Abstract:
What follows is an interpretation of the immediate circumstances leading to the appointment of the first resident commissioner for the British Solomon Islands
Protectorate, of the expectations held by him, the Colonial Office and the western Pacific High Commission for the group and of the success experienced in trying
to realise these. As an account of the impact of Charles M. Woodford upon the islands this essay does not dwell at any length upon the affairs of the other
Europeans within the protectorate - Woodford's assistants, minor traders, development syndicates and Christian
missionaries - nor of the native inhabitants,
except where these relate to the central theme. Likewise, anecdotal material concerning Woodford's family affairs, his marY journeys to Australia and England and
his continuing work as a naturalist has been omitted.