CO129-332 - Public Offices & Others - 1905 — Page 329

SECRET.

Form F.

327

Extract from the Minutes of the 75th

Committee of Imperial Defence,

Meeting of the

held on

July 13th, 1905.

GARRISON OF HONG KONG,

(C.I.D. Paper 31 C).

The Committee considered the proposal of the Colonial Defence Committee that "half a British battalion should be withdrawn from the garrison of Ceylon, on the abandonment of Trincomali as a naval base, and be employed in North China, relieving there the half battalion temporarily on detachment from the approved garrison of Hong Kong.*

Sir Neville Lyttelton explained that the detachment of half a battalion from Hong Kong was, in theory, a temporary measure; but as far as could be foreseen the present situation was likely to be prolonged for a considerable period, and in the meantime the British infantry garrison was reduced to four companies, or less than 400 men, a number which he considered

dangerously small in view of the large Chinese and alien

hibe resident population of Hong Kong.

Britiaba

The

Of the Britiabattalion now in Ceylon five companies are Martered in Colombo and three companies in Trincomali. atter companies will, therefore, become redundant when the

rrison is withdrawn from Trincomali. The splitting of ttalions was objectionable; but if the detachment in North -xare provided by the battalion quartered in Colombo,