THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
cms
Ref.:
CO 537/1262
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1.
Command of services in Hong Kong after
resumption Civil Government
It is at present proposed that gir Mark Young, the
Governor of Hong Kong, should return to the Colony to
resume his duties, about the middle of March, and that
the administration of the Colony shald thereupon be
handed over to the civil authorities. This proposal will
be reviewed in the light of the telegram from the Comman der-
in-Chief, Hong Kong, I.2.548/T.0.0. 280720, to which the
Chiefs of Staff Committee gave preliminary consideration
at their 16th meeting on the 30th of January. Never the leas
as the C.-in-C. hes suggested the 31st of March sa a
target date for the resumption of civil administration, it may
be appropriate now to consider the question, which would then
arise, of the command of the services in Hong Kong.
2.
On Sir Mark Young's return, Admiral Harcourt will cease
to be head of the military administration and the directive
appointing him Commander of all the forces of the three
Services stationed in the Colony will presumably have to be
modified or cancelled.
3.
The Chiefs of Staff are, therefore, invited to consider
what arrangements should be made for the commend of the three
Services in Hong Kong after the return of the Civil Governor.
They will no doubt be aware that before the war there were
separate commanders for each Service. It is suggested that the
arrangements for the command of the Jervices in Ceylon, nowthet
the post of Commander-in-Chief has beɛn abolished, might be
a possible guide (C.0.8.(45) 289th meeting). In this
connection, however, the Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong, in
paragraph 7 of his telegram to the Chiefs of Staff, I. 548.
on the subject of the hand over to civil administration, has
expressed the view that the civil governor will need a
Fortress Commander to integrate Service arrangements of the
Colony on his behalf.
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