The British Empire and the Second World WarIn 1939 Hitler went to war not just with Great Britain; he also went to war with the whole of the British Empire, the greatest empire that there had ever been. In the years since 1945 that empire has disappeared, and the crucial fact that the British Empire fought together as a whole during the war has been forgotten. All the parts of the empire joined the struggle and were involved in it from the beginning, undergoing huge changes and sometimes suffering great losses as a result. The war in the desert, the defence of Malta and the Malayan campaign, and the contribution of the empire as a whole in terms of supplies, communications and troops, all reflect the strategic importance of Britain's imperial status. Men and women not only from Australia, New Zealand and India but from many parts of Africa and the Middle East all played their part. Winston Churchill saw the war throughout in imperial terms. The British Empire and the Second World War emphasises a central fact about the Second World War that is often forgotten. |
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... Kenya , where he was to remain for over seven years . In the early years of the war Kenya was preoccupied with military affairs . So long as Italian military power survived in East Africa the colony was within the zone of active ...
... Kenya for more food for the imperial forces serving under Middle East Command , and the Kenyan government responded ... Kenya , enacted by the Defence ( African Labour for Essential Undertakings ) Regu- lation . Thereby farms producing ...
... Kenya overcome periods of shortage . These efforts were never enough , however , to make up for the fact that the demands of military recruitment and food production for export left Kenya short of food for domestic consumption ...