But it was especially after the First World War establishing a proper naval base was evoked. The Pacific Review records: "Since the Washington Conference and the accord of the five powers 921-22), England has agreed not to augment its defences in Hong Kong and other insular possessions of the British Empire in the Pacific Ocean east of longitude 110 m.10 This, happily, did not apply to Singapore, which was to the west of this meridian. The port commanding the entrance to the Pacific Ocean would therefore be made invulnerable so as to ensure the defence of Australia and watch over British interests in Asia. 11 It thus became a priority for the British in Asia to build an arsenal with all the necessary equipment, and in 1922, huge reservoirs of oil were stocked there to replenish the British fleet in the region