For the William Mariner who won the Victoria Cross in the First World War, see William Mariner (Victoria Cross winner) Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... William Mariner was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

William Mariner was an Englishman who lived in the Tonga Islands from 1807 to 1811. He wrote an account of his experiences, Tonga Islands, that is now one of the major sources of information on pre-Christian Tonga.

Mariner's sojourn in Tonga

William Mariner was a teenaged ship's clerk aboard the British privateer Port Au Prince. The ship anchored off the Tongan island of Lifuka, in the Ha'apai island group, and was seized by the Tongan strongman Fīnau 'Ulukalala on 1 December 1806. Most of the crew were killed in the takeover, but Mariner and several colleagues were spared by Fīnau. Fīnau assumed responsibility for Mariner, taking him into his retinue. Mariner lived in Tonga for four years, predominantly in the northern island group of Vava'u. Haapai is the name given to a group of islands,islets,reefs and shoals that is part of Tonga. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones. ...

On his return to England he wrote a full account of his time in the Tonga Islands as well as a description of Tongan life and a Tongan dictionary and thesaurus.

Mariner's books

There are two major versions of Mariner's writings. The original version was first written in 1818, wil the help of Dr. John Martin. It has been reprinted many times and is currently available from the Vava'u Press of Tonga. There is also a modern, annotated edition with corrected modern Tongan spelling by Paul W. Dale, first published in 1996.

• Tonga Islands: William Mariner's account : an account of the natives of the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, with an original grammar and vocabulary of their language. Vava'u Press; 4th ed., 1981. ASIN B0006EB4WI.

• The Tonga Book by Paul W Dale. Minerva Press, 1996. ISBN 185863797X.

Other books relating to Mariner

• Toki: A Tongan trilogy : a historical novel based on the Polynesian life of Will Mariner and Finau Ulukalala of Tonga, by Louise Lose Finau. Simmons Pub. Co., 1996. ISBN 0966746309.

External links

• Excerpt from Mariner's account of the capture of the Port Au Prince]