‘[T]he riot must be quelled at any cost’: the tragic mishandling of the unrest of June 1948 among Chinese phosphate workers in Australia’s de facto colony of Nauru

On 7 June 1948 a European/Nauruan police force curbed unrest amongst Chinese phosphate workers in the UN Trust Territory of Nauru. Four of these workers were killed; others were injured. A Nauruan policeman was later found not guilty of unlawful killing. Administrator Mark Ridgway had believed strong action was needed. But another Australian official, Ted Taylor, concluded that negotiation and better focused police action could have defused the situation. Ridgway, however, retained the support of Eddie Ward, the Australian External Territories Minister, and his officers. This article concludes that despite well-founded criticism of Ridgway’s conduct, he probably escaped censure because of a wish to avert scrutiny of the management of phosphate extraction and of Australia’s stewardship of Nauru. Racial and class prejudices also played their part. This tragic incident reminds us of the significant role of Chinese and other imported workers in Nauru in the colonial era.