54447/2/49
Dear Miss Paul,
34
29
The Church House,
Great Smith Street,
S.W.1.
उट
August, 1949
10 AUG 1949
I am enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to my Secretary of State from a Captain S.M. Gidley formerly of the R.A.S.C. As you are no doubt aware there is no war damage compensation scheme in Hong Kong and since Captain Gidley did not enter the British Army until 1940 and was Commissioned in Hong Kong I understand that he would not be eligible for an ex-gratia payment for war damage losses under the War Office Chattels Scheme. I should however be grateful if you could let me know whether any grant has been, or may be made to him in respect of the loss of personal military kit in Hong Kong.
You will see that Captain Gidley asks whether any allowance could be made to him for a passage, from H. K., preferably to Australia. There are no funds at the disposal of the Colonial Office or, so far as we know, the H.K. Government from which such a grant could be made. As I see it he can have no claim on the War Office to a free passage since he was given such a passage back to Hong Kong (where he entered the Service) from Australia when he was demobilised. Nevertheless I should be grateful if you would be so good as to ask the branch of the War Office concerned whether the matter of a free
MISS D.K. PAUL,
F.3A,
WAR OFFICE.
/passage