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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
Units stationed in Hong Kong for some or all of 1972 were B Squadron the 14th/ 20th King's Hussars, 47th Light Regiment Royal Artillery, 1st Battalion the Irish Guards, 1st Battalion the Royal Welch Fusiliers, 1st Battalion the Black Watch, 1st and 2nd Battalions the 2nd King Edward VII Own Gurkha Rifles, (The Sirmoor Rifles), the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles. In addition to these units, there was a wide range of units from the supporting arms and services providing assistance to all three services.
Throughout 1972, units of the Army manned defensive positions in the border area, and in conjunction with the Royal Hong Kong Police provided joint police/ military patrols in the border area and in the more remote areas of the territory.
The Royal Air Force Station at Kai Tak is a separate enclave adjacent to the civil airport and uses the airport's runway and control services. The Royal Air Force has its own radar and signal facilities for the long distance control of military aircraft approaching Hong Kong. These facilities are shared by the Director of Civil Aviation to ensure the safety of civil aircraft operating within the Hong Kong Flight Informa- tion Region.
Based permanently at Kai Tak, No. 28 Squadron is equipped with eight Wessex helicopters. It is established primarily for the rapid movement of troops and supplies, and in one lift can transport a complete platoon. In addition it provides a standby aircraft for search and rescue throughout Hong Kong and the near waters, and assists in the evacuation of casualties from the New Territories and outlying islands. Vulcan aircraft continued their training flights from the United Kingdom, supplemented by detachments of Phantom fighter bombers and Victor tanker aircraft of Strike Com- mand. Royal Air Force transport aircraft activity has maintained the established regular pattern. Air Commodore C. L. Godwin, AFC, is currently the Commander Royal Air Force Hong Kong.
The continuing secure and stable situation in Hong Kong in 1972 enabled the armed forces to extend their contribution of providing help of all kinds to the local community. This varied in scope from the provision of recreational activities on a large scale for the young, to the undertaking of construction projects. The former included the use of service sporting facilities, provision of service instructors and coaches in all forms of sport, and a major contribution to Hong Kong's Summer Youth Programme in the form of an intensive training course for youth leaders. Linked to this work are the numerous patrols that the services carry out with the police to isolated parts of the territory. These visits help the government to keep in touch with the areas and engender confidence among the inhabitants.
The primary task of the British Armed Forces in Hong Kong remains, however, to be ready at all times to give instant support to the Hong Kong Government and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, should this be necessary. To this end, the services have maintained a high standard of training and alertness and jointly with the New Territories Administration and the police, have steadily improved the arrangements for the security of the border and other critical areas of Hong Kong and its waters should an emergency arise.