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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
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 1974 were the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, C Squadron the 16th/5th Queen's Royal Lancers, C Squadron 1st Royal Tank Regiment, the 1st Battalion the Kings Regiment, the 1st Battalion the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the 1st Battalion Black Watch, the 2nd Battalion the 2nd King Edward VII Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, and the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles. In addition to these, there was a wide range of supporting units providing assistance to all three services.
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Throughout 1974 units of the Army manned positions in the border area, and in conjunction with the Royal Hong Kong Police Foree 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. The radar facilities are shared with the Civil Aviation Department to ensure safety of all aircraft, whether civil or military, operating within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region.
No. 28 Squadron, based at RAF Kai Tak, is equipped with eight Wessex helicop- ters used primarily for the rapid movement of troops and supplies. The squadron also provides a standby aircraft for seach and rescue in Hong Kong and nearby waters and carries out, together with the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, a medical evacuation service for both military personnel and civilians from outlying areas to the main hospitals in Kowloon. The fuel crisis in the early part of 1974 resulted in a reduction in the number of training flights through RAF Kai Tak. However, once the oil situation had stabilised Vulcan, Victor, Canberra and Nimrod aircraft of Strike Command resumed their routine training flights from Britain. Royal Air Force transport aircraft continue to maintain their regular services together with transport aircraft on exercise support or training schedules. Air Commodore M. P. Stanton is currently the Commander Royal Air Force, Hong Kong.
The continuing secure and stable situation in Hong Kong in 1974 enabled the Armed Forces to extend 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. Recreational activities included the use of Service sporting facilities, provision of Service instructors and coaches in all sports, and a major contribution to the Summer Youth Activities Programme in 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 areas of Hong Kong. These visits help the government keep in touch with the areas and engender confidence among the inhabitants.