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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... gave Britain $ 4 billion worth of money and supplies . At the end of the war , when America made its famous loan to Britain of £ 3.75 billion , Canada loaned $ 1.25 billion , and in 1946 Canada cancelled Britain's war debt ( including ...
... gave money or goods to the British imperial war effort . By late 1943 over £ 770,000 had been donated by private individuals , including £ 7363 from the people of British Somaliland for the purchase of Spitfires ( enough for one and a ...
... gave me a copy of his paper ' Admiralty House and the Royal Navy at Trincomalee , 1810-1957 ' ( 1980 ) . 2. A. Jackson , ' Refitting the Fleet in Ceylon : The War Record of Walker Sons & Company ' , Journal of Indian Ocean Studies , 10 ...