Crown Colony of Malacca

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Crown Colony of Malacca
Jajahan Mahkota Melaka (Malay)
1946–1957
Anthem: God Save the King/Queen
Location of Malacca
Location of Malacca
StatusBritish Crown Colony
State of the Federation of Malaya
CapitalMalacca Town
Common languagesEnglish, Malay, Chinese, Tamil and other languages
GovernmentBritish Crown colony
Monarchs 
• 1946–1952
George VI
• 1952–1957
Elizabeth II
Residents-Councillor 
• 1956–1957
Maurice John Hayward (acting)
Historical eraPost-war · Cold War
• Dissolution of the Straits Settlements
1 April 1946
• Independence as part of the Federation of Malaya
31 August 1957
CurrencyMalayan dollar
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Straits Settlements
Federation of Malaya
Today part ofMalaysia

Malacca was a British Crown colony from 1946 to 1957. It came under British sovereignty after the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, and had been part of the Straits Settlements until 1946.[1]

During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. Following the disbandment of the Straits Settlements in the aftermath of World War II, Penang and Malacca evolved into Crown colonies within the Federation of Malaya, while Singapore transformed into an individual Crown colony distinct from Malaya.[2] In 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman held a meeting with the British to discuss the end of British rule in Malacca with a merger with Malayan Union (which was then replaced by Federation of Malaya). On 31 August 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence from the United Kingdom, Malacca was integrated as part of the federation, which later known as Malaysia when it merged with another territories in British Borneo.[3]

Resident Commissioners[edit]

  • Sep 1945 - 31 Mar 1946, James Calder (acting)
  • 1946 - Nov 1947, Edward Victor Grace Day
  • 24 Nov 1947 - 7 Mar 1949, John Falconer
  • 1949, William Cecil Taylor
  • 25 Oct 1949 - 1954, George Evans Cameron Wisdom
  • 20 Dec 1950 - 9 Jan 1951, Jonathan Edgar Meredith Cave, acting for Wisdom
  • 20 Dec 1951 - 6 Jan 1952, Jonathan Edgar Meredith Cave, acting for Wisdom
  • 18 Apr 1952 - 21 Oct 1952, Harold George Hammett
  • 21 Apr 1954 - 31 Aug 1957, Harold George Hammett
  • 28 Aug 1954 - 15 Sep 1954, Fulwar Rupert Caven Fowle, acting for Hammett
  • 25 Sep 1956 - Feb 1957, Maurice John Hayward, acting for Hammett
  • 1957, Albert William Nicholson

References[edit]

  1. ^ A. GUTHRIE (of the Straits Settlements, and OTHERS.) (1861). The British Possessions in the Straits of Malacca. [An Address to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Signed by A. Guthrie and Others, and Dated April 20th, 1861, in Reference to the Transfer of the Administration of the British Possessions in the Straits of Malacca to the Colonial Office.]. pp. 1–.
  2. ^ "The Straits Settlements is Dissolved". National Library Board, Singapore. 1 April 1946. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  3. ^ Cheah Boon Kheng (June 2009). "The Communist Insurgency in Malaysia, 1948–90: Contesting the Nation-State and Social Change" (PDF). National University of Singapore. New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. p. 133/2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2015.