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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
was awarded the Commendation for Gallantry of the Commander, Far East Land Forces, for his efforts to save four occupants of a car which crashed and overturned into the Beas River in the New Territories. A 500 lb bomb, uncovered during excavations at Pok Fu Lam, was removed and dumped into the sea by the Hong Kong Fortress Squadron, RE. British servicemen in Hong Kong also provide the biggest contribution to the local Red Cross blood bank. They are quick to answer all appeals and the annual average donation from service sources is in the region of 5,000 pints.
LOCAL FORCES AND CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICES
The Colony's auxiliary defence services consist of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force, the Essential Services Corps and the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force (dealt with in chapter 10). All these services are paid for almost entirely from funds voted each year by the Legislative Council. Except for small administrative and training staffs they are manned entirely by volunteers who train in the evening or at the week-ends, and in some cases for up to 15 days at sea or at annual camps. Service in the auxiliary defence units is a considerable commitment for the individuals concerned and also for their employers, who are generally most co-operative in releasing members of their staff for these duties. Training obligations vary from service to service. The maximum is in those units whose members must every year attend at least 60 hours of instructional parades, six full days' training and a training period at camp. An allowance to cover out-of-pocket expenses is granted for attendance at instructional parades, while for a full day's training and for attending camp, officers and mem- bers receive a higher daily rate of pay.
The principal units of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force are the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve, the Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers), and the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. Each major unit deals direct with the government and with the corre- sponding regular service.
The Hong Kong Volunteers were first raised for the protection of the Colony in 1854. In 1878 they were renamed the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps and in 1917 the Hong Kong Defence Corps. In 1920 the title was again changed to the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. The Corps was mobilized, about 1,400 strong,