British Forces Overseas Hong Kong

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British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
Flag of Hong Kong (1959-1997).svg
Active26 January 1841;183 years ago (1841-01-26)–30 June 1997;27 years ago (1997-06-30)
CountryFlag of Hong Kong (1959-1997).svg  British Hong Kong
Allegiance Royal Standard of the United Kingdom.svg Monarch
Branch
Type
Role Territorial Defence
Size
Garrison/HQGarrison – All installments
HQ – Flagstaff House (Residence of the CBF)
Anniversaries Liberation Day
Equipment
Engagements
Commanders
Commander-in-chief Governor of Hong Kong
Commanding Officer Commander British Forces in Hong Kong (CBF)
Inaugural holder of CBF Major General George D'Aguilar
Final holder of CBF Major General Bryan Dutton
Notable
commanders

Command structure

The Governor of Hong Kong, being a representative of the British sovereign, was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in the colony. The Governor was advised by the Commander British Forces in Hong Kong (CBF) on all military actions. During the 1980s and 1990s, the CBF was normally a career Major General or Lieutenant General from the British Army. Until 1966, the CBF was an ex-officio member of the Legislative Council. [6]

Throughout the years of British rule in Hong Kong, a variety of British Army units spent various periods of time in the colony as resident units. In latter stages of the post-war period, British army units were sent to Hong Kong on a rotational basis for a period of three years. The following list contains resident units only and those which stayed in Hong Kong for short durations for re-supply or acclimatisation during the Korean War, Opium War, Boxer Rebellion and the Malayan Emergency are not included in the list. The majority of infantry battalions were Ghurkas who were permanently based in Hong Kong after Indian partition.

British Army formations

Major formations of the British Army in Hong Kong included:

Second World War

  • Headquarters, China Command (1939) - covered British military interests in: Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tientsin.
    • Hong Kong Infantry Brigade (This was the primary British garrison in Hong Kong prior to and during the Second World War)
    • Kowloon Infantry Brigade (This brigade was formed in 1941 after the garrison was reinforced)
    • C Force - Canadian Army's reinforcement under British Command during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.

Cold War

British Army units

Royal Armoured Corps

Infantry

Gurkhas

  • 1st Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (1971–75; 77–79; 81–85; 87–89; 91–92)
  • 2nd Battalion, 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (1953–57; 57–62; 66–68; 72–75; 77–81; 83–85; 87–91)
  • 1st Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles (1956–57; 65–73; 75–77; 79–83; 85–87; 89–93)
  • 2nd Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles (1948–50; 62–63; 1969 amalgamated with the 1st Bn.)
  • 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (1959–62; 73–77; 83–87; 89–91; 93–94)
  • 2nd Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (1954–57; 62–63; 62–70; disbanded in Hong Kong in 1987)
  • 1st Battalion, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (1957–60; 69–73; 75–79; 81–83; 85–89; 91–93)
  • 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles (1948–50; 1962; amalgamated with 1st Bn. in 1968)
  • 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1994–96)

British Indian Army

Artillery

  • Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery (1847 to 1940s)
  • 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (1973–1975; Borneo Lines, Sek Kong)
  • 4th Field Regiment, RA (1961-1964; HQ & 29 Bty at Fan Ling Camp, 88 Bty & 97 Bty at Dodwells Ridge Camp)
  • 8th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery, Kowloon (1939 until captured by the Japanese in 1941)
  • 5th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, RAF Kai Tak (circa 1939)
  • 5th Field Regiment, RA (1958–1961; at Fanling Camp & Dodwells Ridge Camp)
  • 14th Field Regiment, RA (1949–1951 at Gun Club Hill Barracks & Sek Kong; 1953–1955 at Quarry Bay Camp; 1960–1962 at Sek Kong)
  • 15th Observation Battery and 173rd Locating Battery 1950 at Lo Wu Camp
  • 15th Medium Regiment, RA (1955–1957; 7 and 38 Med Btys at Gun Club Hill Barracks)
  • 18th Medium Regiment, RA (1966-1969; 40 and 52 Lt Btys at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong. RHQ disbanded in Hong Kong and Regiment placed into Suspended Animation.)
  • 19th Field Regiment, RA (1956–1958; 25, 28 and 67 Fd Btys at Quarry Bay Camp and Sek Kong Camps)
  • 20th Anti-Tank Regiment, RA (1952; 1953–1955, with 12, 45 and 107 Fd Btys at Sek Kong Camp, 1975–1976; disbanded in HK in 1976)
  • 23rd Field Regiment, RA (1949–1952; 49, 50 and 69 Fld Btys at Quarry Bay Camp)
  • 25th Field Regiment, RA (1947–1955; 35, 54 and 93 Fld Btys at Gun Hill Club Barracks; 1969–1971 at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong)
  • 27th Heavy Regiment, RA (1949-1957; Redesignated 27th HAA Regt RA in 1950; 119 Bty to 34th LAA Regt RA in 1952; at Clear Water Bay and Stonecutters Island.)
  • 32nd Medium Regiment, RA (1952-1954,74 and 98 Med Btys at Gun Club Hill Barracks; 1959–1961, 46, 50 and 74 Med Btys at Whitfield Barracks & Gun Club Hill Barracks)
  • 34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (1949-1952; 1961–1963, 11 and 58 LAA Btys at Gun Club Hill Barracks)
  • 42nd Field Regiment, RA (1955–1956, with 68, 87 and 179 Fld Btys at Sek Kong Camp)
  • 45th Field Regiment, RA (1951–1953 with 70, 116 and 176 Fld Btys; 1959–1961)
  • 47th Coast Regiment, RA (1971-1973 with 3, 4 Lt and 31 Med Btys at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong)
  • 49th Anti-Tank Regiment, RA (1957-1961, with 55, 127 and 143 Fld Btys at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong; 1964–1966, with 143 Bty at Dodwells Ridge Camp)
  • 58th Medium Regiment, RA (1949–1951; with 118 and 175 Med Btys at Gun Club Hill Barracks)
  • 72nd Light Anti-Air Regiment, RA (1952–1955, with 31, 206 and 216 LAA Btys at Gun Club Hill Barracks)
  • 74th Light Anti-Air Regiment, RA (1955–1958, with 158 and 161 LAA Btys at Whitfield Camp)

Engineers

Royal Engineers and Queen's Gurkha Engineers

  • 1 Field Squadron,
  • 22nd Fortress Company, Royal Engineers (circa 1939)
  • 40th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers (circa 1939)
  • 24 Field Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
    • 11 Field Squadron, RE (1950-1951, Sek Kong, formed by renumbering 50 Fd Sqn 24 Field Engineer Regiment)
    • 15 Field Park Squadron, RE (1950-1958, formed by renumbering 46 Fd Park Sqn)
    • 50 Field Squadron, RE (1949-1950, for by renumbering 11 Field Squadron)
    • 54 Independent Field Squadron, RE (1950-circa 1958, formed by renumbering 25 Fd Sqn)
    • 54 (Hong Kong) Support Squadron, RE (1971 until disbandment in 1975)
    • 56 Field Squadron, RE (1950-1958,formed by numbering 37 Field Squadron)
  • Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Service (British Forces Post Box 1)
  • Queen's Gurkha Engineers (formed in HK in 1952 as 50th Regiment RE, renamed QGE in 1977)
    • 67 Squadron, QGE(disbanded in 1996)
    • 68 Squadron, QGE (disbanded in 1993)
    • 69 Squadron, QGE (disbanded in HK in 1968 and reformed as 69 Gurkha Independent Field Squadron in Chatham)
    • 70 Squadron, QGE (disbanded in 1993)
    • Gurkha Training Squadron (disbanded in 1971)

Signals

Royal Signals and Queen's Gurkha Signals

  • 27th Signal Regiment, Royal Signals (embarked for Hong Kong in 1949 as the 40th Divisional Signal Regiment)
    • Amalgamated with Hong Kong Signal Squadron to form Hong Kong Signal Regiment (1950)
    • Redesignated 27th Signal Regiment (1959)
    • Renamed HQ Royal Signals, Hong Kong (1960)
    • Renamed 27th Signal Regiment (1971, disbanded in 1976))
  • Hong Kong Independent Lines Squadron, Royal Signals (circa 1958)
  • Independent Gurkha Brigade Squadron (circa 1958)
  • Gurkha Infantry Brigade Signal Squadron (circa 1959)
  • Detachments, 19th Air Formation Signal Troop, Royal Signals (circa 1959)
  • Detachments, 232 Squadron, Royal Signals (circa 1959)
  • HQ Royal Signals, Hong Kong (1960-1967)
    • 252 Signal Squadron on the Hong Kong Island
    • 253 Signal Squadron in Kowloon, repurposed as an engineering squadron in 1962
  • Joint Services Signal Staff (1967-1997)
  • 17th Gurkha Signal Regiment
  • Queen's Gurkha Signals
    • 247 Squadron, QGS (1964-1967 until disbandment in HK, reformed in HK 1983)
    • 248 Squadron, QGS (1971-1976 until disbandment; reformed in 1971)
    • Hong Kong Gurkha Signal Squadron (formed in 1994 with the amalgamation of 247 & 248 Sqns, disbanded in 1997.)

Support Units

Installations

A list of British Army installations in Hong Kong:

Royal Navy / Royal Marines

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines was stationed in Hong Kong right from the beginning of the establishment of Hong Kong as a British Colony. For the most part, the Royal Naval base was located in Hong Kong Island at HMS Tamar. The Prince of Wales Building was added later in the 1970s. Before the handover, the naval base was moved to Stonecutters Island next to the Government docks.

RN and RFA ships visited or posted to Hong Kong prior to the Second World War:

RN ships and land units in Hong Kong during the Second World War:

Auxiliary Patrol Vessels in Hong Kong during the Second World War:

  • APV Britannia
  • APV Chun Hsing
  • APV Frosty
  • APV Han Wo
  • APV Ho Hsing
  • APV Henriette
  • APV Indira
  • APV Margaret
  • APV Minnie
  • APV Perla
  • APV Poseidon
  • APV Shun Wo
  • HMS St Aubin
  • HMS St Sampson
  • APV Stanley
  • APV Teh Hsing

RN formations and units in Hong Kong (Post-Second World War):

RN and RFA ships visited or posted to Hong Kong after the Second World War:

Royal Marines:

A list of naval facilities used or built by the RN in Hong Kong:

  • Stonecutters Island
    • Royal Navy Radio Interception and Direction-finding Station (est. 1935)
    • HQ 415 Maritime Troop, Royal Corps of Transport
  • Prince of Wales Building 1978–1997 – known as Central Barracks of the PLA
  • Lamont and Hope Drydocks
  • Aberdeen Docks – destroyed
  • Dry Dock 1902–1959
  • Taikoo Dockyard – Hong Kong United Dockyards
  • Royal Navy Dockyards, Admiralty 1859–1902
  • Royal Navy Dockyards 1902–1959 – Kowloon Dockyard not part of Hung Hom area.
  • RN Coal storage yard, Stonecutters Island 1861–1959
  • RN Coal storage yard and Kowloon Naval Dockyards 1901–1959
  • Sai Wan Barracks 1844–1846
  • Wellington Barracks 1946–1978 – as HMS Tamar (demolished)
  • North Barracks 1850s–1856, 1887–1959 – from the Army and to HK Government 1959
  • Victoria Barracks
  • Redoubt and Lei Yue Mun Fortifications 1885–1887
  • Lei Yue Mun Fort 1887–1987
  • Reverse, Central, West and Pass Batteries 1880s
  • Brennan Torpedo station 1890 – Lei Yue Mun
  • Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai – demolished, now replaced by Ruttonjee Hospital
  • Seaman's Hospital 1843–1873 – replaced by Royal Naval Hospital
  • RMS Queen Mary 1945–1946 – as a hospital ship
  • War Memorial Hospital (Matilda) 1946–1959
  • British Military Hospital 1959–1995
  • Island Group Practice 1995–1997 – replace BMH
  • HMS Princess Charlotte and HMS Victor Emmanuel – Receiving Ships
  • Tidal Basin 1902–1959
  • Boat Basin 1902–1959
  • HM Victualling Yards 1859–1946

A list of facilities used or built by the RN in Hong Kong:

Royal Air Force

Base of RAF in Kai Tak (1945) Kwun Tong Road 1945.jpg
Base of RAF in Kai Tak (1945)
A Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force Aerospatiale Dauphin helicopter leaving its hangar during a Search and Rescue exercise in 1982. RHKAAF Aerospatiale Dauphin 1982.JPG
A Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force Aerospatiale Dauphin helicopter leaving its hangar during a Search and Rescue exercise in 1982.
The survivors of a simulated aircraft crash are hoisted aboard a Royal Air Force Westland Wessex HC Mk 2 helicopter from No. 28 (AC) Squadron in 1983. WessexHC2 28Sqn 1983.jpeg
The survivors of a simulated aircraft crash are hoisted aboard a Royal Air Force Westland Wessex HC Mk 2 helicopter from No. 28 (AC) Squadron in 1983.

The Royal Air Force was the smallest contingent of the British Forces and was stationed in both Kai Tak Airport as well as the airfield in the New Territories known as Sek Kong.

No. 28 (AC) Squadron [8] and the larger Royal Air Force infrastructure located to RAF Sek Kong in the late 1970s leaving Royal Air Force logistics elements to maintain operations at Kai Tak, e.g. RAF movers and suppliers remained to maintain the logistical link between RAF Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. The squadron flew up to 8 Westland Wessex HC Mk 2 helicopters from RAF Sek Kong. Tasks included support of the civil power, support of the British Forces and search and rescue.

About 20 years later, RAF personnel returned from Sek Kong to Kai Tak, mounting operations from that airport in the months prior to the 1997 handover.

In addition, the Hong Kong Government also maintained an "airforce". This airforce as per the land unit of RHKR (V), was an arm of the Hong Kong Government, supported by RAF personnel seconded to serve in the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.

Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force 1970–1993 – handed over to GFS

  • Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps – Air Arm 1930–1949
  • Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force 1949–1970 – see RHKAAF

Royal Air Force units which visited or were stationed in Hong Kong included:

Sources indicate that 444 Signals Unit (SU) formed officially within No. 90 (Signals) Group RAF, Strike Command with effect from 16 August 1971, and was established as a lodger unit at Stanley Fort, Hong Kong. The primary role of 444 SU was to act as a ground station for the Skynet satellite communications system, responsibility for operating the Skynet system having been vested in the RAF in the late 1960s, under the Rationalisation of Inter Services Telecommunications (RISTACOM) agreement. It would appear that the equipment operated by 444 SU had been located previously at RAF Bahrain (HMS Jufair).

On 1 May 1972, No. 90 (Signals) Group was transferred from RAF Strike Command to RAF Maintenance Command and as a consequence 444 SU became a Maintenance Command unit on this date. On 31 August 1973, both 90 (Signals) Group and Maintenance Command were disbanded, to be replaced on the following day by the new RAF Support Command. All of the units and locations previously controlled by the disbanded formations were transferred to Support Command with effect from 1 September 1973 and 444 SU therefore became a Support Command unit. This was to prove short-lived, however, for on 1 November 1973, 444 SU and the unit responsible for maintaining the Skynet ground station at RAF Gan – 6 SU – were both transferred to the command of the Air Officer Commanding in Chief Near East Air Force (NEAF). At this time 444 SU and 6 SU formed part of the Defence Communications Network (DCN) and the DCN elements of both units came under the functional control of the Controller DCN, Ministry of Defence.

On 1 August 1975, administrative and engineering responsibility for all of the units of RAF Hong Kong, including 444 SU, were transferred from NEAF to RAF Strike Command – functional control of these units being retained by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff via Commander RAF Hong Kong. Subsequently, with the disbandment of HQ NEAF on 31 March 1976, control of RAF Hong Kong and its component units were transferred in total to Strike Command. On 28 March 1976, RAF Gan closed and 6 SU disbanded formally on the same date, the latter's satellite communications equipment being transferred to 444 SU.

444SU was hosted at Stanley Fort by the British Army.

Sources indicate that 444 SU disbanded on the 31 December 1977.

  • Composite Signals Unit

A list of RAF Stations in Hong Kong:

A list of Royal Air Force operations facilities:

  • Tai Po Tsai
  • Cape Collinson
  • Batty's Belvedere
  • Kong Wei, RAF Sek Kong
  • Chung Hom Kok
  • Wang Fung Terrace, Tai Hang (Happy Valley)

Search and rescue operations conducted by the RAF and Royal Navy were later transferred to the Government Flying Service (GFS).

Other facilities

China Fleet Club

Hong Kong became an important port of call for many naval ships passing through the Far East. Besides Lan Kwai Fong, Royal Navy sailors had their own entertainment facility called the "China Fleet Club". [10]

A timeline of the China Fleet Club:

  • 1900–1903 local Hong Kong businessman and Royal Navy's China Fleet to raise funds for a Royal Naval Canteen at Naval Docks, Hong Kong
  • 1929 old canteen building demolished and replaced with new building
  • 1929–1934 Temporary CFC at Gloucester Road
  • 1933 cornerstone laid by Admiral Sir Howard Kelly, G.B.E., K.C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O., then Commander-in-Chief, China Station; [11] new seven-storey China Fleet Club building called "The Old Blue"
  • 1941–1945 CFC serves as Japanese Naval HQ in Hong Kong during the Second World War
  • 1945 CFC re-occupied by RN
  • 1952 Coronation Annex added
  • 1982, 16 July The Final Demolition Party held in Club before move to Sun Hung Kai
  • 1982–1985 CFC relocated to temporary site at Sun Hung Kai Centre
  • 1985 25-storey Fleet House new home for CFC
  • 1986 Plans to relocate CFC to UK begins
  • 1989 Construction of China Fleet Country Club in Saltash begins
  • 1991 Construction of China Fleet Country Club in Saltash completed and opens in June
  • 1992 CFC in Hong Kong closes

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References

Citations

  1. HONG KONG HANDOVER 1997 (PDF). Navy News. August 1997. pp. 19–21. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. Last parade for Hong Kong LEPs 'They gave their all' (PDF). Navy News. February 1997. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  3. "Hong Kong veterans can now settle in UK after decades of campaigning".
  4. "Grade Structure Review: Chapter 7, Government Flying Service" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council. 2008. p. 179. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. "Grade Structure Review: Chapter 6, Fire Services Department" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council. 2008. pp. 155–156. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. "Official Report of Proceedings" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council. 24 February 1966.
  7. Rinaldi, Richard A. "Gurka Regiments in the British Army Post World War II" (PDF). Orbat.com. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 Delve 1994, p. 87.
  9. Jefford 1988, p. 49.
  10. "HMS Tamar and the China Fleet Club". Gun Plot. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  11. "China Fleet Club [1933-1982]". Gwulo: Old Hong Kong. Retrieved 19 May 2020.

Bibliography

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  • Gregorian, Raffi. The British Army, the Gurkhas and Cold War strategy in the Far East, 1947–1954. New York : Palgrave, 2002.
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  • Ko, Tim-keung, et al. ed. Serving Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Volunteers. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, 2004.
  • Kwong, Chi Man & Tsoi, Yiu Lun. Eastern Fortress: A Military History of Hong Kong, 1840–1970. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press, 2014.
  • Lord, Cliff & Watson, Graham. The Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920-2001) and its Antecedents. West Midlands: Helion & Company, 2003.
  • Melson, P.J. White Ensign Red Dragon: The History of the Royal Navy in Hong Kong 1841–1997. Hong Kong: Edinburgh Financial Publishing, 1997.
  • National Museum of the Royal Navy. The Royal Marines and Hong Kong: Over 150 Years from 1840 to 1997. Portsmouth: Royal Marines Historical Society Special Publication Number 19, 1997.
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  • Rollo, Denis. The Guns & Gunners of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Gunners' Roll of Hong Kong, 1991.

Further reading

British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese 駐港英軍
Simplified Chinese 驻港英军
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Zhùgǎng Yīngjūn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping zyu3 gong2 jing1 gwan1