On 15 February 1942 one of the greatest defeats of the British Empire was carried out by the Japanese, Singapore surrendered. The fall of Singapore was relatively destructive to relations between Britain and Australia. Australia relied on Britain holding Singapore as it was the last defense against the Japanese and it was feared that Japan would continue and invade Australia if it fell, Australia openly demonstrated that they could not rely on the British for defense by becoming a strong ally with America and asking them to help them in the feared Japanese invasion. Australia constantly feared the threat of invasion during the war, when Singapore fell the Australian government predicted some attack by the Japanese. Australia was reliant on Britain holding Singapore as it was the gateway to Australia, it was feared that if it fell a Japanese attack was imminent. The then Australian Prime Minister, John Curtain, suggested that the fall of Singapore was “Australia's Dunkirk” and said it would be followed by the “Battle of Australia” (National Archives of Australia). This confirms Curtain's statement after the fall of Singapore: "the fall of Singapore opens the battle for Australia". (http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww2/bfa/overview.html, Richard Reid) . The government was preparing the Australian public for a Japanese attack, they wanted the population to be ready for an attack which, as they thought, would certainly happen. After the Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942, Curtain told Australians that “there was no need to look away any longer. Fate has decided our position in this war." It is obvious that the government was anticipating an invasion, an invasion that probably would not have happened if Britain had held... half the paper... The fact that Australia publicly sought America's help angered Britain, but it was all Australia could do as Britain let Singapore fall to the Japanese and did not provide Australia with adequate reinforcements to help with the increasing pressure from the Japanese. Throughout the war it is shown that the fall of Singapore damaged Australia's relations with Britain, there are even cables from John Curtain telling Elsie Curtain how bad relations with Britain are and arguing with Churchill almost every day (National Archives of Australia). Australia had always felt the threat of invasion during the Second World War, but when Singapore fell it was almost certain. Australia distanced itself further from Britain when it publicly sought America's help with the growing threat of Japanese attack. None of this would have happened if Singapore had remained under British control.