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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES
No. 28 (AC) Squadron also remained available for search and rescue and missions and medical emergency evacuations - tasks it shared with the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force.
But probably the most unusual role for the RAF Wessex was in fire-fighting. Flying with a bucket holding 1.5 tonnes of water suspended underneath, the helicopter is able to deliver a quick dousing to hillside fires. This capability proved invaluable during the dry season, when many potentially dangerous fires, which were inaccessible to conventional fire appliances, were extinguished before they could become a major threat to life and property.
Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)
The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) is a light reconnaissance regiment which operates in support of the British Army in Hong Kong. Its role is primarily one of internal security but also includes reconnaissance in anti-illegal immigrant operations and assistance to other government departments in the event of natural disasters.
The regiment has over 700 volunteers and is organised into four reconnaissance squadrons, a home guard squadron and a headquarters squadron which includes an escort and liaison troop, a boat patrol troop, the Regimental Recruit Training Wing and the normal command and administrative elements. There is also a junior leaders' squadron of 135 boys who are trained in youth activities and leadership.
Recruiting for the regiment has remained strong as there are always many people waiting to enlist. This has allowed the regiment to be extremely selective and to maintain high standards of physical fitness and consistent attendance for training.
The training commitment is one weekend, plus either two evenings or one Saturday afternoon each month, and two one-week camps each year. Selected volunteers attend Regular-Army courses in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong and are also attached to battalions for overseas training in Brunei, Malaysia, Australia and Fiji. In the last two years, all locally-recruited officer cadets completed a two-week course at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, before receiving commissions in the regiment.
The new headquarters building at Happy Valley, opened in early 1980, provides excellent facilities which have led to marked improvements in the standard of training.
The regiment continued throughout 1980 to assist the police and the Regular Army in stemming the flow of illegal immigrants from China, although the commitment was mostly confined to weekends so that employers would not be unduly inconvenienced.
In October, 1980, the entire regiment was deployed on the border for one week in lieu of annual camp. The volunteers performed in a professional manner and achieved con- siderable success in apprehending illegal immigrants and people engaged in illegally aiding them. Employers were most co-operative in releasing the volunteers for these duties and a turn-out of over 95 per cent was achieved.
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force based at its headquarters near the main runway at Hong Kong International Airport, has an establishment of 116 volunteers and 67 permanent staff. This enables it to operate seven days a week and round-the-clock during an emergency. It operates seven aircraft: a twin-engined Cessna Titan, a twin-engined Britten-Norman Islander, two Scottish Aviation Bulldog trainers and three new Aero- spatiale Dauphin twin-engined helicopters.