THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
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civilians, and a work force of 150 Chinese civilians provides clerical, storekeeping and labouring support for HMS Tamar. A further 800 locally recruited men serve worldwide in the Royal Fleet Auxiliaries which provide food, fuel and stores for Her Majesty's Fleet.
Headquarters Land Forces is at Victoria Barracks on Hong Kong Island and has under its command 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade, stationed at Sek Kong in the New Territories, and 51 Infantry Brigade with its headquarters in Kowloon.
Units stationed in Hong Kong for some or all of 1973 were the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, C Squadron the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers, the 1st Battalion the Kings Regiment, the 1st Battalion Black Watch, the 1st and the 2nd Battalion the 2nd King Edward VII Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles. In addition to these, there was a wide range of supporting units providing assistance to all three services.
Throughout 1973 units of the Army manned positions in the border area, and in conjunction with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force provided joint police-military patrols in that area and in the more remote parts 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 with the Director of Civil Aviation to ensure safety of civil aircraft operating within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region.
No. 28 Squadron, based permanently at Kai Tak, is equipped with eight Wessex helicopters, primarily for rapid movement of troops and supplies. It also provides a standby aircraft for search and rescue in Hong Kong and near waters, and assists in the evacuation of casualties from islands and the New Territories. Vulcan aircraft continued their training flights from the United Kingdom, supplemented by detach- ments of Phantom fighter bombers and Victor tanker aircraft of Strike Command. Royal Air Force transport aircraft activity has maintained the established regular pattern. Air Commodore M. P. Stanton, is currently the Commander, Royal Air Force, Hong Kong.
The continuing secure and stable situation in Hong Kong in 1973 enabled the Armed Forces to extend help of all kinds to the local community. This varied from the provision of large-scale recreational activities for the young, to the undertaking of construction projects. Recreational activities included the use of service sporting facilities, provision of service instructors and coaches in all forms of sport, and a major contribution to the Summer Youth Activities Programme. This took the form of an intensive training course for youth leaders.
Linked to this work are the numerous patrols which the services carry out with the police to isolated parts of Hong Kong. These visits help the government keep in touch with the areas and engender confidence among the inhabitants.