Cocos Islands mutiny
Sri Lankan soldiers mutinied against British officers in May 1942.
The Cocos Islands mutiny occurred on 8 May 1942, during the Second World War, when Sri Lankan soldiers rebelled against their British officers on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Their goal was to take over the islands and put the British garrison out of action. The uprising failed, and the rebels were dealt with; three leaders received death sentences, making them the only British Commonwealth troops executed for mutiny in that war.
Before the war, units of the Ceylon Defence Force, such as the Ceylon Garrison Artillery, the Ceylon Light Infantry, and the Ceylon Volunteer Medical Corps, were called up on 2 September 1939. The artillery had 6-inch guns. Some of these troops were sent to the Seychelles and the Cocos Islands, along with contingents from the infantry and medical corps. About 75 personnel from the Ceylon Defence Force were stationed on the Cocos Islands, commanded by Captain George Gardiner, a Colombo accountant who had received an emergency war commission. Two 6-inch guns were placed on Direction Island in the Cocos Atoll, alongside a platoon of the King's African Rifles.
The sinking of the battleships *Prince of Wales* and *Repulse*, along with the fall of Singapore, severely damaged British and Imperial defenses north of Australia and east of India, much like the attack on Pearl Harbor had done to the Americans. Japanese raids into the Indian Ocean, which sank two cruisers and the aircraft carrier HMS *Hermes*, threw Allied plans in the southwest Pacific into disarray. As Japan succeeded, public opinion in Ceylon shifted in their favor. Encouraged by Japanese-backed rebellions in Indonesia and support for Japan in Thailand, Sinkiang, and the Philippines, many Ceylonese hoped the Japanese would help them gain independence. J.R. Jayawardene held talks with the Japanese toward this end, but D. S. Senanayake stopped this, choosing to work with the colonial government and later becoming the first Prime Minister after independence in 1948.
On the night of 8 May, 30 of the 56 Ceylon Garrison Artillery soldiers on Horsburgh Island mutinied, planning to hand the islands to Japan.
Quick Facts
- Conflict
- Cocos Islands mutiny
- Part Of
- World War II
- Date
- 8 May 1942
- Location
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Result
- British victory
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
On the night of 8 May 1942, 30 out of 56 personnel of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island mutinied, intending to hand the islands over to the Japanese. The plan was to arrest Captain Gardiner, the British Battery Commanding Officer and his deputy, disarm loyal troops, turn the 6-inch guns on the CLI troops on Direction Island, and signal the Japanese on Christmas Island. The mutineers proved poor shots with small arms; Gunner Samaris Jayasekera was killed, Lieutenant Stephens was wounded, and the rebels' sole Bren gun jammed as Gratien Fernando aimed it at Gardiner. The rebels were overpowered when they attempted to turn the 6-inch guns on Direction Island.
Reader's Guide
The Cocos Islands mutiny represents a rare instance of organized resistance within British Commonwealth forces during World War II, motivated by pro-Japanese sentiment and anti-colonial hopes. The three executed mutineers—Gratien Fernando, Carlo Augustus Gauder, and G. Benny de Silva—were the only British Commonwealth servicemen executed for mutiny in the war. The mutiny led to the suspension of promotions and denial of campaign medals for the Ceylon Defence Force detachment, and no Ceylonese regiment of the fighting arms was deployed by the British afterward. The event later became a reference point for anti-colonial agitation by the LSSP, as public opposition to British colonial rule grew.
Did You Know?
- The mutineers' sole Bren gun jammed at a crucial moment as leader Gratien Fernando aimed it at Captain Gardiner.
- Gunner Samaris Jayasekera was killed during the mutiny and later reburied at Singapore's Kranji War Memorial.
- The three executed mutineers were the only British Commonwealth servicemen executed for mutiny during the Second World War.
- The mutineers attempted to signal the Japanese on Christmas Island, which the Japanese had occupied on 31 March 1942.
More in Rebellions against the British Empire 1-24
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