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D. ACCOMMODATION
Military Accommodation Available
1.
Other Ranks
2.
Officers
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(a) Kowloon
(1)
In Kowloon officers were accommodated before the war in a mess in Gunclub Hill Barracks and two other messes in two houses.
(a) The total accommodation available (based on 60 sq. ft. per person) before the war was for 5959 BORS in Barracks and 305 in married quarters.
(b) of the pre-war barracks the following are no longer
longer available:
(i)
Mount Austin (for 259 troops) which has been completely demolished.
(ii) Wellington Barracks (for 480 troops) which has
been handed over to the Royal Navy.
(iii) Shamshuipo Barracks (for 1290 troops) has suffered extensive dilapidations and the accommo- dation, which was always poor, is no longer considered suitable for housing troops.
(iv) Portions of Victoria Barracks and Lyemun Bar-
racks which have been demolished by bombs.
(c) By using married quarters as barrack rooms the accommodation available has been increased, however, to 4144 on the island and 4675 on the mainland. Much of this accommodation, however, will have to return to its proper use as married quarters.
(d) The increase in para (c) above is also due to the taking into use the three Camps in Argyle Street, two of which were built by the Japanese and the third of which is the property of the Hong Kong Social Welfare Council and was built to house destitute Chinese. The capacity of these three camps is 966 Other Ranks,
(ii)
Gunclub Hill Barracks Mess is now in use as a VCOs Club which is quite essential and for which it is more suitable in present circumstances.
(iii)
The two houses are completely gutted.
(iv)
There is therefore no officers' accommodation available in military property in Kowloon.
(b) Hong Kong
(i)
There are three messes in military accommodation:
Lyemun Barracks. The original mess is gutted, but a mess for a Bn has been made out of a signal station barrack block.
(ii) Stanley Barracks now used by a Commando.
(iii) Murray Barracks now used by a Commando.
(iv) The total accommodation available now is for 172
officers (at 100 sq. ft. per officer)
Accommodation of the Force during the past five months
3.
Much of the accommodation now available has been put into use only as a result of extensive repairs and reconstruction.
4.
In addition to the occupying Force accommodation has had to be provided for large numbers of Japanese surrendered per- sonnel and civilian internees. These amounted to some 22,000 in September 45 but the number has decreased steadily to the present figure of approx 2,500.
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