ENG-1975 — Page 216

THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES

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Headquarters Land Forces is at Victoria Barracks on Hong Kong Island and has under its command 48 Gurkha Infantry Brigade, stationed at Sek Kong in the New Territories, and 51 Infantry Brigade with its headquarters in Kowloon.

Units stationed in Hong Kong for some or all of 1975 were the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, 20 Light Regiment Royal Artillery, C Squadron 1st Royal Tank Regiment, the 2nd Battalion the Grenadier Guards, the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment, the 1st Battalion the Royal Hampshire Regiment, the 1st and 2nd Bat- talions of the 2nd King Edward VII Own Gurkha Rifles, the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, and the 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles. In addition to these, there was a wide range of supporting units providing assistance to all three services.

Throughout 1975 units of the Army manned positions in the border area, and in conjunction with the Royal Hong Kong Police Force provided joint police-military patrols in that area and in the more remote parts of the New Territories. It is here that the Army contributes to the control of illegal immigrants who cross the land border of Hong Kong.

With the arrival of nearly 4,000 Vietnamese refugees on the MV Clara Maersk, all three Services supported the government in helping with the refugees' reception and accommodation. The Armed Forces also extended help of all kinds to the local community during the year, including a major contribution to the Summer Youth Programme which is run as a community effort. Some 120 young men and women attended a three week intensive course at RAF Kai Tak to train leaders in order that they might be better equipped to help Hong Kong's youth organisations. In- structors were provided by all three Services under the sponsorship of 1st Battalion the Royal Hampshire Regiment.

The coveted Wilkinson 'Sword of Peace' was awarded to 50 Command Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, stationed in Sham Shui Po, for its assistance to the civilian population. This sword is awarded annually to the British unit which, throughout the world, achieves most in the field of community relations. During 1975 the unit undertook 50 major projects helping young people, the under- privileged, and the physically handicapped. ¡ ¡

The Royal Air Force Station at Kai Tak is a separate enclave adjacent to the civil airport and uses the airport's runway and control services. Radar facilities are shared with the Civil Aviation Department to ensure the safety of all aircraft, whether civil or military, operating within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region.

No. 28 Squadron, based permanently at Kai Tak, is equipped with eight Wessex helicopters, primarily for the rapid movement of troops and supplies. It provides a standby aircraft for search and rescue in Hong Kong and nearby waters. The squadron also carries out-together with the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force-a medical evacuation service for both military and civilian personnel from outlying areas to the main hospitals in Kowloon.

In the same way as the Royal Navy and the Army keep in touch with isolated areas, the Royal Air Force Regiment assists the government with patrols to the