All-Red Route facts for kids

An All-Red Route was a special travel path used during the time of the British Empire. The name came from maps where British lands were often colored red or pink. It meant a long journey where every stop was in a British territory or colony. This was important because it showed how Britain could connect its main country (the metropole) with its many lands around the world. It also meant they didn't have to stop in or pass through other countries' lands, which made travel safer and more secure.

At first, this term was mostly used for steamship routes. These ships were the best way to send messages and goods between Great Britain and the rest of the Empire. A very important route was to India through the Suez Canal. People sometimes called this the British Imperial Lifeline because it was so vital. Before the Suez Canal, mail often traveled by train across France and Italy to the Mediterranean Sea. From 1868 to 1871, a temporary mountain railway called the Mont Cenis Pass Railway was used for mail.

As steamships became common, Britain made sure to get coaling stations in many places. These stations provided fuel for both civilian ships and navy ships, helping them travel long distances.

In the 1880s, the idea of an "All-Red Route" grew. It started to include the telegraph network, which was a system of underwater cables that connected different parts of the Empire. This was known as the All Red Line. By the 1920s, the term also referred to plans for air travel, first with airships and then with flying boats, linking Britain to its Empire. This was part of the Imperial Airship Scheme.

The Suez Canal: A Vital Link

The Suez Canal was a huge shortcut for ships traveling between Britain and its lands in Asia, especially India. Britain knew how important this canal was. In 1882, during the Anglo-Egyptian War, British troops took control of it. Even after most British troops left Egypt in 1936, Britain kept control of the canal zone.

In 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser took control of the canal for Egypt. This led to the Suez Crisis. At that time, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden said the Suez was "the great imperial lifeline." He felt that Egypt now had "its thumb on our windpipe," meaning they could control Britain's access to this vital route.

Main All-Red Sea Route

The most famous "All-Red Route" by sea went like this:

• From Southern Britain
• To Gibraltar
• Then Malta
• Next Alexandria
• And Port Said (after the Suez Canal was built)
• Through the Suez
• On to Aden
• Then Muscat (which gave access to the Persian Gulf)
• To India
• Then Sri Lanka
• Next Burma
• And Malaya
• Finally to Singapore (from here, ships could go to the Pacific Ocean towards Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and other British colonies in Oceania).

The Canadian All-Red Route

Another important "All-Red Route" involved Canada. In 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was finished. This railway connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across Canada. The CPR quickly started running steamships between Canada's west coast and East Asia. By 1899, they also had ships crossing the Atlantic.

This meant people could travel from Britain to Hong Kong (and also Japan and China) by going west. They would stay on CPR services and never leave a British-registered ship or British territory. The CPR proudly called this "The All-Red Route." By the 1920s, they had added Australia and New Zealand to their Pacific routes, connecting these countries to their network. Other British shipping lines also helped connect places like Singapore, British Malaya, and India through the CPR. Later, the Canadian Northern Railway (in 1912) and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (in 1917) offered more ways to cross Canada as part of this "All-Red Route."

Plans for Africa

In the late 1800s, there were big plans for a Cape to Cairo Railway in Africa. The idea was to link British colonies all the way from South Africa to Egypt. However, British territory wasn't continuous along this path, which made it hard to build a true "All-Red Route" railway. After World War I, Britain gained the Tanganyika Territory from Germany. This created the possibility of an "All-Red Route" through Africa, but the necessary railway sections were never built.

The End of an Era

With the end of the British Empire and the rise of air travel, the terms "All-Red Route" and "British Imperial Lifeline" are not used much anymore. They are now mostly found in history books, describing the travel paths used during the time of the British Empire.

See also

• All Red Line
• Imperial Airship Scheme
• Imperial Airways