Brief History The Portugese and French had already visited the islands before Captain Cook became the first British person to land there in 1774. It was he who mapped the chain of islands and named them as the New Hebrides. European missionaries and sandalwood traders settled on the fringes of islands from the 1840s. However, as indentured servitude became a more common and important source of labour through the Pacific region, returning islanders demanded more rights and privileges. So much so that they competed with the influence of the European settlers and traders. To protect the interests of the mainly British missionaries and mainly French planters, the British and French governments established rudimentary political control with a Joint Naval Commission in 1887. This was succeeded in 1906 by an Anglo-French condominium, under which resident commissioners in the capital, Vila, retained responsibility over their own nationals and jointly ruled over the local people. This administrative arrangement had little impact, however, on the indigenous peoples. During the Second World War the islands took on a new strategic significance for air and seaplane bases primarily for the US. Independence was agreed upon at a 1977 conference in Paris attended by British, French, and New Hebrides representatives. They became fully independent within the Commonwealth under the name of the Republic of Vanuatu on July 30, 1980.

Flag of New Hebrides Map of Polynesia, 1883 1884 Map of New Hebrides Map of Eromanga and Tana Map of Aneityum Map of Torres Islands Map of Vanua Lava Map of Gaua Map of Omba Map of Raga and Maewo Map of Ambrim Map of Epi Map of Segond and Bruat Channels Map of Efate Map of Malekula Map of Espiritu Santo Map of Vila 1943 Map of New Hebrides 1944 Map of Torres Islands 1944 Map of Espiritu Santo 1944 Map of Aurora 1944 Map of Malekula 1944 Map of Efate 1944 Map of Eromanga New Hebrides Images National Archive New Hebrides Images Administrators 1906 - 1980 Articles New Hebrides to Vanuatu: The Contribution of Keith Woodward, OBE (1930-2014) Brian Bresnihan gives an appreciation and overview of the life and work of of Keith Woodward in preparing New Hebrides for Independence given its peculiar condominium status between Britain and France. The Lap of Luxury R E N Smith explains the housing situation for colonial officers like himself serving in the Pacific in the post-war period. On Being a Pacific Sea-Dog R.E.N. Smith explains the role of the sea in allowing him to conduct his affairs as a British District Agent in the Anglo-French New Hebrides Condominium. He goes on to compare the respective approaches (and at times - rivarly) between the British and French as they sought to administer this far flung and dispersed archipelago. Vive Le Royaume Uni! R. E. N. Smith recalls the strange administrative arrangements in New Hebrides that saw him being included in the State visit of President De Gaulle of France to the port of Vila. He also wonders if it is the only time that the French President uttered the words "Vive Le Royaume Uni!" The Volcano David Browning thought that he was part of an elaborate April Fool's Day joke in the New Hebrides when he discovered that he was involved in a much more sinister plot. Further Reading From the Middle Temple to the South Seas by Gilchrist Alexander Tufala Gavman: Reminiscences From The Anglo-French Condominium Of The New Hebrides edited by Brian Bresnihan Journey of a Lifetime by Olive Champion Doctor In Vanuatu - A Memoir by Dr E A (Ted) Freeman Coconuts and Coral by Gwendoline Page Of Cargoes, Colonies And Kings by Andrew Stuart Nowhere Near Greenland by Barry Weightman A Political Memoir of the Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides by Keith Woodward