Authors and Contributors this page: T.F. Mills
Page created 23 January 1996. Corrected and updated 11.07.2004
 

British Pacific Territories

1762 to independence
flag of the Western Pacific High Commissioner, 1905-1953
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Military News
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Brief Const. & Mil. History of the British Pacific Islands to independence
       
Note: see also Papua New Guinea
       
  1756-1763 Seven Years War  
  1762.09 Britain invaded and occupied Philippines  
  1763.02.10 Treaty of Paris: Britain ceded Philippines back to Spain  
1768-1771 Capt. James Cook's first voyage of discovery: proved insultarity of New Zealand, and discovered east coast of Australia
1772-1775 Cook's second voyage: explored New Hebrides, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island
1776-1779 Cook's third voyage: discovered Christmas Island (Kiribati) and Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) (18 Jan. 1778), and he was killed there (14 Feb. 1779)
1790 Pitcairn discovered and settled by HMS Bounty mutineers
1793 French Revolutionary Wars
1796 Fanning Island and Gilbert Island discovered
1802.03.25 Treaty of Amiens, ending French Revolutionary wars
1803.05 Napoleonic Wars
1814.05.30 Treaty of Paris, ending Napoleonic wars
  1839 Pitairn annexed by Britain  
  1843.02.25 Hawaii provisionally ceded to Britain  
  1843.11.28 Britain and France recognised Hawaiian independence, and promised not to annex, but a number of Americans held administrative and judicial offices  
  1874 Britain annexed Fiji, beginning expansionist policy in Pacific to counter French and German annexations that threatened Australia and New Zealand  
  1877 British Western Pacific Territories organised (Fiji, New Hebrides, Pitcairn, Cook Islands, Niue, Nauru, Union Islands, Phoenix Islands, Tonga, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, and the British Solomon Islands)  
  1880.03.24 Britain, United States and Germany recognised Samoan independence, and provided one representative each on king's executive council  
  1887.07.24 German military intervention in Samoan civil war, provoking British and American military responses  
  1887 Britain and France established condominium over New Hebrides  
  1888.03.15 Britain annexed Fanning Island (Kiribati) to provide a secure "All Red Route" (i.e. British) for proposed trans-Pacific cable  
  1888 British Protectorate of Cook Islands  
  1892 Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands became British Protectorates  
  1893.01 American marines landed in Hawaii to protect property during constitutional unrest and proclaimed a protectorate (1 Feb. 1893)  
  1893 Solomon Islands came under British dominion  
  1898.08.12 United States formally annexed Hawaii (and acquired Philippines and Guam from war with Spain)  
  1899.11.14 Britain ceded interests in Samoa to Germany and United States  
  1900 Tonga became a British Protectorate  
  1901 Nuie separated from Western Pacific Territories  
  1901 Cook Islands turned over to New Zealand administration  
  1902 Trans-Pacific cable completed, linking Vancouver to New Zealand and Australia via Norfolk Island, Fiji and Fanning Island  
1914-18 First World War: Germany lost all Pacific possessions to Japan, Australia and New Zealand
1914 German Protectorate of Nauru occupied by Australia
1914 German (western) Samoa invaded by New Zealand
1915 Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorates linked as a single Colony
1919.05.07 Nauru became a League of Nations Mandated territory jointly administered by Britain, Australia and New Zealand
1921 Nauru separated from Western Pacific Territories
1922 Samoa became a League of Nations Mandate administered by New Zealand
1926 Union Islands separated from Western Pacific Territories
1939 Phoenix Islands separated from Western Pacific Territories
1939-45 Second World War
1941 Gilbert Islands occupied by Japan
1942 Nauru, Solomon Islands occupied by Japan
1943 Gilbert Islands and Solomon Islands liberated by American forces
1945 remaining Japanese conquests in Pacific liberated by Australian, New Zealand and American forces
1947 Nauru became a UN Trust Territory jointly administered by Australia, New Zealand and Britain; Western Samoa became a UN Trust Territory administered by New Zealand
1952 Fiji, Pitcairn and Tonga separated from Western Pacific Territories and government moved to Solomon Islands
1962 Western Samoa independence
1968 Nauru independence
1970 Fiji independence
1970 Tonga independence
1971 Gilbert and Ellice Islands separated from Western Pacific Territories
1974 Solomon Islands separated from Western Pacific Territories
1976.01.01 Western Pacific Territories dissolved
1976 Gilbert and Ellice Islands administration split in order to pursue separate paths to independence
1978 Solomon Islands independence
1978 Tuvalu independence
1979 Gilbert Islands independence as Kiribati
1980 New Hebrides independence as Vanuatu
       

NOTE:  See individual nations for post-independence history and institutions. Remaining UK Overseas Territories (formerly called colonies) in the Pacific as of 2003 are Pitcairn Islands. (See also Australia, and New Zealand for dependent territories under their administration).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
for wars, campaigns and operations, see below
 
  • General
  • Colonial Period
  • Independence Period, 1960s-
    • see individual nations
 
 
 
  • General
  • Reserves and Auxiliaries
  • Historical Periods
  • Garrison Lists
  • Re-Enactors
 
 
Index of Formations
Index of Wars
 
  • Contemporary
  • Historical
  • Re-Enactors
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • Uniforms
  • Badges & Insignia
  • Medals and Decorations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • Discussion Groups
  • Historical Societies
 
 
 
  • Books
  • Periodicals
  • Fiction
  • Films