TNAG-0060-FCO40-96-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-garrison-1968 — Page 26

of consulting you. Chiefs of Staff have asked to

meet you during your forthcoming visit to London

and we have accordingly arranged for meeting

afternoon 30 April (details of other engagements

made for you are on their way to you by letter)

Ministry of Defence have agreed that this would

provide suitable opportunity for you to inform

Chiefs of Staff of your views on unaccompanied

tours.

3.

Army department paper will be available for

Meanwhile you you to study on your arrival here.

may like to have following brief summary of its

arguments against unaccompanied tours :-

1) Experience has shown that a backing of

three units is needed to maintain each

unaccompanied unit. Once Hong Kong

garrison is composed solely of British

units (this could happen if Gurkhas were

be disbanded in the early 1970s) there

2)

will be insufficient units in U.K. alone

to meet whole requirement. If units

stationed in Europe were also made

available for unaccompanied tours in

Hong Kong, this would introduce degree

of turbulence for service families which

would have effects on morale, recruitment

and re-engagement which should be avoided

if at all possible.

Savings on budgetary and capital costs

in Hong Kong would be largely offset by

need to maintain accommodation for

families in U.K. which would otherwise

to

have been disposed of.

(8430) Dd.033246 600m 9/66 G.W.B Ltd. Gp 863

/3)

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN