CAB11-57-17 — Page 29

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CHAPTER II (C) and (D).

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I

22

Every ship sighted from the signal stations, not previously reported to those stations is immediately signalled.

Information given is that supplied by the vessel concerned. If she hoists no colours or house flag she is reported as a steamer or a sailing ship.

If she hoists colours only, her nationality is reported; if house flag, her house is added; if her number, her name is also sent.

It is no part of the duty of the lighthouse-keeper or signalman to guess at the identity of any ship-he only transmits information. At the lighthouses, besides the usual lighthouse staff, there is a clerk for transmitting messages, and also one at each of the signal stations.

17. The signal stations at the Peak and Cape D'Aguilar are the port war signal stations. They are under the control of the Navy in both peace and war.

18. The information given by the lighthouses in war would be the same as in the time of peace, while the personnel of the signal station at the Peak would be supplemented by trained signallers from the Royal Navy.

(v.) Visual Signalling.

19. The military signallers of the three battalions of the garrison will be distributed by the Brigade Signalling Officer to the various sections of the defence to supplement the telephonic communications, or to replace it when disabled (see Table F, Chapter III).

(D.)-Modes of Meeting probable forms of Attack.

1. It is assumed that such an organized form of attack or raid, as described in paragraph 4, Chapter I (A), cannot be delivered without such notice being given by the navy, or under local arrangements, as will suffice for the garrison to pass from the precautionary to the war stage, but it is recognized that certain hostile acts may be attempted at an early stage of strained relations, before the war stage can be put into force.

(i.) At the Precautionary Stage.

2. The measures to be taken at this stage have therefore the twofold object of :- (1.) Preventing these hostile acts.

(2.) Facilitating the transition from the precautionary to the war stage.

3. The hostile acts most likely to be attempted in Hong Kong are :-

(a.) Attempts to damage the docks at Hung Hom, and Quarry Bay.

(b) Attempts to damage the coast armament and electric-light emplacements.

The distribution of troops and armament is shown in Table B (i), Chapter II (B).

(ii.) At the War Stage.

4. The general plan of defence is as follows:---

(i.) To trust to the batteries and Brennan torpedo to prevent the entrance of ships into the harbour at either end, and to repel by the same means, aided by infantry and guns of the movable armament, the landing of a force in the neighbourhood of the batteries.

(ii.) To hold the central ridge and gaps, and to prevent an enemy who has landed on the south shore from climbing the steep slopes leading to the central dominant position.

(iii) To guard against and repel an attack from the mainland by holding, with infantry detachments and guns of the movable armament, the passes over the hills running across the Kowloon Peninsula.

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