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G.O.C. Hong Kong.
Desp. 1951. 24/6/40. Recd. 1700. 25/6/40.
To : The War Office.
7361 cipher. 24/6.
Your 74647. (M.0.2.) of 22nd June.
Numbers for evacuation Navy and Dockyard 360 women 310 children Army and Air Force 489 women 604 children and 32 Indian women 38 Indian children. Total 1833. Above is total of service personnel. Non-service number estimated by Colonial Government at 7000 women and children not including American and Portuguese. Can only give estimate as no compulsory registration for evacuation. Under normal conditions shipping available in port or vicinity at 36 hours notice to carry 4000 passengers under evacuation conditions, provided destination not further than Manila and typhoons do not interfere. In 48 hours service families can be evacuated and if previous warning given time probably reduced to 24 hours. From above clear that accommodation for 2000 non-service women and children only can be made available for considerable period and remainder must depend upon the fortuitous presence of a British liner, now a rare occurrence, and foreign ships escort of one armed merchant cruiser and one destroyer might be made available but considered of little value and better employed elsewhere. Commodore Hong Kong agrees.
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