CO129-568-8 Naval Volunteer and Defence Ordinance- 1938- draft bill 10-2-1938 - 12-6-1939 — Page 16

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DEFENCE OF HONG- KONG

USE OF NAVAL VOLUNTEER FORCE

66

The text is published in the London Gazette of The Hong-kong Naval Defence Order, 1939," which authorizes the Admiralty to accept any offer made by the Government of Hong-kong to place at his Majesty's disposal for general ser- vice in the Royal Navy any officers and men of the Hong-kong Naval Volunteer Force, in accordance with the Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1931.

This Force was raised for the defence of Hong-kong by the Naval Volunteer Ordinance, 1933, of the Legislature of the Colony. The escort vessel Cornflower was allocated in 1934 as drillship, and is now moored to the south- west of Kellett Island. The commanding officer is Commander James Petrie, who gained the D.S.C. as an officer of the R.N.V.R. in a motor-launch when the Vindictive was sunk in the Ostend-Bruges Canal on May 10, 1918; and Commander W. N. Kingdon, R.N., retired, is the officer-instructor.

The new Order approves the exercise by the Legislature of the power to make provision at the expense of the Colony for maintaining and using vessels of war, and to require that officers and men of the Hong-kong Naval Volunteer Force-

(a) shall, whether serving ashore or afloat or within or without the limits of Hong-kong, be subject to all the enactments and regulations for the time being in force for the enforcement of discipline in the Royal Navy, with such modifications and adaptations as may be made by the Legislature to adapt those enactments and regulations to the circumstances of Hong-kong;

(b) shall be liable to service and training in any ship.. establishment, or other place without the limits of Hong-kong, whether belonging to Hong-kong or not and

(c) shall, in the case of officers or men entered on the express terms of accepting general service in the Royal Navy in emergency, form part of the Royal Naval Reserve or of the Royal Navať Volunteer Reserve. or that some shall form part of the Royal Naval Reserve and others of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.