British Western Pacific Territories
| British Western Pacific Territories | |||||
| Colonial entity | |||||
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Anthem God Save the Queen |
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| Capital |
Suva 1877–1952 Honiara 1952–1976 |
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| Languages |
English (official)
Fijian, Tongan |
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| Government | Constitutional monarchy, colony | ||||
| High Commissioner | |||||
| • | 1877–1880 |
Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon (1st) |
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| • | 1973–1976 |
Sir Donald Luddington (23rd and final) |
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| Chief Judicial Commissioner | |||||
| • | 1877–1882 |
Sir John Gorrie (1st) |
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| • | 1965–1975 |
Sir Jocelyn Bodilly (14th and final) |
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| Historical era | 19th and 20th Centuries | ||||
| • | Western Pacific Order in Council | 13 August 1877 1877 | |||
| • | Dissolution | 2 January 1976 1976 | |||
| Currency | British pound sterling | ||||
| Today part of |
 Cook Islands Fiji Kiribati Nauru Niue Pitcairn Islands Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
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Fijian, Tongan
various Austronesian languages regionally
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 for the Western Pacific, of a series of Pacific islands in and around Oceania. Except for Fiji and the Solomon Islands, most of these colonial possessions were relatively minor.
The composition of the territories varied over time. The most durable members were Fiji (from 1877 to 1952) and the Solomon Islands (from 1893 to 1976). Between 1942 and 1945, the high commission was suspended. While most islands were under British military administration, the Solomon Islands and Gilbert Islands came under Japanese occupation.
The position of Western Pacific High Commissioner was formalized by the Western Pacific Order in Council 1877 by the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Article 12 established a High Commissioner's Court for the Western Pacific.
In 1952, Fiji was separated from the High Commission. Following this, the High Commissioner's post moved to Honiara in the Solomon Islands, and the High Commissioner was also the Governor of the Solomon Islands. The High Commissioner's Court, however, continued to meet in Suva, with the Chief Justice of Fiji continuing as Chief Judicial Commissioner for another decade, until 1962, when the two offices were separated. Under the Western Pacific (Courts) Order in Council, gazetted on 15 August 1961 and effective from 9 April 1962, the High Commissioner's Court was renamed the High Court of the Western Pacific and relocated to the Solomon Islands. The court consisted of a Chief Justice (as the office of Chief Judicial Commissioner was renamed) and two puisne judges, one based in Port Vila, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), and the other in Tarawa, Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Kiribati and Tuvalu).
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