APPENDIX 3.
MILITARY ACCOMMODATION.
1. The attached Table A shows the state of military accommodation in the Colony. There is some difficulty in presenting the information in a condensed form, and the tables could be misleading unless it is understood that there is a very great divergence in plan between Military and Civilian buildings. The letters A to E have the same meaning as in the Civil Affairs tables.
2. Practically no Military building is self contained. In extreme cases, buildings for sleeping, cooking, dining, ablutions and latrines may be all separate. One cookhouse may serve several barracks, and so on. In addition, offices, stores, canteens, etc., are needed for a complete barracks. The principle point to be considered is the amount and condition of barrack room accommodation, and this has therefore been taken as the basis, but it must be remembered that even if a barrack room is fit for immediate occupation, there may be much work to be done on other buildings before it can be used.
3. At present, troops are accepting much reduced scale of accommodation, and though barracks are occupied, there is in almost every case considerable work to be done to bring them up to proper standard.
4.
Married quarters are being used extensively as barracks. These will of course have to revert to their proper use. It is not possible to say yet how soon this may be.
5. Troops must be accommodated as units. This means that accommodation for 1,000 men cannot necessarily be made to take 1,000 men. It may have to take a unit of 800 men. In actual fact, most accommodation is taking more than its quota.
6. The accommodation is worked out at 60 sq. ft. per man. The authorised scale is 90 sq. ft. per man, therefore as conditions revert to normal, the available accommoda- tion will be reduced by one third.
7. Summary. Comparison of pre-war and existing accommodation.
i
The final garrison has not yet been fixed but may be as low as 6,500 or as much as 11,000.
8. New Construction. Hutting for Bde H.Q. and 3 Bns in the New Territories is being planned, but has not yet received War Office sanction. If authority is received in March, the camps should be completed by August or September. If a second Inf Bde is sent to Hong Kong the camps will not have a great effect on the problem of civilian accommodation. If not, the Commando Bde may be moved into them, but this will depend on circumstances outlined in para. 9.
9. De-requisitioning. Table B gives a forecast of de-requisitioning, and shows that very little can be expected in the near future. A high proportion of Army requisitioned property is for Officers' Messes, and Welfare organisations, for which there was no pre- war provision. Another important factor is that until the Civil Police become fully effective, small military posts have to be maintained at outlying parts, and have to be accommodated in requisitioned buildings.
In addition to the information shown on the tuble, the Jockey Club Stables may be de-requisitioned fairly soon, but this will also depend on the Civil Police being able to take over the area, and will not affect the Civil Accommodation problem.
10. The general conclusion is that whatever Garrison may finally be decided, a considerable amount of rebuilding and new building by the Army will be necessary, and comparatively little accommodation can be de-requisitioned in the near future.
Hong Kong, 1st February, 1946.
TABLE A.
(Signed) II. M. WIHTCOMBE.
Col.
D.C.E. 144 (Ind.) Works.
PRE WAR
Md. families.
Barracky
Barrack
Accn.
BOR
PRESENT
Md. familias.
Barrack Accn.
1.0.108.
BOR,
1.O. & IOR.
Victoria
390
107
980
Murray
350
350
Mount Austin
259
6
Lyemun
600
Stanley
600
Whitfield
1,700
Gun Club Hill
432
Shamshuipo
1,280
Jubilee Bldgs.
212 21
96
I
Stonecutters
Island
348
8
3
ABSTRACT OF DAMAGE TO MILITARY BUILDINGS.
Type of Building
A
B
C
D
E
· Total : dunnged
or destroyed
Barracks
20
5
3
5
B
850
Married Qtrs.
130
34
114
+
6
158
1,050
Md. Offrs, Qtrs.
G
6
6
18
32 1,580
32
Officers Messes.
2
3
2
5
23
672
1,280
Ancillary Buildings
Hospital
113
121
68
26
65
280
1.
NOTES.
Totals
5,959
305
58
6,762
32
This shows that the total 9.R. accommodation has been raised above pre-war, by converting married quarters. (Wellington Bks, which housed 480, and has been handed over to the Navy, has not been included.) Out of the total, accommodation for 2,330 is at present occupied by Japanese P.O.W. and internees, leaving sufficient for 4,432 only.
When the Japs have gone, repairable barracks have been reconstructed, and married quarters returned to their proper use, the O.R. accommodation will be 5,600, and when scales are increased to 90 sq. ft. per man will be approx. 3,750 only.
22
1. Barracks are calculated in units of accommodation for 200 men,
2.
117 Md. Qtrs. under “A” have been repaired for use as barracks, and further work will be needed before they can revert to their proper use.
3. Ancillary buildings include cookhouses, dining rooms, offices, stores, latrines,
etc., without which military accommodation is incomplete.
4. Barracks on Stonecutters Island are not included.
5. Argyle St. Camps are not included as they are temporary accommodation only.
23-
45