The Anglican Church in Melanesia has a roll of those who are honoured as martyrs for the faith. The best known are:-

• John Coleridge Patteson, the first bishop, and those with him were attacked on the island of Santa Cruz. While Patteson was not hurt Fisher Young and Edwin Nobbs, two Norfolk Islanders, were wounded with arrows, contracted tetanus and died. Fisher Young in particular is remembered for his forgiving attitude to his murderers.
• John Coleridge Patteson was murdered 7 years later on Nukapu, along with 2 others, Joseph Atkin, a New Zealand priest, and Stephen Taroaniara. Atkin returned to shore even though wounded, to recover the body of Patteson. Taroaniara, in spite of intense suffering, asked his friends not to think of revenge. The way in which he endured his pain made a great impression on those who had known him before his conversion.
• Arthur Ako a leading mission teacher in the south of Malaita, with 15 converts from Fiji founded a Christian village and a school at Kwara’ae, Fiu in 1898. Within 2 years, the village’s population was about 100. Hostile neighbors harassed the villagers. Arthur was murdered in his garden in 1904. The village remained, becoming a center of the spread of faith in the area.
• James Ivo, a teacher from Nggela, was shot dead at Ngorefou in 1906.
• James Sili, falsely accused of sorcery, was fatally shot on the veranda of the mission-house in 1910.
• Rev Charles Godden, was the first Australian missionary to die in Melanesia. He came to the island of Aoba in the northern New Hebrides in 1902, he was killed in 1906 by a Melanesian who had been enslaved in Queensland and sought revenge on a European.
• The first Reef Islander ordained, Ben Teilo, was attacked and killed in 1926 after 7 years of ministry.
• During a period of civil unrest in the Solomon Islands, a group of guerrilla rebels led by Harold Keke tortured and killed Nathaniel Sado, and 6 other members of the Melanesian Brotherhood, who were trying to bring about peace, including Robin Lindsay assistant head Brother, Francis Tofi, Alfred Hill, Ini Paratabatu, Patteson Gatu, and Tony Sirihi.

Although these are the best known of those who died for their faith in Melanesia, there are many others who suffered for their faith, and others again who died of illness or in accidents in the proclamation of the gospel. They are all honoured by the church for their witness.