1940-05-18 — Page 13

Saturday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

May 18, 1940,

A London Newspaper Takes Time Off From The European War To Say

can't

Hongkong be surprised

IF ANY THREAT is ever} -made to Hongkong, Britain will not be taken by surprise there.

Britain, began getting ready for such a contingency actually many years ago.

And Britain's major preparations were completed with the opening of Singapore's giant graving dock (it can take the Hood, world's biggest warship).

opening Was a ceremonial} signalling the finishing touch to his £20,000,000 fortress that cost British taxpayers (s. a

head.

That particular piece of British showmanship was intended to notify any one concerned that Singapore was

ready for, action.

Singapore is the western point of Britain's Far East Defence Triangle. North-north-east of it is Hongkong;} south-east of it is Port Darwin (Northern Australia),

ter-

SINGAPORE watches the broad defence problems of the whole arca wherein lle British interests, ritorial Interests or vital shipping! lanes. Hongkong therefore comes under its wing.

But Hongkong is itself a strong

ibind in its turn takes respon«).

for the protection of British concessions in Canton, Kiukiang, Hankow, Shanghai, Chinklang and Tientsin

It is

And Hongkong, too, is ready. as well able to defend itself as Gibraltar is.

Hongkong, which was a desolute Island when ceded to Britain in 1841,

miles.

in

any

Pearl

one

CHIN

Nantau

Shumchun

DEFENCELINE

Kowloon

"Victoria HONGKONG

HONGKONG COLONY

defend itself

"As well able to

by

#5 Gibraltar is."

has an area

of thirty-two square British territory. They are Further territory was added

an In, fortified. We had agreed in the Washington Treaty of 1922 not to 1890-the rocky peninsula ofegral part of the Empire. Kowloon and a number of other Hongkong is a Crown Colony, malce it a first-class naval base, islands, making the total area 340 Vastly different from the concessions

This treaty became invalid in 1937 square miles.

in Tientsin or Shameen or the Inter and Britain began to put an £8,000,- There is a mixed national settlement In Shanghal, population of about 1,500,000.

000 defence plan into operation. It is important to remember that base in China, Hongkong is heavily Ironside's first job of repairing the As Britain's naval and commerciai This was General Sir Edmund these 340 square miles are real

"TELEGRAPH"

obsolete defences. of a British great pari of the present war carry- fortress.

Ing munitions for the Chinese. He had a hand in supervising the must have been pretty mortifying. repairs, and more recently, you mNow China has overland contacts remember, he straightened things out with the rest of the world. Mainly at Gibraltor.

from Rusla and Burma.

Now the entrances to Hongkong's bestilful harbours are covered by Also, Hongkong is Inimical to powerful batteries and mines. No Japanese anti-all-foreign-influence enemy warships could get in there(excluding Japanese, of course) in they would be sunle in the roads and Chins. In this great British Colony become a boom against others.

all nationalities can meet on equal

MAP

The land front is fortified and terms. Nono in favoured.

manned, too, British and Indian Hongkong is a citadel of Western regiments, reinforced by some 1,500 civilisation in the Far East.. volunteers, are ready to man guns WHAT does Hongkong think about What range from 9.2 and 6-inch guna her position? Major-General A. E. to mobile

General Officer Command- howitzers

and 6-inch Grassh Troopa in China, gave

ing Bru

Concrcle fortifications have been you the answer. Ho said: bullt here, and at the moment com- "This fortress may be attacked. pantes of the 1st Battalion Middlesex If that happens we will resist with Regiment and the Royal Scots are in the full power of our resources and them.

The frontier is strengthened by three lines of natural barriers of hills (which also have been fartifled). Mochine guns could do a lot of damage to invaders there, Every-i thing is on the side of the defenders. Everything, that is, except possible numbers of combatants..

HONGKONG'S

strength. It is our Interest to defend the Colony to the end."

Warwick Power

travest danger Harley Street

would be from bombers. They ap- pear to be the only real danger. To

►

minimise this Hongkong's Governor Drawing Its

and Conamander-in-Chief, Sir Geoffry Alexander Stafford Northcote (who

including £2,200 Guineas.

Eats £7,000 lowance), made al

entertainment

big thing out of A.R.F.

He metaphorically took a pick out HA ANLEY STREET, where wealth of Ironside's

hand, and the Regular time, is getting busy again. Doctors and fashion resorted in peace- Army unila world's be are armed with the and patients are returning, consult-

HOW

anti-aircraft guns-3.7's.

What about food supplies in the ing rooms have reopened and blinds

have been drawn up. event of a blockade?

Well, in the first place, Hongkong's stores carry food for the population for nine months. No luxuries, mind you. --In-the second place, the Navy takes a hand .. Old British seadogs have run blockades in "tramps" be- fore to-day,

All because specialists who were enrolled in the emergency hospital service have been released by the Ministry of Health and are now free to return to their own practice.

"At the outbreak of war I was sent to look after the emergency service In a big hospital in Essex," one of HONGKONG took its tin-hat off the speciallets said. "For weeks and, the wall round about October, 1938. months I had little to do, and the The rumble of Japanese guns and staff suffered from monotony." bombs was heard that month. It came from the east-Bles Bay, old pirate stronghold, where Japanese naval landing parties were forcing their way on to the mainland.

It has won the tin helmet since. - Between 100 and 800 doctors were Hongkong is (or was) China's last enrolled in the service at salaries putlet to the world. The of £800 or more. Nearly 500 ac- Japanese In their battleships, cepted the offer to return to private ships sail Into Hongkong through a selves ready for an emergency. destroyers and gun-boats watched practice, but they must hold them-

lite the rest of his profession, is not But the, Harley Street specialist, wholly released from his war-time duties.

sea

OF THE

Malt

from the

British Commonwealt

is the basis of this

Beer

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TRADE Lager

HONGKONG

BEER

CDISTILLERY

HONG BREWERTE

More people are drinking

Blue Label

BREWED AND BOTTLED BY

11

THE HONGKONG BREWERY & DISTILLERY CO., LTD

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