The Great Myth of Britain’s “Great Betrayal”

The myth of a Great Betrayal by Britain during the Second World War has taken root in Australia, not just in the minds of parochial scholars, but in a hazy Anglophobia amongst the general population. Fortunately, an American scholar at Melbourne University (Augustine Meaher IV, The Road to Singapore: The Myth of British Betrayal, Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2010, 268 pages, $39.95) has stripped away the naive excuses and selective use of sources characterising what he calls Australia’s “national myth”.

Augustine Meaher IV’s grandfather served with US forces in the South Pacific during the war. Inspired by this family history, Meaher came to Australia seeking an area of study distinct from the American parochialism of US institutions, and discovered a prime example of Australian parochialism instead. Australians can be grateful for his scholarly demolition of our local mythology.

The myth of British betrayal insinuated itself into public consciousness when the then Prime…