British Western Pacific Territories Totally Explained

Everything about The British Western Pacific Territories totally explained

The British Western Pacific Territories was the name of a colonial entity, created in 1877, for the administration, under a single representative of the British Crown, styled High Commissioner (compare other uses of this title), of a series of relatively minor Pacific islands in and around Oceania

The island entities

Gilbert and Ellice Islands to 1971 (currently: Kiribati in Micronesia respectively Tuvalu in Polynesia)
Phoenix Islands to 1939 (The nearly uninhabited eight atolls are currently part of Kiribati)
In Polynesia
Cook Islands (The 15 small islands are now a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand)
Niue [to1901] (also known as "Rock of Polynesia"; currently self-governing, in free association with New Zealand)
Union Islands [to1926] (currently Tokelau)
the native kingdom of Tonga [to1952]
The Pitcairn Islands [to1952] (five islands, of which only Pitcairn Island — the second largest — is inhabited, the only remaining British colony in the Pacific; became home of the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and accompanying Tahitians)
cfr. supra Tuvalu
In Micronesia
Nauru till 1921 (After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations Mandate territory in 1920, administered by Australia; in 1947, a trusteeship was approved by the United Nations; it achieved independence in 1968)
cfr. supra Kiribati
In Melanesia
Fiji; its governor, in Suva, was also the joint High Commissioner until it was separated from the High commission in 1952
the British Solomon Islands [to 1974]; their governor, in Honoria, was also the High Commissioner, after Fiji had left, since 1952
New Hebrides (present Vanuatu), a condominium shared with France, which appointed its own Haut commissaire here

List of High Commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

The office was never an independent one, but always filled ex officio the Governorship of one of the constitutive British islands colonies

High Commissioners for the Western Pacific and Governors of Fiji (1877–1953)

Administered from Suva, Fiji:

Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon, 1877–January 1880

Sir George William Des Vœux, January 1880–January 1887

Sir Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell, January 1887–February 1888

Sir John Bates Thurston, February 1888–7 February 1897

Sir George Thomas Michael O'Brien, March 1897–1901

William Lamond Allardyce, 1901–10 September 1902, acting

Sir Henry Moore Jackson, 10 September 1902–11 October 1904

Sir Everard F. im Thurn, 11 October 1904–21 February 1911

Sir Francis Henry May, 21 February 1911–25 July 1912

Sir Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott, 25 July 1912–10 October 1918

Cecil Hunter Rodwell, 10 October 1918–25 April 1925

Sir Eyre Hutson, 25 April 1925–22 November 1929

Sir Arthur George Murchison Fletcher, 22 November 1929–28 November 1936

Sir Arthur Frederick Richards, 28 November 1936–16 September 1938

Sir Harry Charles Luke, 16 September 1938–1942 Between 1942 and 1945, the high commission was suspended. While most islands were under British military administration, the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands and Phoenix islands came under Japanese occupation.

Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham, 1945–1946

Sir Leslie Brian Freeston, 20 January 1948–3 July 1952

High Commissioners for the Western Pacific and Governors of the Solomon Islands (1953–1976)

In 1953, Fiji was separated from the High Commission. Following this, the High Commissioner's post moved to Honiara, Solomon Islands, and the High Commissioner was also the Governor of the Solomon Islands.

Sir Robert Christopher Stafford Stanley, 3 July 1952–1952

Henry Graham Gregory-Smith, 1952–1955

John Gutch, 1955–4 March 1961

David Trench, 4 March 1961–16 June 1964

Sir Robert Sidney Foster, 16 June 1964–6 March 1969

Sir Michael David Irving Gass, 6 March 1969–July 1971 � vacant

Donald Collin Cumyn Luddington, 1973–2 January 1976 On 2 January 1976 the office and the entity were abolished, after nearly all island groups had been given separate statehood.

Further Information

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Everything about The British Western Pacific Territories totally explained

The island entities

In Polynesia

In Micronesia

In Melanesia

List of High Commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

High Commissioners for the Western Pacific and Governors of Fiji (1877–1953)

High Commissioners for the Western Pacific and Governors of the Solomon Islands (1953–1976)