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Originally Posted by Terry McGrady
An illustration of how popular Britain still was in those days was when the British Pacific Fleet arrived in Australia
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You may want to read John Hammond Moore,
Over-sexed, Over-paid and Over Here.
The British were very unpopular in Australia after the fall of Malaya and Singapore. This had followed a string of defeats against Germany and so naturally, Australians had lost confidence in the British government and their ability to protect Australia.
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Originally Posted by Terry McGrady
The Yanks already there really got their noses pushed out .
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Americans were very popular in Australia until they started plying their affluence and dating Aussie girls. The Yanks were better dressed and had far more money to spend on travel and entertainment. Aussie servicemen, many of whom were still in Australia at the time, were simply jealous. Like most others in the animal kingdom, Aussie men were territorial and often got drunk and started fights when someone else 'moved in on their territory'.
However, British servicemen were relatively cash poor and therefore less a threat to steal the girlfriends of Australian soldiers. That is definitely one reason they were eventually welcomed back.