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Fall Of Singapore Essay

Decent Essays

On the 9th of February 1942, three divisions of Japanese soldiers landed in Singapore, which was at the time a major British military base and presence in the Pacific. Six days later, over 90 000 British, Australian and Indian troops were forced to surrender. It had been believed that Singapore guaranteed the security of Australia during the war, consequently, the fall of Singapore opened Australia to invasion. The fall of Singapore was significant in causing relations between Australia and the United States to increase as in lieu of Britain’s inability to provide economic and military assistance when it was required most, the United States’ capability to provide what Britain could not was instrumental in strengthening bonds.
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Thus, Australia felt Britain could no longer be relied upon. Mark Johnson, an Australian historian, associated with Department of Veteran Affairs, elaborates why the relations with Britain crumbled in The Japanese Advance. He states the Fall of Singapore was blamed on the Australians, and this theme was common with the many British reporters at the time. Johnson calls this claim “grossly unfair” as only 7 of the 42 battalions that were fighting for Singapore were Australian. These accusations affected Australia’s views on its alliance with Britain. Blaming the country for the loss of their defence not only implied that Australia’s duties were not appreciated, it also showed Britain’s untrustworthy attitude towards the situation. This view is corroborated in The Canberra Times in 1942. The journalist states “The loss of Singapore is directly due to the English conception of the British Commonwealth as something that should be run “with preference for English interests.” …All through weary months in which defenses were known to be inadequate, the United Kingdom turned deaf ears to every plea.” This

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