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The Impact of Britain’s Loss of Singapore To Relations with Australia During World War II and Beyond
British colonists and prisoners first settled in Australia in 1788, and well over a century later, the Australians identified themselves as British first and Australian a distant second.
That changed during Australia’s national awakening during the 20th century.
Those two key events were the disaster at Gallipoli in 1915 during World War I from 1914 to 1919; over 50,000 Australians served on Gallipoli during the eight-month campaign, and over 8,700 lost their lives, while some 18,000 were wounded.
The evacuation, completed over 19–20 December 1915, was a success, with very few men becoming casualties.
And the focus of the discussion today will focus on the loss of Singapore in 1941 to the Japanese Empire.
The loss of Singapore in 1941 was a critical sign for the future relations between Britain and Australia.
In 1941, the British inability to hold Singapore was seen as a betrayal due to their failure to guarantee the protection of Australia from the hands of the Japanese.
This traumatic event also led to the Japanese bombing Australia directly during World War II, an event often referred to as Australia’s Pearl Harbor.
