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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... bases on the islands of Mayaguana and Exuma ) ; Jamaica ( a naval base at Goat Island in Portland Bight , two miles off the mainland , and an air base at Fort Simonds ) ; St Lucia ( a naval air station on Gros islet for seaplanes and an ...
Ashley Jackson. the region . Overall headquarters were at the shore base HMS Lanka in Colombo , with HMS Highflyer the shore base at Trincomalee , commissioned in April 1942 . ( By 1944 there were 2000 officers and ratings accommodated ...
... base . It retained , however , its importance in other areas . It remained an important link in the imperial chain between Africa and the Far East , valued for its refuelling and servicing facilities in sheltered waters . It was also ...