Crown Colony of Penang

British colony from 1946 to 1957

Pulau Pinang (Malay)

1946–1957

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: God Save the King (1946–1952)
God Save the Queen (1952–1957)

Location of Penang

Status

Crown colony

Capital

George Town

Common languages

Chinese
English
Malay
Tamil

Government

Colonial Office

Monarch

• 1946–1952

George VI

• 1952–1957

Elizabeth II

Resident-Councillor

• 1946–1948

Sydney Noel King

Historical era

Post-war · Cold War

• Dissolution of the Straits Settlements

1 April 1946

• Independence from the United Kingdom

31 August 1957

Currency

Malayan dollar

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Straits Settlements

Federation of Malaya

Today part of

Malaysia

The Crown Colony of Penang was a British crown colony from 1946 to 1957. It came under British sovereignty after being ceded by the Sultanate of Kedah in 1786, and had been part of the Straits Settlements from 1826 to 1946.^[1] Together with Singapore, it became a crown colony under the direct control of the British Colonial Office in London until it was incorporated into the Malayan Union.^[2]

The British East India Company gained Penang in 1786 and established a trading post.^[3] It was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah to ensure the former's protection against the threat posed by its Siamese and Burmese neighbors.^[4] It was transformed into a Crown Colony, substituting state for company control through the Straits Settlement 1867.^[3] During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945.

After the post-war dissolution of the Straits Settlements Penang and Malacca become crown colonies in the Federation of Malaya, while Singapore became a standalone crown colony, separate from Malaya.^[5] In 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman held a meeting with the British to discuss the end of British rule in Penang with a merger with Malayan Union (which was then replaced by Federation of Malaya). On 31 August 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence from the United Kingdom, Penang was integrated as a state of the federation, which later known as Malaysia when it merged with other territories in British Borneo.^[6]

References

^ A. GUTHRIE (of the Straits Settlements, and OTHERS.) (1861). The British Possessions in the Straits of Malacca. [An Address to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Signed by A. Guthrie and Others, and Dated April 20th, 1861, in Reference to the Transfer of the Administration of the British Possessions in the Straits of Malacca to the Colonial Office.]. pp. 1–.
^ Ooi, Keat Gin (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 1049. ISBN 1576077705.
^ ^a ^b Kratoska, Paul H. (2001). South East Asia, Colonial History: Imperial decline: nationalism and the Japanese challenge (1920s-1940s), Volume 4. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 89. ISBN 0415215439.
^ Graham, Penny F. (1 March 2015). Whatever Remains: A true story of secret lives and hidden families. Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 9781925275032.
^ "The Straits Settlements is Dissolved". National Library Board, Singapore. 1 April 1946. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
^ Cheah Boon Kheng (June 2009). "The Communist Insurgency in Malaysia, 1948–90: Contesting the Nation-State and Social Change" (PDF). National University of Singapore. New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. p. 133/2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

Protectorates and Crown colonies of British Malaya and Borneo

Malaya

Straits Settlements (1826–1946)
Unfederated Malay States (1885–1946)
Federated Malay States (1895–1946)
Malayan Union (1946–1948)
Crown Colony of Malacca (1946–1957)
Crown Colony of Penang (1946–1957)
Crown Colony of Singapore (1946–1963)
Federation of Malaya (1948–1957)

Borneo

Raj of Sarawak (1841–1946)
Crown Colony of Labuan (1848–1946)
North Borneo (1882–1946)
Brunei (1888–1984)
Crown Colony of Sarawak (1946–1963)
Crown Colony of North Borneo (1946–1963)

British Empire

Legend: Current territory; Former territory; * Now a Commonwealth realm; Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Culture:Anglosphere

Europe
1542–1800 Ireland (integrated into the UK) 1708–1757, 1763–1782 and 1798–1802 Minorca Since 1713 Gibraltar 1794–1796 Corsica 1800–1813 Malta (Protectorate) 1813–1964 Malta (Colony) 1807–1890 Heligoland 1809–1864 Ionian Islands 1878–1960 Cyprus 1921–1931 Irish Free State Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (before as part of Cyprus)

Africa

17th and 18th centuries	19th century		20th century
Since 1658 Saint Helena²³ 1792–1961 Sierra Leone 1795–1803 Cape Colony	Since 1815 Ascension Island²³ Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha²³ 1806–1910 Cape of Good Hope 1807–1808 Madeira 1810–1968 Mauritius 1816–1965 The Gambia 1856–1910 Natal 1862–1906 Lagos 1868–1966 Basutoland⁶ 1874–1957 Gold Coast⁷ 1882–1922 Egypt	1884–1900 Niger Coast 1884–1966 Bechuanaland⁸ 1884–1960 Somaliland 1887–1897 Zululand 1890–1962 Uganda 1890–1963 Zanzibar⁹ 1891–1964 Nyasaland¹⁰ 1891–1907 Central Africa 1893–1968 Swaziland¹¹ 1895–1920 East Africa 1899–1956 Sudan	1900–1914 Northern Nigeria 1900–1914 Southern Nigeria 1900–1910 Orange River 1900–1910 Transvaal 1903–1976 Seychelles 1910–1931 South Africa 1914–1960 Nigeria 1915–1931 South-West Africa¹² 1919–1961 Cameroons¹³ 1920–1963 Kenya 1922–1961 Tanganyika¹³ 1923–1965 and 1979–1980 Southern Rhodesia¹⁴ 1924–1964 Northern Rhodesia¹⁵

6. Now Lesotho.
7. Now Ghana.
8. Now Botswana.
9. Now part of Tanzania.
10. Now Malawi.
11. Now named Eswatini.
12. Now Namibia.
13. League of Nations mandate. British Cameroons is now part of Cameroon, while Tanganyika is part of Tanzania.
14. Self-governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 (as Rhodesia) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003.
15. Now Zambia.

Asia

17th and 18th centuries	19th century		20th century
1685–1824 Bencoolen 1702–1705 Pulo Condore 1757–1947 Bengal 1762–1764 Manila and Cavite 1781–1784 and 1795–1819 Padang 1786–1946 Penang 1795–1948 Ceylon¹⁶ 1796–1965 Maldives	1811–1816 Java 1812–1824 Banka and Billiton 1819–1826 Malaya 1824–1948 Burma 1826–1946 Straits Settlements 1839–1967 Aden Colony 1839–1842 Afghanistan 1841–1997 Hong Kong 1841–1946 Sarawak¹⁷ 1848–1946 Labuan 1858–1947 India¹⁸ 1874–1963 Borneo	1879–1919 Afghanistan (protectorate) 1882–1963 North Borneo¹⁷ 1885–1946 Unfederated Malay States 1888–1984 Brunei 1891–1971 Muscat and Oman 1892–1971 Trucial States 1895–1946 Federated Malay States 1898–1930 Weihai 1878–1960 Cyprus	1907–1949 Bhutan (protectorate) 1918–1961 Kuwait 1920–1932 Mesopotamia¹⁹ 1921–1946 Transjordan⁸ 1923–1948 Palestine¹⁹ 1945–1946 South Vietnam 1946–1963 North Borneo 1946–1963 Sarawak 1946–1963 Singapore 1946–1948 Malayan Union 1948–1957 Federation of Malaya¹⁷ Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory (before as part of Mauritius and Seychelles)²⁶

16. Now Sri Lanka.
17. Now part of Malaysia.
18. Now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
19. League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty
26. Legitimacy of territorial establishment disputed

North America

17th century and before		18th century	19th and 20th centuries
1579 New Albion 16th c.–1880 British Arctic Territories 1583–1907 Newfoundland 1605–1979 *Saint Lucia 1607–1776 Virginia Since 1619 Bermuda 1620–1691 Plymouth 1623–1983 Saint Kitts 1624–1966 *Barbados 1625–1650 Saint Croix 1627–1979 *Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1628–1983 Nevis 1629–1691 Massachusetts-Bay 1632–1776 Maryland since 1632 Montserrat 1632–1860 Antigua 1635–1644 Saybrook 1636–1776 Connecticut 1636–1776 Rhode Island 1637–1662 New Haven	1643–1860 Bay Islands Since 1650 Anguilla 1655–1860 Mosquito Coast 1655–1962 *Jamaica 1663–1712 Carolina 1664–1776 New-York 1665–1674 and 1702–1776 New-Jersey Since 1666 Virgin Islands Since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670–1973 *Bahamas 1670–1870 Rupert's Land 1671–1816 Leeward Islands 1674–1702 East Jersey 1674–1702 West Jersey 1680–1776 New Hampshire 1681–1776 Pennsylvania 1686–1689 New England 1691–1776 Massachusetts-Bay	1701–1776 Delaware 1712–1776 North-Carolina 1712–1776 South-Carolina 1713–1867 Nova-Scotia 1733–1776 Georgia 1754–1820 Cape Breton Island 1762–1974 *Grenada 1763–1978 Dominica 1763–1873 Prince Edward Island 1763–1791 Quebec 1763–1783 East Florida 1763–1783 West Florida 1784–1867 New Brunswick 1791–1841 Lower Canada 1791–1841 Upper Canada Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands	1818–1846 Columbia District/Oregon Country¹ 1833–1960 Windward Islands 1833–1960 Leeward Islands 1841–1867 Canada 1843 Paulet affair 1849–1866 Vancouver Island 1853–1863 Queen Charlotte Islands 1858–1866 British Columbia 1859–1870 North-Western Territory 1860–1981 *Antigua and Barbuda 1862–1863 Stickeen 1866–1871 British Columbia 1867–1931 *Dominion of Canada² 1871–1981 *Belize 1882–1983 *Saint Kitts and Nevis 1889–1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1907–1949 Newfoundland³ 1958–1962 West Indies Federation 1967–1983 West Indies Associated States

1. Occupied jointly with the United States.
2. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. See Name of Canada.
3. Gave up self-rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949.

Oceania

18th and 19th centuries		20th century
1788–1901 New South Wales 1803–1901 Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807–1863 Auckland Islands²⁰ 1824–1980 New Hebrides²¹ 1824–1901 Queensland 1829–1901 Swan River/Western Australia 1836–1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands	1841–1907 New Zealand 1846–1847 North Australia 1851–1901 Victoria 1874–1970 Fiji 1877–1976 Western Pacific Territories 1884–1902 Papua 1888–1901 Rarotonga/Cook Islands²⁰ 1889–1948 Union Islands²⁰ 1892–1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands²² 1893–1978 *Solomon Islands	1900–1970 Tonga 1900–1974 Niue²⁰ 1901–1942 *Australia 1907–1947 *New Zealand 1914–1962 Samoa 1919–1942 and 1945–1968 Nauru

20. Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand.
21. Now Vanuatu.
22. Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu.

South America
1631–1641 Providence Island 1651–1667 Willoughbyland 1670–1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands⁴ 1831–1966 Guiana Since 1833 Falkland Islands⁵ Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands⁵
4. Now a department of Colombia. 5. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982.

Antarctica and the South Atlantic
Since 1658 Saint Helena²³ Since 1815 Ascension Island²³ Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha²³ Since 1833 Falkland Islands 1841–1933 Australian Antarctic Territory (transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia) 1841–1947 Ross Dependency (transferred to the Realm of New Zealand) Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory²⁴ Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands²⁵
23. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922–) and Tristan da Cunha (1938–) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. 24. Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under the Antarctic Treaty. 25. Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1985

Historical flags of the British Empire
Category
Commons
Portal

Governors, civil commissioners and administrators of British dependencies

Crown
Dependencies

Overseas
territories

former
(Africa)

former
(Americas)

former
(Asia)

Governor of Aden
Governor of Burma
Governor of Ceylon
High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States
- Senior British representatives in the constituent protected states
- Senior British representatives in the neighbouring Malayan protected states
Governor of Hong Kong
Viceroy and Governor-General of India
- Heads of the provinces of British India
- Senior British representatives in neighbouring protected states
  - Resident of Gwalior
High Commissioner for Iraq
Governor of Labuan
Representative in Muscat and Oman
High Commissioner for Malaya
Governor of the Malayan Union
Governor of North Borneo
Resident Minister in Nepal
High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan
Governor of Penang
Representative in the Raj of Sarawak
Governor of the Crown Colony of Sarawak
Governor of Singapore
Representative in the Trucial States

former
(Europe)

former
(Oceania)

former (Australia)	Governor-General of Australia Government Resident of Central Australia Governor of New South Wales Government Resident of North Australia Governor of Queensland Governor of South Australia Governor of Tasmania Governor of Victoria Governor of Western Australia Lieutenant Governor of the Swan River Colony