NAURU
See also ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY IN NAURU 1848 - 1945
ANCIENT NAURU 1848 - 1888
The first European reaching the Micronesian island of Nauru was the British sailor
John Fearn (1768 - 1837) in 1798. (1)
Thereafter the island was forgotten by the Westerners until the 1830's when whalers,
traders or adventurers once again reached Nauru and introduced things like alcohol
and firearms.
As a result of these contacts the traditional social relations deteriorated and in
1878 a general civil war that was to last 10 years started.
(1) Traditional Nauru was an union of 12 clans (or tribes?) under the authority
of an elected Head Chief, styled "King" by the Westerners.
The 12 traditional clans (tribes) were :
- Deboe - Emea
- Eamwidara - Eoaru
- Eamwidumwit - Irutsi
- Eamwit - Iruwa
- Eano - Iwi
- Emangum - Ranibok
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HEADS OF STATE
"Kings"
18.. - 18.. Auweyida, deposed during the civil war
(mentioned as no longer ruling in 1881) 18.. - 1920
18.. - 1888 ...
GERMAN DEPENDENCY OF NAURU
In 1886 Nauru was recognized as being within the German zone of influence and two
years later the island was occupied by the German navy, who imposed a protectorate,
ended the civil war and restored law and order.
The island was then included in the zone entrusted to the Jaluit Gesellschaft, a
trading company which already ruled the Marshall Islands.
In 1906 Nauru was integrated into German New Guinea.
It remained a separate "Station District" (Stationbezirk) until 1911, when it was
included in the District Ponape.
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GERMAN CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Imperial Commissioner
Kaiserlicher Kommissar
(toke possession of the island for Germany)
1888 Franz Leopold Sonnenschein, Imperial
Commissioner of Jaluit 1857 - 1897
Representatives of the Jaluit Gesellschaft
1888 - 1889 Robert Rasch*
1893 - 1892 Christian Johannsen
1893 - 1897 Fritz Jung
1898 - 1906 Ludwig Kaiser 1862 - 1906
Station Chiefs
Stationsleiter
(subordinated to the administrators of the Ponape District since 1911)
1906 - 1908 Konrad Geppert 1... - 1908
1908 - 1911 Joseph Siegwanz
1911 - 1912 ... Warnecke
1912 - 1914 Wilhelm Wostrack, surrendered to the
Australians on Nov 06 1914
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NAURU HEAD OF STATE
"King"
1888 - 1920 Auweyida (2x)
BRITISH MANDATED TERRITORY OF NAURU
Shortly after the outbreak of WWI in 1914, Nauru was occupied by Australian forces.
After a brief period of military rule, the island was placed under civilian rule
and attached to the British Western Pacific High Commission.
By the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 Germany formally ceded Nauru to the Allies and
their Associates, who had already entrusted the island as a mandated territory to
the British Empire (Mandate-C confirmed by the League of Nations in 1920).
After the British acceptation of the mandate in 1919, Australia, New Zealand and
the United Kingdom signed the so-called "Nauru Island Agreement" wereby :
- the island was placed under their joint mandate,
- the phosphate exploitation was jointly taken over by the three powers
(s.b. for more on the treaty)
Nauru was occupied by Japanese forces from 1942 to 1945.
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CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
The detachment that occupied Nauru was under the direct authority of Col. William
Holmes (1862 - 1917), Commanding Officer of the AN&MEF.
After his departure only a small garrison remained behind.
Commanding Officer of the Australian Garrison Nauru
1914 Capt. E. C. Norrie
Civil Administrators
(subordinated to the British High Commissioner of the Western Pacific until 1920 -
all Australians)
1914 - 1917 Charles Rufus Marshall Workman 1874 - 1942
1917 - 1921 Geoffrey Whistler Bingham Smith-Rewse 18.. - 1927
1921 - 1927 Thomas Griffiths 1865 - 1947
1927 - 1933 William Augustus Newman
1933 - 1938 Rupert Clare Garsia 1887 - 1943
1938 - 1942 Frederick Roydon Chalmers 1881 - 1943
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BRITISH PHOSPHATE COMMISSIONERS
In 1901 the Jaluit Gesellschaft transferred all its rights over the exploitation
of the important phosphate deposits on Nauru - dicovered in 1900 - to the Pacific
Islands Company (PIC) for a period of 99 years.
The following year the PIC was reorganized into the Pacific Phosphate Company (PPC),
of which the Jaluit Gesellschaft owned an important part of shares. Mining started
in 1906 and Nauru then gradually became the most important provider of phosphate.
(1)
The economic richness of the island was the main reason for its rapid occupation
by Australia in 1914. In the course of the following years the Australian right to
administer the island was somewhat contested by the United Kingdom.
The conflict lasted until 1919 when the already mentioned "Nauru Island Agreement"
was signed between the two powers and New Zealand.
The agreement not only regulated the international position of Nauru and its common
administration, but it also organized the whole phosphate exploitation, which was
entrusted to a Board of Commissioners (the "Phosphate Commissioners") representing
the three powers. (2)
As the Commissioners controlled the whole economy of the island, owned much of its
infrastructure and financed the official administration, they may be considered as
co-administrators of Nauru.
(1) The Jaluit Gesellschaft was also entitled to a royalty for every ton that
was exported.
Chairmen of the PPC
1902 - 1912 Arthur Hamilton Gordon, Baron Stanmore 1829 - 1912
1912 - 19.. Alexander Hugh Bruce, Baron Balfour
of Burleigh 1849 - 1921
See also here for more on the history of the PIC.
(2) In 1920 the Phosphate Commissioners bought out the PPC, which at the same
time also ceded its phosphate exploitation on Ocean (Banaba) Island to the
BPC.
The share of each of the three powers in the operation was 42% for both
Australia and the UK and 16% for New Zealand. The phosphate was only to
be exported to the three countries.
In 1927 the BPC also formalized the unofficial habit of paying a royalty
to the Nauruans, that existed since German times.
British Phosphate COmmissioners
United Kingdom
1920 - 1930 Sir Alwin Dickinson
1930 - 1931 Sir George Saltmarsh
1931 - 1934 Thomas Lodge
1934 - 1946 Sir Arthur Stretton Gaye 1881 - 1960
Australia
1920 J. R. Collins*
1920 - 1926 H. B. Pope
1926 - 1927 P. E. Deane*
1927 - 1946 Sir Clive McPherson
Mew Zealand
1920 - 1951 Sir Albert Fuller Ellis 1869 - 1951
General Manager
1920 - 1954 A. Harold Gaze 18.. - 1954
Managers on Nauru Island
1920 - 1924 J. M. Thompson
1924 - 1933 Matthew Thom
1933 - 1937 F. F. Christian
1937 - 1942 William V. Bott
1942 - 1945 none
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NAURU LEADERS
After the death of "King" Auweyida ca 1920, the Australian administration recognized
a Council of Chiefs which had mainly advisory powers.
Head Chiefs
1921 - 1930 ...
1930 - 1942 Timothy Detudamo 1... - 1953
Governor of the Nauruans
(appointed by the Japanese)
1942 - 1943 Timothy Detudamo, deported to the Truk
islands with most of the population s.a.
1943 - 1946 No Nauruan leader
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JAPANESE COMMANDERS OF NAURU 1942 - 1945
Island Commanders
(additional information will be welcomed - all subordinated to the Commanders-in-
Chief of the 4th Fleet)
1942 ..., Commanding Officer of the 43d Naval
Guard Unit
1942 ...
1942 - 1943 ..., Commanding Officer of the 61st Naval
Guard Unit
1943 - 1945 Capt. Soeda Hisayuka, Commander Officer
of the 67th Naval Guard Unit, surrendered
to the allied forces on Sep 13 1945.
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