British Honduras in 1914

Overview

British Honduras (now Belize), on the east coast of Central America, became a Crown Colony in 1862. In 1914, it was sparsely populated, with about 40,000 inhabitants. It took an active part in the war effort, sending troops and contributing funds to the British Red Cross, the Belgian Relief Fund and the Prince of Wales’s Relief Fund. Although the territory itself, being so geographically remote, was not affected by the war, restrictions imposed on exports, in particular on the mahogany market, did take their toll.

Home Front

Belize, Mahogony at Belize River 1917

CO 1069/254

When the war broke out, British Honduras was a rather prosperous colony. The accounts show a neat surplus in the Treasury, with an economy mainly relying on timber and fruits. However, it suffered a setback in late 1914: trade, and therefore revenues, decreased significantly while the prices of imported foodstuffs surged.

 The value of trade improved in 1915, mainly because the Admiralty and the War Office bought almost the whole of British Honduras’ mahogany output for 1916 and 1917 to build aeroplane propellers (CO 123/286). There was a notable increase in revenues in 1918, when the value of the trade was greater than it had been in 1913.

 On 5 August 1914, in accordance with section 23 of the 1897 Volunteer Ordinance, the whole of the volunteer force was called for military service (CO 127/16). The colony was, however, hardly under direct threat, and a request for guns, ammunition and men was met rather ironically by the Colonial Office. ‘The Governor of British Honduras is unnecessarily alarmed. It is true that it is often the unlikely that happens in a war. Nonetheless I cannot conceive that there is any chance of an enemy’s warship making a ‘determined attack’ on Belize and attempting to gain ‘possession of the colony’.

British Honduras contingent

The Barracks from Provost Gate

CO 1069/252

In total, British Honduras contributed 534 men to the Imperial forces (CO 123/290). The greater part of the contingent served on the Tigris with the Mesopotamia Inland Water Transport corps (CO 123/287).

The first contingent, made up of one officer and 128 men, under the command of Lieutenant Furness, was sent overseas with the British West Indies Regiment. This was described as ‘the principal event of the year – and perhaps in the history of the Colony for the last fifty years’ (CO 123/285). The Governor was concerned that they might not ‘prove fit after arrival in a cold climate’ (CO 123/283) and indeed, a number of these men were discharged for medical reasons (WO 372/9/133417). As a result, in October 1916 the suggestion that men should be sent to France to join a labour battalion was rejected on the grounds that they ‘would probably not stand the rigours of a French winter’ (CO 123/285).

In July 1916, a second contingent of 406 men and four officers was sent to the front. These men had received thorough training, which enabled the Governor to state proudly: ‘there is very little work required to be done on the spot for an army on active service which cannot be done by the British Honduras Contingent without outside assistance’ (CO 123/285).

Key figures

Key documents

• British Honduras, later Belize, Government Gazettes, 1914-1919 CO 127/16-18
• Despatches from Wilfred Collet, Governor of British Honduras, 1914-1917 CO 123/278-287
• Despatches from Robert Walter, acting Governor of British Honduras, 1917-1918 CO 123/288-290
• Despatches, 1918 CO 123/291
• Despatches from William Hart Bennett, Governor of British Honduras (items 1-15), and from Robert Walter, officer administering the government (16-end), 1918 CO 123/292