CR. L/M. 230/67
CONFIDENTIAL
GOVERNMENT HOUSE
HONG KONG
Мо. Сапројекта
30
29
Dear Bunny
2nd September, 1968
Thank you for your letter HWB 3/16 of 13th August, 1968 about some form of recognition for the Hong Kong Police Force and the Auxiliary Police.
You will recall that the Commissioner of Police at one time had some doubts about the prefix "Royal", which I passed on to you when we last discussed the matter. He felt that while the expatriate members of the Force would welcome it, it would not have too much meaning for the rank and file. However, we have recently been giving further thought to the whole question, and have considered the following alternatives:-
R. 205.
Rak.
A
10.9.68
(a)
a special Hong Kong Police medal;
(b)
a special badge or insignia to be worn with uniform;
(c)
the addition of the prefix "Royal" to the title of the Hong Kong Police Force and the Auxiliary Police;
(d)
a submission asking for a member of the Royal Family to be, say, "Commandant-General" of the two Forces in an honorary capacity.
I have had to tell the Commissioner (I hope correctly) that I did not think there was any chance of obtaining agreement to (a). There are practical difficulties about (b), which I need not go into here, and the Commissioner does not support the idea. This leaves (c) and (d), which we both would now like to put forward as a simult- aneous proposal. This may seem to you to be slightly overdoing it; but the point is that we feel that the Chinese members of the two Forces, while not entirely understanding the significance of the "Royal" would better understand and value the feeling that a member of the Royal Family had a personal interest in them.
There is the precedent at least for the "Commandant General" idea in that I understand H. M. the Queen is Honorary Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
W. S. Carter Esq., C. v.0., Commonwealth Office,
LONDON S. W. 1.
CONFIDENTIAL
/Moreover
10
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.