Shortland Islands
The former Tindal family home and other buildings continued to be used as a trading store until the start of the Pacific War in early 1942. At the start of the war, the British government ordered all European inhabitants to be evacuated by boat from the Solomon Islands. Faisi Island was first island in the Solomons which was occupied by Japanese forces. Faisi became the headquarters for the Japanese 8th Fleet, and some five thousand soldiers were garrisoned there. The Allies considered invading in August 1943 but chose instead to bypass the Shortlands for Bougainville and the Treasury Islands, so the Japanese controlled the Shortland Islands until the war's end. After the war, the Shortland Islands were re-established as a leading copra producing area. Today, the Faisi Island is uninhabited.