Cook Islands Local Defence Force

The Cook Islands Local Defence Force was a military and civil defense force active in the Cook Islands from 1941 to 1945. The force was created in response to World War II, which threatened the security of the islands.

History

Background

The Cook Islands had become a British protectorate in 1888, which granted the islands the protection of the British Empire. The decision to offer the islands protectorate status was done in part to expand British influence in the South Pacific, while also serving to counter growing French influence in the region. The islands were annexed into the empire in 1900, with the new territories being placed under the administration of the Colony of New Zealand and forming an administrative department in 1903.

The territory contributed several detachments of soldiers to the British war effort during World War I, serving mainly in Egypt and Palestine, but the islands were otherwise not involved in the conflict.

Formation

Following the British Empire's entry into World War II in September 1939, Cook Islanders began to take notice of the conflict. Less than two weeks after the British entry into the-then European theatre of the war, a local resident made a report on the island's defenses and drew up a list of likely targets. Though the islands were remote and had relatively minor strategic value, the report noted that the islands could be attacked by a hostile nation seeking to disrupt the isolated radio station present on the islands. The report recommended the formation of a 100-strong volunteer force made up from local islanders and commanded by NCOs with experience from the previous world war.