum Vanuatu Items Include Hand Grenades Bombs Cutlery – Bottles
WWII Museum Pieces Vanuatu
His old wooden shelves in the small hut were lined with military surplus.
From old bottles, dishes, binoculars to bullets and hand grenades, all left by military personnel during and after the war.
It was so interesting to see these pieces of the past, displayed proudly by this gentleman.
With the recent 🌬 cyclone that devastated the islands since our visit, I can only hope that this tiny piece of history is still standing for other tourists and travelers to enjoy.
Witnessing Ships Arriving on the Island
Havana Harbour Port Vila Vauatu
Eric told me he was about 10 years of age when 2 ships arrived to the island in World War II.
At first, he said that everyone feared they were been invaded by the Japanese, and many islanders headed for higher ground well away from the shore.
He remembers his father telling him not to worry, as they were Americans here to protect them.
Recovered Military Dishware
My wife and really enjoyed this brief stop on the regular circle tour of the island, that your 🚕 taxi driver or tour operator will take you on.
We booked this shore excursion separately on our own, but the island circle tour is offered as a typical shore excursion on most ⚓ cruise lines making port at Port Vila.
Eric showing us an Old hand grenade
South Pacific WWII Museum Vanuatu
There is a fabulous state of the art world class WWII Museum now open in Luganville, Vanuatu. It was a 5 year project built and funded by Non-Governmental Organization in Espiritu Santo Island of Vanuatu.
For those of you interested in this amazing project, check out their video presentation by one of the founders of the project.
Definitely worth a look or you history buffs!
South Pacific World War II Museum – Video
For more detailed information on this museum, check out their official website link I’ve listed below. What a wonderful tribute to those military personnel who served in the 🏝 South Pacific in WWII.
Safe and Healthy Travels!
✨ Did You Know
“With 50% Of Its Populations Having Been Educated At The Post Secondary Level Canada Has The Most Educated Populace In The World.”
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