33. Anguilla Gains Its… Continued Colonization
The British invasion of Anguilla was ridiculed by the world press. Newsweek headlined it “The Lion That Meowed“. Time Magazine termed it “Britain’s Bay of Piglets“. Referring to the incompetent British diplomat who triggered it all, the Spectator termed it “The War of Whitlock’s Ear“. Whitlock was fired, and never again worked for Britain’s government.
The invasion force departed a few months later, to be replaced by British Army engineers brought in to improve Anguilla’s infrastructure. A more competent diplomat was sent, and he worked out a solution. Anguilla got its own constitution and effectively seceded from St. Kitts and Nevis in 1976, and formally disassociated from them in 1980 to become a British dependency. St. Kitts and Nevis went on to gain full independence in 1983, but Anguilla remains a British Overseas Territory to this day.