preparations for defence— MORE BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS REACH HONG KONG

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 August 1949, Page 5

preparations for defence— MORE BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS REACH HONG KONG

HONG KONG, August 21 (Rec. 11 a.m.).—More British troops moved today from Hong Kong to frontier camps to make room in the receiving barracks for reinforcements, which arrived by the troopship Devonshire. These reinforcements bring the garrison’s strength to more than Most of the garrison is either quartered on Hong Kong island itself or in the New Territories—on the Chinese mainland on the border of Chinese territory.

The troops are often drenched two or three times daily by torrential seasonal rains as they carry out exercises over rugged hills and waterlogged paddy fields, but they are fast learning the terrain which they were sent here to defend. In Canton, 80 miles north of Hong Kong, hundreds of firms and private people are packing up in preparation for evacuation to Hong Kong. Two Communist armies threaten Hong Kong—one ’down the Hang-kow-Canton railway and the other along the coast from the north-east.

The first army is driving towards Kukong on the railway 125 miles north of Canton. In the coastal drive the Communists are pushing down the Foo-chow-Amoy highway. They are believed to be nearing Putien, which is about half-way between the two cities.