Beyond the Cocos Islands' beaches lies a lesser-known story. During both World War I and World War II, the Cocos Islands played a small yet strategically important role in the Indian Ocean, connecting continents and quietly supporting the war effort.
Why the Cocos Islands Mattered
Long before satellites, global communication relied on undersea cables. The Cocos Islands were part of that network.
On Direction Island, a British cable station connected Australia with India, South Africa and beyond. It was a critical communications hub sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
In peacetime, it was a remote posting. In wartime, it became a target.
The Battle of Cocos, 1914
On the morning of 9 November 1914, islanders on Direction Island spotted a three-funnelled warship approaching through the lagoon. It was the SMS Emden, a German cruiser that had spent months terrorising Allied shipping across the Indian Ocean.
A German landing party rowed ashore and began destroying the cable station, but not before an operator managed to tap out a distress signal.
That signal reached HMAS Sydney, then escorting a convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops bound for the front. She broke away and made for Cocos at full speed.
What followed was one of the most significant naval engagements in Australian history. HMAS Sydney outgunned the Emden decisively, forcing her aground on North Keeling Island after a battle lasting just over an hour. It was Australia’s first naval victory of the First World War.
The wreck of the Emden remained on the reef for years. Local residents salvaged metal from the wreck, while guns and artefacts were taken and are now on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
World War II
The islands’ wartime story didn’t end there. During World War II, two six-inch naval guns were installed on Horsburgh Island to defend the lagoon entrance against invasion. In 1942, Japanese aircraft briefly attacked Direction Island, damaging the cable station.
The Cocos Islands Mutiny
In May 1942, the islands were the site of a rare and unusual event, the Cocos Islands Mutiny.
A group of Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) soldiers stationed on the islands attempted to take control, reportedly intending to hand the islands over to Japanese forces. The attempt was quickly suppressed and ultimately unsuccessful.
It remains one of the few recorded mutinies by British Commonwealth forces during World War II and is a little-known chapter in the islands’ history.
Where to Experience This History Today
Much of the Cocos Islands’ wartime history is subtle. There are no large battlefields or monuments. Instead, the past is woven quietly into the landscape.
Horsburgh Island
Join a local skipper to visit the remains of the six-inch guns, still positioned as they were decades ago and overlooking the lagoon.
Direction Island
Step off the ferry and you’ll find a gazebo dedicated to the Battle of Cocos. Nearby, interpretive plaques along the island’s heritage trail share the story of the cable station and its role in wartime communications.
Home Island and West Island
The Pulu Cocos Museum on Home Island and the Visitor Centre on West Island house a small number of artefacts and displays that provide further insight into the islands’ role in both world wars.
ANZAC Day on the Cocos Islands
Around ANZAC Day each year, this quieter history feels especially worth pausing for. The community gathers for a dawn service on 25 April — a small, sincere commemoration at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Visitors are warmly welcome to attend.
A Different Side of the Cocos Islands
The beauty of the Cocos Islands is easy to see. The history is quieter, but no less meaningful.
Between lagoon swims and beach walks, there’s space to reflect on the layers of this place. A remote atoll that once connected continents, and a peaceful landscape shaped in part by global events.
It’s just one more reason the Cocos Islands feel unlike anywhere else.
