British Forces Overseas Hong Kong

British Forces Overseas Hong Kong consisted of the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Much of the British military left Hong Kong prior to the handover in 1997.

Manpower

• Most of the members of the British Forces in Hong Kong were from Britain, but there were locally enlisted personnel (LEP) that served as reservists.

British Army

A varierty of units spent various durations of time in Hong Kong during British rule:

• Royal Gurkha Rifles
• 17th Gurkha Signal Regiment
• 248 Gurkha Signal Squadron
• Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force
• Shropshire Light Infantry
• the Royal Electrical (27th Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment)
• Mechanical Engineers (27th Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment)
• Royal Hong Kong Volunteers (Royal Hong Kong Regiment)
• Gurkha Transport Regiment
• 74th Highlanders 1878
• 28th Regiment 1878-?
• Chinese Torpedo Whalers
• 27th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment
• R.E.M.E. Workshop - Shamshuipo

British Army installations:

• Stanley Fort - Hong Kong Island
• Osborne Barraks, Kowloon
• Wellington Barracks
• North Barracks
• Victoria Barracks

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy was stationed in Hong Kong from the beginning and for the most part was located in Hong Kong Island at HMS Tamar. The Prince of Wales Building was added later in the 1970s. Prior to the handover, the naval base was moved to Stone Cutter's Island next to the Government docks.

Squadrons in Hong Kong:

• China Station
• 3 Raiding Royal Marines
• Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves 1967-1996
• British Regular - Garrison and Fleet
• LEP 1905-1996
• Side Girls Party 1933-1997
• Dragon Squadron
• 120th Minesweeping Squadron 1958-1966 - transfer to Singapore
• 6th Mine Countermeasure Squadrom 1969-1997
• 6th Patrol Craft Squadron 1970-1997
• Operations and Training Base 1934-1997
• 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines
• China Station - 4th Submarine Flotilla, Yangtse Flotilla, West River Flotilla, 8th Destroyer Flotilla
• 5th Cruiser Squadron
• 1st Escort Flotilla
• 4th Frigate Flotilla ?-1952
• Frigate Squadron 1952-1976
• Light Cruiser Squadron

Naval Facilities

A list of facilities used or built by the RN in Hong Kong:

• Prince of Wales Building 1978-1997
• Lamont and Hope Drydocks
• Aberdeen Docks
• Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai - now Ruttonjee Sanatorium
• Seaman's Hosptial 1843-1873 - replaced by Royal Naval Hospital
• HMS Charolotte and HMS Victor Emmanuel - Receiving Ships
• RN Dockyards 1902-1959
• Tidal Basin 1902-1959
• Boat Basin 1902-1959
• Dry Dock 1902-1959
• Taikoo Dockyards - HK United Dockyards
• Wellington Barracks 1946-1978 - as HMS Tamar
• RMS Queen Mary 1945-1946 - as a hosptial
• War Memorial Hospital (Matilda) 1946-1959
• British Military Hospital 1959-1995
• Island Grop Practice 1995-1997 - replace BMH
• North Barracks 1850s-1856, 1887-1959 - from the Army
• HM Victualling Yards 1859-1946
• Victoria Barracks

A list of facilities used or built by the RN in Hong Kong:

• Lamont and Hope Drydocks
• Aberdeen Docks
• Royal Naval Hospital, Wan Chai - now Ruttonjee Sanatorium
• Seaman's Hosptial 1843-1873 - replaced by Royal Naval Hospital
• HMS Charolotte and HMS Victor Emmanuel - Receiving Ships
• HMS Tamar - Receiving ship 1897-1941
• HMS Minden 1841-mid 1840s - hospital ship
• HMS Alligator 1840s-1873 - hospital ship
• HMS Melville 1860s-1873 - hospital ship

Royal Air Force

The RAF was the smallest contigent of the British Forces and was mainly based at RAF Sek Kong in the New Territories. The rotary wing elements left RAF Sek Kong for RAF Kai Tak and remained there until the handover. As well, RAF Sek Kong served as a Vietnamese refugee camp for most of the 1980s.

RAF Units in Hong Kong:

• 28 AC Squadron 1978-1996 - RAF Sek Kong
• 28 AC Squadron 1968-1978 - RAF Kai Tak
• 847 Squadron 1970 - RAF Kai Tak
• 846 Squadron 1963-1964 - RAF Kai Tak
• Royal Hong Kong Auxilliary Air Force

RAF Bases:

• RAF Sek Kong
• RAF Kai Tak

Search and rescue operations conducted by the RAF and RN were later transferred to the Hong Kong Government Flying Services (GFS).

Other Facilities

• British Military Hospital, Kowloon
• China Fleet House

References

• White Ensign Red Dragon by Commodore P J Melson CBE 1997
• RAF Kai Tak
• Stanley Fort
• Hong Kong