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The Bat Bomb Invention and Other Odd Facts from History and War

Khalid Elhassan May 10, 2020 33 min

34. The British Invasion of Anguilla

The British invasion of Anguilla in 1969. International Magazine Services

The Anguillians were understandably upset by the disrespect shown them by British diplomat William Whitlock. Some young toughs who styled themselves Anguilla’s Defense Force brandished firearms, which caused Whitlock to promptly flee the island. London, mistakenly believing that the Queen’s representative had been fired upon and violently ejected from Anguilla, organized an invasion.

British paratroopers patrolling Anguilla. What We Do In Anguilla

Codenamed Operation Sheepskin, the invasion was an open secret, giving the Anguillians plenty of time to prepare. They did so by completely demilitarizing the island, rounding up all firearms and burying them. On March 19^th, 1969, the invasion force of 2 frigates, 135 paratroopers, and 40 Scotland Yard cops, landed in Anguilla. They met no resistance, but were greeted instead by welcoming crowds and a horde of journalists.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.