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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

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restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet. Please note that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' terms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copyright

Mr.

Mr. Mayle-Clare) 29/1

Mr. Lloyd

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Ref.:

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

CO 537/1262

restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet. Please note that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' terms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copyright

ins

N

1.

Command of Services in Hong Kong after

resumption of Civil Government

It is at present proposed that Sir Mark Young »

the Governor of Hong Kong, should return to the Colony

to resume his duties, including the titular appointment

of Commander-in-Chief, about the middle of March, and that

the administration of the Colony should thereupon be

auth wit handed over to the civil administration. It will be

necessary to review this proposal in the light of the

Chiefs of Staff Committee conclusions on the telegram

from the Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong, I.2.548/T.0.0.

280720, but it seems unlikely that any deferment of the

resumption of civil administration would extend much

beyond the middle of March.

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

command 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 Services in Ceylon, now that the

post of Commander-in-Chief has been 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.Z.548, on the subject of the hand over to civil

administration, has expressed the view that the chil

governor will need a Fortress Commander to integrate

Service arrangements of the Colony on his behalf.

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