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necessary.
This falls short of the local demand (a)
by not providing any field artillery for Hong Kong
until April 1947 and (b) not earmarking after
April 1947 a second field artillery regiment for
despatch to Hong Kong at short notice if necessary.
with and au due to the Both amendments were deliberate the first because
reultions the goound because of
shortage of field artillery reserves in South East
Asia. There are, I gather, only two field
artillery regiments in the area. The Chiefs of Staff's
proposals were communicated to s.E. A. Defence
Committee in No.85. The reply, No. 86, does not
accept them, but merely refers to a special report
which had been sent to the War office. This
report, we have just learnt, suggests that no field
artillery should be included in the Hong Kong
garrison at all, and is evidently the origin of the
Governor's protest at No. 79. We have therefore sent
copies of No.79, which was not originally distributed
outside the Colonial office, to the War Office and I
have written to Colonel Mangle in support of it.
I gather that the present position is that
the War Office do not agree with the latest
appreciation from South East Asia, and have so
informed them by telegram and asked them to think
again. They expect a reply in two or three days and
then propose to brief the C.I.G.3. who is shortly
visiting 3.2.A. They do not expect any further
developments until he has arrived there and been
able to discuss matters on the spot. But their
present view is, I gather, that no case has been
made for any modification in the dispositions
proposed in No.85 and that 1 field artillery
regiment must be sent to Hong Kong in April.
/The
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