Paul Philip Ratcliffe

Paul Ratcliffe and Joseph Rushton, best buddies from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the Marine Corps together and served side by side through boot camp and Raider training. They fought at Tulagi and Guadalcanal as members of Second Platoon, Company C, First Raider Battalion.

On the night of 12 September 1942, the Raiders occupied part of a steep ridge overlooking vital Henderson Field. Company C was ordered to set up defenses below the ridge to cover an open flank. To reach the chosen position, Marines had to balance on a fallen log spanning a lagoon. Rushton, nursing a shrapnel wound in his backside, was not pleased with the situation. “As the long afternoon was drawing to a close it became apparent to even the dim-witted that we were in for big trouble,” he recalled. “If our positions became untenable we were then to withdraw back across the log, or that not being possible to fight our way out as best we could…. We were expendable.”

Private Ratcliffe was of the same opinion, though his reaction was different. Later that evening, he sought out Rushton for a visit and to share a smoke. Rushton was worried about his friend’s demeanor – he had a flat, apathetic tone in his voice and a faraway look in his eyes. The two shook hands as darkness fell, and Ratcliffe returned to his spot on the line.

Paul Ratcliffe was never seen alive again. He was reported as missing in action following the battle of Edson’s Ridge, and ultimately declared dead on 15 September 1943.