British Forces Overseas Hong Kong comprised the elements of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

(including

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

) and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

stationed in

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was under British Empire, British rule from 1841 to 1997, except for a Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945. It was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 ...

. The

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

also assumed the position of the commander-in-chief of the forces and the

Commander British Forces in Hong Kong The Commander British Forces in Hong Kong (CBF) was a senior British Army officer who acted as Military Advisor to the Governor of Hong Kong and was in charge of the Hong Kong British Forces. The officeholder of this post concurrently assumed the ...

took charge of the daily deployment of the troops. Much of the British military left prior to the

handover of Hong Kong The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841. Hong Kong was established as a specia ...

to China in 1997. The present article focuses mainly on the British garrison in Hong Kong in the post Second World War era. For more information concerning the British garrison during the Second World War and earlier, see the

Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...

Overview

Prior to and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the garrison was composed of British Army battalions and locally enlisted personnel (LEPs) who served as regular members in the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy or the Hong Kong Military Service Corps and their associate land units. The Hong Kong Infantry Brigade served as the main garrison formation. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the garrison was reinforced with

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

and

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

units. A second brigade, the Kowloon Infantry Brigade, was formed to assist in commanding the expanded force. The garrison was defeated during the

, by the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. After the Second World War and the end of the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of British Hong Kong, Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. His surrender occurred after Batt ...

, the British military reestablished a presence. As a result of the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

, the British Army raised the 40th Infantry Division and dispatched it to garrison Hong Kong. It later left for combat in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and the defense of the territory was taken up by additional British forces who were rotated from Europe. The garrison was further supplemented by LEPs, and

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

s. The latter came from Nepal, but formed part of the British Army. The size of the garrison during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

fluctuated and ended up being based around one brigade. The

Royal Hong Kong Regiment The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) (), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong R ...

, a military unit which was part of the Hong Kong Government, was trained and organised along the lines of a British Territorial Army unit. As such, it was supported by British Army regular personnel holding key positions. These British Army personnel, for their duration of service to the Royal Hong Kong Regiment, were seconded to the Hong Kong Government. In the post-WWII era, the majority of the regiment's members were local citizens of Chinese descent.

Responsibilities

Before 1 July 1997, the British government had the political commitment to safeguard the territory against external and internal threats. Commonwealth forces were also deployed to station in the territory shortly before the Second World War. The greatest test was in 1941, when Japanese forces invaded Hong Kong, leading to the 44-month-long

. Internal Security was the responsibility of the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...

, in particular the

Royal Hong Kong Police The history of the Hong Kong Police originates in 1841, when the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) was officially established by the British colonial government, the same year that the British Empire, British had settled in Hong Kong. While change ...

. It was supported by British Forces in Hong Kong should it be called upon to do so. During the Hong Kong 1967 riots, in which 51 people were killed, the British garrison supported the Royal Hong Kong Police in quelling the disturbance. Until 1995, the safety of much of the Sino-Hong Kong border was the responsibility of the British forces and as such contributed greatly to the interdiction of illegal immigrants (II). As the preparation of the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, that responsibility was passed on to the

Hong Kong Police The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the one c ...

. The

played a significant role in the support of the Royal Hong Kong Police in anti smuggling operation in Hong Kong waters, especially in the heyday of seaborne smuggling during the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. Search and Rescue (SAR) was provided by all branches of the British Forces in Hong Kong may be called upon for aid to civil defence as well as search and rescue operations in times of emergency. Prior to 1990–1991, British Forces (

) was responsible for patrolling and enforcing border control between Hong Kong and China. This role was passed on the

Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the one c ...

years before the handover in 1997. Some HK nationals who served in the British military were deployed overseas, including Operation Granby. The territory has nevertheless maintained a

Government Flying Service The Hong Kong Government Flying Service (HKGFS) is a disciplined unit and paramilitary flying organisation of the Government of Hong Kong. The service has its head office in, and operates from, the southwestern end of Hong Kong International ...

, formerly the

Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) was a Hong Kong Government department based in Hong Kong. It was formed as an air force in 1949 as part of the Hong Kong Defence Force. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the Uni ...

, that is responsible for search and rescue operations, air ambulance services, and other air services for the

. The GFS also took over some responsibilities from the Royal Air Force and the Army Air Corps. The

also has a highly trained and equipped counter terrorism unit, the

Special Duties Unit The Special Duties Unit (SDU; zh, c=特別任務連), nicknamed the "Flying Tigers" ( zh, c=飛虎隊), is the elite tactical unit of the Hong Kong Police Force tasked with countering terrorist attacks, hostage rescue, underwater search and r ...

, trained by United Kingdom's SAS and SBS, and a

Marine Police Water police, also called bay constables, coastal police, harbor patrols, marine/maritime police/patrol, nautical patrols, port police, or river police are a Specialist law enforcement agency, specialty law enforcement portion of a larger polic ...

force. These forces have been heavily armed since before the handover in 1997, and are within the portfolio of the

Secretary for Security The Secretary for Security is the member of the Government of Hong Kong in charge of the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters. The post was created in 1973 a ...

(which, before 1973, was named Secretary for Defence). The Fire Service Department also took over some diving rescue responsibilities from the British Forces Overseas. The

Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) (), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong R ...

was disbanded in 1995 prior to the handover in 1997. It was funded by and was a branch of the Hong Kong Government, yet under command of the Commander British Forces.

Structure in 1989

Command structure

The

, being a representative of the

British sovereign The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

, was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in the colony. The Governor was advised by the

(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. Throughout the years of British rule in Hong Kong, a variety of

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

Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

and the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

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

in Hong Kong included:

Second World War

* Headquarters,

China Command China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(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 "C" Force was the Canadians, Canadian military contingent involved in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. Members of this force were the first Canadian soldiers to see action against Japan in World War II. The major Canadian units invol ...

- Canadian Army's reinforcement under British Command during the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.

Cold War

* 40th Division (reformed in 1949, dispatched to Korea in 1950) ** 26th Gurkha Infantry Brigade (1948–1950) ** 27th Infantry Brigade (circa 1949) ** 28th Infantry Brigade (arrived in Hong Kong in 1949) * 51st Infantry Brigade (established circa 1950, disbanded 1976) * 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade (1957–1976; renamed Gurkha Field Force 1976–97; returned to old title 1987-ca.1992)

British Army units

Royal Armoured Corps

* C Squadron, The Royal Scots Greys (2 Dragoons), 19-09-1962–not known. *

1st Royal Tank Regiment The 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps and operationally under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. History Formation The regimen ...

(1957–1960)''(C Sqn 1974–1976)'' *

3rd Royal Tank Regiment The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (3 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army in existence from 1917 until 1992. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It originally saw action as C Battalion, Tank Cor ...

(1949-1950) *

7th Royal Tank Regiment The 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army from 1917 until disbandment in 1959. History The 7th Royal Tank Regiment was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps. The regi ...

(1952-1954) *

4th Hussars The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the World War I, First World War and the World War II, Second World ...

(1950) *

7th Hussars The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1689. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in ...

(1954-1957) * 16th/5th Lancers (A Sqn 1963–1964) (C Sqn 1973–1975) *

14th/20th King's Hussars The 14th/20th King's Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was created by the amalgamation of the 14th King's Hussars and the 20th Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the World War II, S ...

(1970–73) *

17th/21st Lancers The 17th/21st Lancers was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers in 1922 and, after service in the World War II, Second W ...

(Dec 1959–1960; C Sqn 1961–1962) * B Squadron, Life Guards (1967)

Infantry

28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire R ...

(circa late 1870s) *

74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot The 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot to form the Highland Light Infantry in 1881. History Formation ...

(circa 1878) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th (Ma ...

(1881–1883; 1947–1948) * 1st Battalion,

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I, World War II and Korea ...

(1892–1894) * 2nd Battalion,

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (the Duke of Albany's) to form ...

(1908–09) * 2nd Battalion,

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

(1914) * 2nd Battalion,

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

(1917–18) * 1st Battalion,

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ( ...

(1923–26) * 2nd Battalion,

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

(1926–28) * 2nd Battalion,

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Highland Fusiliers ...

(1926–1930) * 1st Battalion,

(1949-1951, May to August 1965) * 1st Battalion,

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

(1930–1934; 1963–1966) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most oth ...

(1932–36) * 1st Battalion,

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...

(1937–38) * 1st Battalion,

(1937–1941; 1949–1950; 1951–1952) * 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (1938–41) * 1st Battalion,

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the World War I, First World War and the World War II, ...

(1947) * 1st Battalion,

(1949-1951) * 1st Battalion,

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

(1949-1950, Fan Ling) * 1st Battalion,

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until ...

(1949–50; 1951–52; 1979) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

, (1949-1951, Norwegian Farm Camp) * 1st Battalion,

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

, (1949-1951) * 1st Battalion,

Wiltshire Regiment The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. T ...

(1950–52) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and ...

(1951-1952; 1960–1962) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an light infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal ...

(1951-1954) * 1st Battalion,

Dorset Regiment The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the List of British Army regiments (1881), county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although ...

(1952-1954) * 1st Battalion, The

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the am ...

(1952-1954; 1966–1968) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

(1952-1953, Norwegian Farm Camp) * 1st Battalion,

King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the ...

(1954-1956, Beas Stable Camp) * 1st Battalion,

North Staffordshire Regiment The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battali ...

(1954-1957) * 1st Battalion,

Essex Regiment The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

(1954-1957, Dodswell Ridge Camp) * 1st Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment (1954-1957) * 1st Battalion, The

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

(1956–1959) * 1st Battalion,

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59t ...

(1957-1958, amalgamated with The South Lancashire Regiment in HK to form The Lancashire Regiment.) * 1st Battalion,

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Ref ...

(1958, amalgamated with The East Lancashire Regiment in HK to form The Lancashire Regiment.) * 1st Battalion,

Lancashire Regiment The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army that had a very short existence. History The regiment was formed, as a consequence of defence cuts instigated by the 1957 Defence White Paper, by ...

(1958-1961, formed in HK in 1958 with the amalgamation of The South Lancashire Regiment and The East Lancashire Regiment.) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

(1960-1962) * 1st Battalion,

Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army which existed from 1959 to 1966. In 1966, it was amalgamated with the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment, the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Middlesex Re ...

(1962–1964) * 1st Battalion,

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and ...

(1963-1965) * 3rd Battalion, Green Jackets (The Rifle Brigade) (February to June 1965, 4 month acclimatisation before Jungle Warfare School training in Malaya.) * 1st Battalion,

Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1961 to 1966. Its lineage is continued by the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires). History The regiment was formed ...

(1965-1966, Gun Club Hill Barracks) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The re ...

(1966; 1974–1976) * 2nd Battalion,

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...

(January to October, 1967, Gun Club Hill Barracks) * 1st Battalion,

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...

(1967–69) * 1st Battalion, Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) (1968–70) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

(1969–1972) * 1st Battalion,

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

(1970–72) * 2nd Battalion,

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

(1975-1976, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion,

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

(1975–77) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgam ...

(1977–80) *

1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment (1 PARA), is a special forces battalion of the British Army's Parachute Regiment. Along with various other regiments and corps from across the British Armed Forces, it is part of Special Forces Support G ...

(January to May 1980, 4 month emergency tour) * 1st Battalion,

Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), officially abbreviated "QO HLDRS," was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was in existence from 1961 to 1994. History 1961–1970 The regiment was f ...

(1980–1981, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion,

(1981–1984, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion,

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence ...

(1984–1986, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion,

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

(1986–1988, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire & Wiltshire) (1988–1990, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion,

Royal Regiment of Wales The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of the South Wales Borderers and the Welch Regiment. The 1st Battalion, ...

(1990–1992, Stanley Fort) * 1st Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (1993–1994, Stanley Fort; 1997) * 1st Battalion,

Staffordshire Regiment The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales's Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire R ...

(1996-1997, Stanley Fort)

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 The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Compa ...

(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 The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. History F ...

(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 The 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, (abbreviated to 10 GR), was originally a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was formed in 1890, taking its lineage from a police unit and over the course of its existence it had a ...

(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 The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the Unit ...

(1994–96)

British Indian Army

* 5th Battalion,

7th Rajput Regiment Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season ep ...

(1941–45) * 2nd Battalion,

14th Punjab Regiment The 14th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to the Pakistan Army on Partition of India, independence in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st Punjab Regiment, 1st, 15th Punjab Regiment, 15 ...

(1941–45) * Indian Hospital Corps *

Indian Medical Service The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...

* Royal Indian Army Service Corps * Hong Kong Mule Corps, RIASC

Artillery

* Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery (1847 to 1940s) * 3rd Regiment

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

(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 Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

, 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 The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

(circa 1939) * 40th Fortress Company,

(circa 1939) * 24 Field Engineer Regiment,

** 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 The 36 Engineer Regiment is a regiment of the Corps of Royal Engineers within the British Army. The regiment trace their history back to before World War II as 36 Army Engineer Regiment. The regiment today is a general support engineer regiment pr ...

(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 The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

(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,

(circa 1958) * Independent Gurkha Brigade Squadron (circa 1958) * Gurkha Infantry Brigade Signal Squadron (circa 1959) * Detachments, 19th Air Formation Signal Troop,

(circa 1959) * Detachments, 232 Squadron,

(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 The Queen's Gurkha Signals (QG SIGNALS) is a regular unit of Royal Corps of Signals, one of the combat support arms of British Army. Together with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers, the Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, and ...

** 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

Army Catering Corps The Army Catering Corps (ACC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was formed in 1941 and amalgamated into the Royal Logistic Corps in 1993. History In 1938 Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Secretary of St ...

* Army Fire Service * Army Legal Corps /

Army Legal Services Branch The Army Legal Services Branch (ALS) is a branch of the Adjutant-General's Corps (AGC) in the British Army. Before 1992, the branch existed as the independent Army Legal Corps (ALC). History Many of the functions of the ALS were once carried ou ...

* Army Air Corps ** 20 Flight, AAC (Shatin and Sek Kong, 1960s) ** No. 660 Squadron AAC,

Shek Kong Shek Kong is an area north of Tai Mo Shan, located near Kam Tin and Pat Heung, in Yuen Long District, New Territories, Hong Kong, hosting Shek Kong San Tsuen, Shek Kong Barracks and Shek Kong Airfield. The area named after an old walled village ...

(1978–94) *

Army Physical Training Corps The Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education and has been headquartered in Aldershot since its foundation in 1860. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Traini ...

British Army Aid Group The British Army Aid Group (B.A.A.G.) was a paramilitary organisation for British and Allied forces in southern China during the Second World War. The B.A.A.G. was officially classified in the British Army's order of battle as an MI9 unit th ...

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

Guard (C Company) *

Gurkha Transport Regiment The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

** 28 & 31 Squadrons * Hong Kong Military Service Corps (1962-1996) **

Hong Kong Chinese Regiment The Hong Kong Chinese Regiment (HKCR) was a regiment that was raised by the British Army shortly before the Battle of Hong Kong during World War II. History The idea of recruiting more local Hong Kong Chinese for the defence of the colony bega ...

(1941-1948) ** Hong Kong Chinese Training Unit (1948-1962) ** Hong Kong Information Team - an internal-security, anti-smuggling and anti-illegal immigration intelligence unit under the Hong Kong Military Service Corps with Locally Enlisted Personnel (LEPS) of Chinese descent drawn from a number of British Army units. *

General List The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...

General Service Corps The General Service Corps (GSC) is a corps of the British Army. Role The role of the corps is to provide specialists, who are usually on the Special List or General List. These lists were used in both World Wars for specialists and those not allo ...

* Intelligence Corps *

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') was the nursing branch of the British Army Army Medical Services, Medical Services. In November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army Medical Corps and Ro ...

Royal Army Chaplains' Department The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

Royal Army Dental Corps The Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) was a specialist corps in the British Army that provided dental health services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace. The corps was awarded the "royal" prefix to become the Royal ...

Royal Army Education Corps The Royal Army Educational Corps (RAEC) was a corps of the British Army tasked with educating and instructing personnel in a diverse range of skills. On 6 April 1992 it became the Educational and Training Services Branch (ETS) of the Adjutant Gen ...

** 75 Army Education Centre, 28 Army Education Centre, Victoria Army Education Centre *

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...

** 6th Company, Royal Army Ordnance Corps (circa 1939) ** Sham Shui Po Ordnance Depot (est. 1946) ** 6 Forward Ordnance Depot, Kowloon Tong (1950; Renamed 6 Command Ordnance Depot in 1952 by combining 6 FOD and the Ammo Depot) ** Ordnance Depot Hong Kong (1960) ** Kai Tak Depot (est. 1966) ** Composite Ordnance Depot (est. 1966) *

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

British Military Hospital, Hong Kong The British Military Hospital was a military hospital in Hong Kong for the use of the British garrison. It was located at 10–12 Borrett Road from 1907 to 1967. It was built between 1903 and 1906, and officially opened on 1 July 1907. Often ...

** 27 Hong Kong Company, Royal Army Medical Corps (circa 1939) ** BMH Bowen Road (1907-1967) ** BMH Hong Kong (Kowloon) (1967-1996) ** 18 Field Ambulance (circa 1950s to 1972) *

Royal Army Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" existed in the army before the fo ...

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

** 10 Company, RASC (circa 1939) ** 781 Company (Civil Affairs/GT), RASC (1945 until disbandment in 1946) ** 799 Company (AD), RASC (circa 1945) ** 3 Supply & Petroleum Depot, Argyle Street, Kowloon (1950s) ** 56 (Hong Kong) Company, RASC (1953-circa 1960s at Causeway Bay Camp; absorbed by 79th Company, RASC in early 1960s) ** 79 Company (Water Transport), RASC (circa 1946–1959; circa 1962; absorbed by 56th Company in early 1960s) ** 12 Hong Kong Company, RASC *

Royal Army Veterinary Corps The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and c ...

** Defence Animal Support Unit *

Royal Corps of Transport The Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) was a British Army Corps established to manage all matters in relation to the transport of men and material for the Army and the wider defence forces. It was formed in 1965 and disbanded in 1993; its units and tr ...

and

Queen's Own Gurkha Transport Regiment Queens is a borough of New York City. Queens or Queen's may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Queens (group), a Polish musical group * "Queens" (song), a 2018 song by Saara Aalto * ''Queens'' (novel), by Stephen Pickles, 1984 * "Queens", ...

** Detachment, 71 Movement Control Squadron, RCT (circa 1965) ** 31 Regiment, RCT (1968 until disbandment in 1976) *** 29 Squadron, RCT (1965 until disbandment in 1993; Reduced to 414 Pack Transport Troop in 1968, reformed as a GT Sqn from the old island detachment of 56 Squadron the same year.) *** 414 Pack Transport Troop, 29 Squadron, RCT (1968-1976; Lo Wu Camp) *** 56 Squadron, RCT (disbanded in 1976, personnel absorbed by 29 Sqn RCT) *** 415 Maritime Troop (est. 1970s, came under command Gurkha Transport Regiment in 1976) ** 28 Squadron, Gurkha Transport Regiment (from 28 Company (MT) (Gurkha) RASC; 1965–1993) ** 31 Squadron, Gurkha Transport Regiment (relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong in 1971, disbanded in 1993)) *

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers". History Prior t ...

** 11 Infantry Workshop, REME (under 27 Infantry Brigade, circa 1949–1950 at Sek Kong) ** 16 Infantry Workshop (circa 1950 at Sek Kong) ** 17 Infantry Workshop (circa 1960s) ** 50 Command Workshop, (1960s-1994, at Sham Shui Po and Sek Kong) ** Light Aid Detachments to various Royal Artillery and Royal Armoured Corps units *

** Hong Kong Volunteers (1854-1878) ** Hong Kong Artillery and Rifle Volunteer Corps (1978-1917) ** Hong Kong Defence Corps (1917-1941) **

Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) (RHKR(V)) (), formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. Its powers and duties were mandated by the Royal Hong Kong R ...

(1941-1949) ** Hong Kong Defence Force (1949-1951) (included air and naval units) ** Royal Hong Kong Defence Force (1951-1961) **

Hong Kong Regiment The Hong Kong Regiment was a British Indian Army regiment seconded to the British Army intended to form part of the garrison of British Hong Kong between 1891 and 1902. It was disbanded in 1902 following a request from the India Office owing to ...

(1961-1970) (repurposed from infantry to reconnaissance) **

(Volunteers) (1970-1995) *

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

** Hong Kong Postal & Courier Squadron, RLC (1993 until disbandment) *

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...

** 40th Infantry Division Provost Company ** Hong Kong Provost Company, RMP *

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992 except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chap ...

Installations

A list of

installations in Hong Kong: * Bonham Tower Barracks * Burma Lines - Queen's Hill Camp * Cassino Lines – likely named for

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...

from the

* Central Ordnance Munitions Depot *

Flagstaff House Flagstaff House may refer to: * Teen Murti Bhavan - earlier residence of Commander-in-Chief, India and later the residence of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru * Flagstaff House, Hong Kong - earlier residence of the British Forces ...

1978 – former British Forces HQ and known as Headquarters House 1846–1932 and built for Major General George Charles D'Aguilar; now known as Museum of Teaware. *

Gallipoli Lines The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning 'b ...

– Sha Tau Kok Road in Fanling, formerly San Wai Camp; San Wai/Tai Ling Range. *

Gin Drinkers Line The Gin Drinkers Line, or Gin Drinkers' Line, was a British military defensive line against the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, part of the Pacific War. The concept came from France's Maginot L ...

1930s *

Gun Club Hill Barracks Gun Club Hill Barracks are barracks in King's Park, Hong Kong, King's Park, or in jordan, Hong Kong, Jordan, Hong Kong formerly used by British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, British Army garrisons during Colonial Hong Kong, British colonial rule. ...

– now PLA barracks * Lo Wu Camp (now the Lo Wu Correctional Institution) *

Kohima Camp Kohima Camp or Kohima Barracks as it was officially described () in Tai Po Tsai north of Clear Water Bay Peninsula was the site of a proposed new army barracks to house an additional British infantry battalion to be stationed in Hong Kong follow ...

(

Tai Po Tsai Tai Po Tsai () is an area and a village, clustering in a small plain around Clear Water Bay Road in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. Geography Tai Po Tsai is located northeast of Tseung Kwan O New Town on the east mid s ...

) – became the site of

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, and the firs ...

* Lo Wu Observation Post, Sha Tau Kok Observation Post, Sandy Ridge Observation Post and Tai O Observation Post. * Lyemun Barracks or Lei Yue Mun Barracks 1840s – coast defence and now

Museum of Coastal Defence A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

and Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village * Murray Battery * (Queen) Victoria Barracks 1846–1979 – parade grounds now site of Pacific Place, JW Marriott Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel and

Hong Kong Park Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of Hong Kong dollar, HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of and is an example of modern des ...

; the Barracks was converted to The Visual Arts Centre (

Hong Kong Museum of Art The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is the first and one of the main art museums of Hong Kong, located in located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, near the Victoria Harbour waterfront, providing a scenic view of Hong Kong’s skyline. It is a publ ...

). Victoria Barracks consisted of: ** The Former Explosives Magazine complex, which is now part of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. ** Cassels Block - Originally named Block C, the former barracks for married British officers. The building is now the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Likely named after Sir Robert Cassels, British Indian Army officer and Viceroy of India. ** Rawlinson House - the former residence of the Deputy Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong. Now a marriage registry. Two Warrant Officers' Married Quarters were integrated with it into a single building in the 1960s. ** Wavell House - former quarters for married British officers, converted in 1991 into the aviary support centre (Education Centre). ** Montgomery Block - currently home to Mother's Choice Limited. ** Roberts Block - now the Jockey Club New Life Hostel of the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. ** Alexander Block - Demolished. ** Birdwood Block - married officers' quarters, Demolished. ** Colvin Block - used by the Women's Royal Army Corps, now the site of the British Council and British Consulate-General complex. ** Freyberg Block - was HQ Intelligence Services. Demolished. ** Gort Block - living quarters. Demolished. ** Hamilton Block - returned to the Hong Kong Government in 1967. Demolished. ** Kitchener Block - accommodation for school teachers. Demolished. ** Queen's Line - now Ching Yi To Barracks of the People's Liberation Army. * North Barracks 1840s–1887 – to the RN 1887–1959 and Hong Kong Government 1959– *

Murray Barracks Murray Barracks () was a barracks for the British Army garrisoned in Admiralty, Central in Hong Kong. It was named after Sir George Murray, the Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction. Location It was situated between present ...

1846–1982 – named for

Major-General Sir George Murray; the officers' quarters was moved from Central to

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, now known as

Murray House Murray House is a Victorian architecture, Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong, Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day Central business district, business district of Central, Hong Kong, Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of ...

Osborn Barracks Kowloon East Barracks (), formerly Osborn Barracks (), is a former British Army facility now in use by the People's Liberation Army in Kowloon City District, Hong Kong located in the northern part of Kowloon on Waterloo Road and Junction Road ...

(

Kowloon Kowloon () is one of the areas of Hong Kong, three areas of Hong Kong, along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It is an urban area comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a populat ...

) 1945 – named for

Winnipeg Grenadiers The Winnipeg Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. First formed on 1 April 1908 under General Order No. 20. Initially it was raised with headquarters at Morden, Manitoba, and companies at: A Company at Morden, B Co ...

Company Sergeant Major

John Robert Osborn Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn, VC (2 January 1899 − 19 December 1941) was a Canadian soldier. Osborn was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that c ...

VC of Canada who died in defending Hong Kong in 1941. *

Perowne Barracks Perowne Barracks is a former British Army barracks in Hong Kong. The barracks are no longer in military use. History The barracks, which were established as Tai Lam Military Camp in 1931, were subsequently renamed Perowne Barracks after Major G ...

(

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...

) – established in 1931 as the Tai Lam Camp. Named for British Army Major General Lancelot Perowne and once used by Tuen Mun Immigration Service Training School, now used by Crossroads International *

Sek Kong Barracks SEK or Sek may refer to: Organisations * Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (''Schweizerischer Evangelischer Kirchenbund'') * SEK Studio, a North Korean animation studio * Stagecoach in East Kent, a transportation company in England * SEK (Ge ...

** Headquarters 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade ** Training Depot Brigade of Gurkhas (TDBG) ** Borneo Lines ** Malaya Lines ** British Forces Broadcasting Service ** Services Sound and Vision Corporation *

Sham Shui Po Barracks Sham Shui Po Barracks was a British Army facility built in the 1920s in the Sham Shui Po area of Kowloon, Hong Kong. The base was bounded by Fuk Wa Street to the east, by Yen Chow Street and to the west by Tonkin Street and Camp Street. The b ...

– has been WWII Japanese War Prison, Vietnamese Refugee Camp and now housing estates, commercial centre and government offices. * Saiwan Barracks 1844 – used for a short duration and abandoned for Lyemun Barracks. *

Sai Wan War Cemetery Sai Wan War Cemetery is a military cemetery located in Chai Wan, Hong Kong which was built in 1946. The cemetery was created to commemorate soldiers of Hong Kong Garrison who perished during the World War II, Second World War. The cemetery also ...

Stanley Military Cemetery Stanley Military Cemetery is a cemetery located near St. Stephen's Beach in Stanley, Hong Kong. Along with the larger Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery, it is one of two military cemeteries of the early colonial era, used for the burials ...

Stanley Fort Stanley Fort is a military installation on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Built originally to serve the British Armed Forces, it now houses the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It has also been u ...

(

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

) 1841 – later served as Stanley Prison and WWII Japanese War Prison. *

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards units on public duties in that area. The building is located about from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to reach the palace very q ...

1840s–1946 – to the RN as HMS ''Tamar'' 1946–1960s (demolished and replaced with HMS Tamar/Prince of Wales Building, now the

Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building The Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building, formerly the Prince of Wales Building (), is the headquarters building of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, located on Lung Wui Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong. It hous ...

) * Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes

Royal Navy / Royal Marines

The

and

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 A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The fema ...

was added later in the 1970s. Before the handover, the naval base was moved to

Stonecutters Island Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now attached to the Kowloon Peninsula. Fauna The island once boasted at least three mating pairs of sulphur-crested ...

next to the Government docks. RN and RFA ships visited or posted to Hong Kong prior to the Second World War: * (1841) * (circa 1841) * (circa 1847) * (circa 1858) * (circa 1871) * (circa 1873) * (circa 1897) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (circa 1901) * (1904) * (1905) * (1906) * (circa 1901; sold in Hong Kong in 1916) * (circa 1914) * (circa 1914) * (1920–26) * (1927) * (circa 1939) (transferred to Singapore before the Battle of Hong Kong) RN ships and land units in Hong Kong during the Second World War: * * * * * * * * * * * * * Royal Naval Dockyard Police * Hong Kong Dockyard Defence Corps 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'' * * * APV ''Stanley'' * APV ''Teh Hsing'' RN formations and units in Hong Kong (Post-Second World War): *

China Squadron The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

1844–1941, 1945–1992 *

3rd Frigate Squadron The 3rd Frigate Squadron also known as the Third Frigate Squadron was a naval formation of the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its offi ...

(1949 to 1963; 1972 to 1980) *

Far East Fleet The Far East Fleet (also called the Far East Station) was a fleet of the Royal Navy from 1952 to 1971. During the Second World War, the Eastern Fleet included many ships and personnel from other navies, including the navies of the Netherlands, ...

/ Hong Kong Squadron 1969–1971 * Dragon Squadron 1971–1992 * Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves 1967–1996 – merge with RNR 1971 * Side Girls Party 1933–1997 * 120th Minesweeping Squadron 1958–1966 – transfer to Singapore * 6th Mine Countermeasure Squadron 1969–1997 * 6th Patrol Craft Squadron 1970–1997 * Operations and Training Base 1934–1997 * British Pacific Fleet 1840s–1948 – to Singapore as Far East Station * Hong Kong Flotilla 1840s–1941, 1948–1992 * China Station –

4th Submarine Flotilla Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

, Yangtse Flotilla, West River Flotilla,

8th Destroyer Flotilla The 8th Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the British Royal Navy from 1911 to 1939. History The flotilla was established in August 1911. In 1912 it was assigned to the Admiral of Patro ...

5th Cruiser Squadron The 5th Cruiser Squadron and also known as Cruiser Force D was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1907 to 1915 and then again from 1939 to 1946. History First formation The squadron was first established in 1907, it was att ...

* 1st Escort Flotilla * 4th Frigate Flotilla ?-1952 * Frigate Squadron 1952–1976 * Light Cruiser Squadron RN and RFA ships visited or posted to Hong Kong after the Second World War: * (1945) * (1948) * (circa 1951) * (1952) * (circa 1954) * (1961; 1963) * (circa 1963) * (circa 1963) * (circa 1963) * (1964) * (circa 1974) * (circa 1973–1976) * (circa 1980) * (1992) * (1992) * (1997) * (1986; 1990; 1997) * (1997) Royal Marines: *

40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion-sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within UK Commando Force, the principal Commando formation, under the operational command of the Fleet Commander. Their barracks are at Norton Manor ...

3 Commando Brigade United Kingdom Commando Force (UKCF), previously called 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), is the UK's special operations-capable commando formation of the Royal Marines. It is composed of Royal Marine Commandos and commando qualified personnel f ...

, RM (1946–47; 1949; 1962) *

42 Commando 42 Commando is a unit within the UK Commando Force. Based at Norton Manor, Royal Marines Condor and 42 Commando are based at Bickleigh Barracks, Plymouth. Personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. All Roya ...

, 3 Commando Brigade, RM (1945; 1949) * 44 Commando, 3 Commando Brigade, RM (1945-1947; redesignated 40 Commando in 1947) *

45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within UK Commando Force, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the Fleet Comman ...

, 3 Commando Brigade, RM (1946-1947; 1949–1950) * No. 3 Raiding Squadron, RM (1978-1988) * 47 Royal Marines A list of naval facilities used or built by the RN in Hong Kong: *

** 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 Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

of the

PLA Pla may refer to: People * Cecilio Plá (1860–1934), Spanish painter * Conrad Pla (born 1966), Canadian kickboxer and actor * Jim Pla (born 1992), French racing driver * Joan Baptista Pla (ca. 1720–1773), Spanish composer and oboist * Josefina ...

* Lamont and Hope Drydocks *

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Docks – destroyed * Dry Dock 1902–1959 *

Taikoo Dockyard Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company () was a dockyard in what is now Taikoo Shing, MTR Tai Koo station and part of Taikoo Place of Quarry Bay on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It predates the era before the reclamation of Victoria Harbour. ...

– Hong Kong United Dockyards * Royal Navy Dockyards,

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

1859–1902 *

Royal Navy Dockyards Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial c ...

1902–1959 – Kowloon Dockyard not part of

Hung Hom Hung Hom (, ) is an area in the southeast of Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Including the areas of Whampoa, Tai Wan, Hok Yuen, Lo Lung Hang and No. 12 Hill are administratively part of the Kowloon City District, with a portion west of ...

area. * RN Coal storage yard, Stonecutters Island 1861–1959 * RN Coal storage yard and Kowloon Naval Dockyards 1901–1959 *

Sai Wan Sai Wan (Chinese: 西環), also known as Western district, or simply Western, is an area in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong that corresponds to Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Belcher Bay and Kennedy Town. It formed part of the City of Victo ...

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 Wan Chai (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 灣仔) is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal St ...

– demolished, now replaced by

Ruttonjee Hospital Ruttonjee Hospital is a district general hospital in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is affiliated with the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Hong Kong, and provides clinical attachment opportunities for the u ...

* Seaman's Hospital 1843–1873 – replaced by Royal Naval Hospital * 1945–1946 – as a hospital ship * War Memorial Hospital (Matilda) 1946–1959 * British Military Hospital 1959–1995 * Island Group Practice 1995–1997 – replace BMH * and – 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: * Lamont and Hope Drydocks * Aberdeen Docks * Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai – now Ruttonjee Sanatorium * Seaman's Hospital 1843–1873 – replaced by Royal Naval Hospital * and – Receiving Ships * – Receiving ship 1897–1941 * HMS ''Nabcatcher'' – Kai Tak 1945–1946 * – Kai Tak 1947 * 1841-mid-1840s – hospital ship * 1840s–1865 – hospital ship * 1860s–1873 – hospital ship (East Indies Sqdn)

Royal Air Force

The

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 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.

1970–1993 – handed over to GFS * Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps – Air Arm 1930–1949 * Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force 1949–1970 – see RHKAAF

units which visited or were stationed in Hong Kong included: *

No. 681 Squadron RAF No. 681 Squadron RAF was a aerial reconnaissance, photo-reconnaissance squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. History It was formed out of No. 3 PRU, at Dum Dum in India on 2 January 1943, as part of Far East Air Force (Roy ...

(September–December 1945) * No. 1331 Wing RAF Regiment (circa 1946) *

No. 96 Squadron RAF No. 96 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron, formed as a training unit in the latter stages of the First World War. The squadron re-formed and served mainly as night fighter cover during the Second World War. In the aftermath of WWII it took ...

(1946) * No. 1430 (Flying Boat Transport) Flight RAF (1946) * Japan Force Communications Flight RAF (circa 1946) * No. 132 Squadron RAF (1945-1946) * No. 200 Staging Post RAF (1945-1946) * No. 215 Squadron (Transport) (1945–1946) * Hong Kong Communication Flight Squadron RAF (1945-1947) *

No. 88 Squadron RAF Number 88 Squadron was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) squadron. First World War After forming at Gosport in July 1917, the squadron was moved to Fra ...

(1946-1951) * No. 209 Squadron (Maritime Patrol) (1946–1955) * No. 110 Squadron RAF (1947) *

No. 81 Squadron RAF No 81 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew fighter aircraft during the Second World War, reconnaissance aircraft in the Far East after the war, and was disbanded in 1970. History First World War No. 81 Squadron Royal Flyin ...

(1947-1958) * No. 1903 Flight RAF and No. 656 Squadron RAF (1948-1949) *

No. 28 Squadron RAF Number 28 Squadron, also known as No. 28 (Army Co-operation) Squadron or No. 28 (AC) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Based at RAF Benson, it serves as the RAF's Operational Conversion Unit for the Boeing Chinook HC5/6/6A heli ...

(1949-1951; 1955; 1957- 1967; 1968–1978; 1996–1997) *

No. 80 Squadron RAF Number 80 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was reformed on 15 April 2024 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, after the numberplate was awarded to the British team at the Australia, Canada and United Kingdom Reprogramming Laborato ...

(1949-1955) with Supermarine Spitfire F.24 & de Havilland Hornet F.3 * No. 205 Squadron (Maritime Reconnaissance) (1949–1958) *

(1949-1993) * Hong Kong Auxiliary Flight (1949-1950) * Hong Kong Auxiliary Squadron (1950-1953) * Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force Wing (circa 1953) * Hong Kong Fighter Squadron (circa 1953) *

No. 60 Squadron RAF No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at HMS Sultan (shore establishment), Gosport. It is currently part of No. 1 Flying Training School RAF, No. 1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire flying the Eurocop ...

(1961-1968) * No. 846 Squadron FAA (1963–1964) (RAF Kai Tak) *

No. 103 Squadron RAF No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975. History Formation in World War I No. 103 S ...

(1963-1969) * No. 110 Squadron RAF (1964-1969) * No. 45 Squadron (Bomber) (1965–1970) * No. 847 Squadron FAA (1970) (RAF Kai Tak) * No. 41 Squadron RAF (1973;

McDonnell Douglas Phantom in UK service The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was one of the principal combat aircraft of the United Kingdom (UK) from 1968 to 1992. The UK was the first export customer for the US-built F-4 Phantom, which was ordered amid political and economic difficu ...

jets) * No. 22 Squadron (Anti-shipping patrol), 1996–1997 *

RAF Police The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP) is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the provost marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington, and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF and UK def ...

* No. 60 Squadron * No. 681 Squadron (Photo Reconnaissance) * 114th (Hong Kong) Squadron RAF * No. 367 Wireless Unit * No. 368 Wireless Unit * No. 117 Signals Unit (Tai Mo Shan), w.e.f. January 1959 when it was relocated from Mount Davis (West end of Hong Kong Island) * ASF (Catering Squadron) * GEF (Ground Radio) * Medical Supply Squadron * No. 444 Signals Unit (Stanley Fort), 1971 to 1977 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 Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

(HMS Jufair). On 1 May 1972, No. 90 (Signals) Group was transferred from

RAF Strike Command The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007 when it merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air ...

RAF Maintenance Command RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973. Histor ...

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 Support Command was a command of the Royal Air Force between 1973 and 1994. The headquarters was located at RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire. History It was formed on 31 August 1973 by the renaming of RAF Maintenance 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

– 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: * RAF

North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Causeway Bay and Tsat Tsz Mui that projects ...

(Hong Kong) * RAF Little Sai Wan * RAF Mount Davis home of 117 Signals Unit relocated 1959 (without living accommodation) to RAF Tai Mo Shan * RAF Sha Tin – (no ICAO code) from 1949-1970s. Severely damaged by Typhoon Wanda in 1962. Demolished to make way for

Sha Tin New Town Sha Tin New Town, also known as Sha Tin-Ma On Shan New Town or Sha Tin Town is one of the satellite towns and new towns of Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, the New Territories. The New Town covers the neighbourhoods of Sha Tin, ...

. * RAF Sek Kong – (VHSK) served as Vietnamese Detention Centre 1980s *

RAF Kai Tak Royal Air Force Kai Tak or more commonly RAF Kai Tak is a former Royal Air Force station situated in Hong Kong, at Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon. It was established by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight opera ...

– (VHKT) later as

Kai Tak International Airport Kai Tak Airport was an international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply K ...

A list of

operations facilities: *

* 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

were later transferred to the

(GFS).

Other facilities

* Medical centres at Victoria Barracks, Lyemun Barracks, Stanley Fort, Whitfield Barracks, Sham Shui Po, Choy Hung, MRS Sek Kong and Lo Wu. *

British Forces Broadcasting Service The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themsel ...

* Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the United Kingdom, British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their fam ...

) *

Blackdown Barracks, Hong Kong Blackdown or Black Down may refer to: Places Australia * Blackdown, Queensland, a locality in the Central Highlands Region *Blackdown Tableland National Park in Queensland. Canada *Blackdown Cadet Training Centre, a Canadian Cadet training c ...

(彩虹軍營) – near Kai Tak; now is Rhythm Garden (采頤花園), car park building, and Canossa Primary School. * Mount Austin Barracks – near Peak Tram terminus at Victoria Peak * Royal Hong Kong Regimental Headquarters near Happy Valley – demolished 1995

China Fleet Club

Hong Kong became an important port of call for many naval ships passing through the Far East. Besides

Lan Kwai Fong Lan Kwai Fong (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 蘭桂坊), often abbreviated as LKF, is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to Hawkers in Hong Kong, hawkers before the Secon ...

, Royal Navy sailors had their own entertainment facility called the "China Fleet Club". 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; 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 Sun Hung Kai Centre () is an office skyscraper in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is 215 metres tall consisting 53 floors. When the building was first completed in 1981, only 51 floors were present. Five extra stories were added atop ...

* 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 Saltash () is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Cornwall". Saltash’s landmarks ...

begins * 1991 Construction of China Fleet Country Club in Saltash completed and opens in June * 1992 CFC in Hong Kong closes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Alderson, G.L.D. ''History of Royal Air Force Kai Tak.'' Hong Kong: Royal Air Force Kai Tak, 1972. * Bruce, Philip. ''Second to None''. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1991. * Cracknell, Philip. ''Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941.'' Chelford: Amberley Publishing, 2019. * Craig, Neil & Craig, Jo. ''Black Watch, Red Dawn: The Hong Kong Handover to China Hardcover.'' London: Brasseys, 1998. * * Felton, Mark. ''China Station: British Military in the Middle Kingdom 1839-1997.'' Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2013. * Gregorian, Raffi. ''The British Army, the Gurkhas and Cold War strategy in the Far East, 1947–19''54. New York : Palgrave, 2002. * * Jeffreys, Alan. ''The British Army in the Far East 1941-45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2005. * 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. * Oxley, D.H. ''Victoria Barracks, 1842–1979.'' Hong Kong: British Forces Hong Kong, 1979. * Parkinson, Jonathan. ''The Royal Navy, China Station: 1864 - 1941: As seen through the lives of the Commanders in Chief.'' Leicestershire: Matador, 2018. * Richardson, Sam S. ''The Royal Marines and Hong Kong, 1840–1997.'' Portsmouth: Royal Marines Historical Society, 1997. * Rollo, Denis. ''The Guns & Gunners of Hong Kong''. Hong Kong: The Gunners' Roll of Hong Kong, 1991.

External links

*
China Fleet Club

RAF Kai Tak

Royal Hong Kong Regiment The Volunteers Association

Stanley Fort

Hong Kong Gunners Association

RAF Chinese Linguists in Hong Kong
{{British infantry brigades of the Second World War Hong Kong and the Commonwealth of Nations Military of Hong Kong under British rule 19th-century military history of the United Kingdom 20th-century military history of the United Kingdom British Armed Forces deployments Joint commands of the United Kingdom Military units and formations disestablished in 1997