Sir Robert Black had been the Governor of Hong Kong for less than a year-- he had arrived in January of 1958, and now in October there was this massive outbreak of violence. Government House buzzed with activity as the new Governor set about righting the situation in the colony. British Army soldiers guarded the building at all hours, a full platoon of them.
First order of business was to right the situation with the police. The Army had arrested the Third Deputy Chief of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, who now languished in prison in the military base, kept well away from the RHKPF and other potentially compromised officers. Governor Black called for representatives of the intelligence services based in Hong Kong and set the Security Service to the task of combing the RHKPF and delivering lists of officers potentially compromised by the Maoists. GCHQβs men were set to monitoring communications between Hong Kong and the mainland, seeking to establish evidence that Beijing was pulling strings behind the police. Governor Blacks summoned the Commissioner of the RHKPF, Arthur Crawford Maxwell, and informed him that the screening process for officers joining his service would have to be far more stringent, and present officers must be open to scrutiny.
With the police sorted, next came the issue of the riotersβ support coming from the mainland. The Royal Navy attachΓ© in Hong Kong next arrived at Government House, escorted to the busy office. He reported that the Royal Navy had already organized a flotilla of frigates, lead by the Type-15 HMS Relentless and joined by HMS Rocket and the Type-16 frigate HMS Orwell. The Navy ships were coming up from the UK, due to arrive in a couple daysβ time. In the mean time, the Bay-class frigates HMS Cardigan Bay and HMS Mountβs Bay would be detached from the Far East Fleet in Singapore and sent to Hong Kong to assist in the patrols until the three frigates from Britain arrived. The Royal Navyβs present assets were conducting harbor patrols and stopping and searching all ships seeking to come to Hong Kong. Ships making port without first encountering the Royal Navy would be searched where they landed by the Army. They would be assisted by the Royal Marines.
As the Royal Navy officer departed, he was passed by an incoming knot of British Army officers. They shortly arrived at the office to meet the Governor. The Army had restored order on much of the island. A permanent presence at RAF Kai Tak would prevent
... keep reading on reddit β‘In 1997 the treaty that licensed them Hong Kong had ended. The lease is over.
However, they simply refuse. They hold a referendum about staying with the British or going back to the CCP, and the Tiananmen Square Massacre heavily results in over 90% stay with British response.
The British believe that handing over Hong Kong will be worse for the people there. They send further military forces to fortify the island. Quite literally they refuse.
For the sake of this what if, we will assume that the British are steadfast in this decision. No American or UN pressure or sanction will lead them to fold. They are willing to hold and defend Hong Kong as long as they can and are willing to fight for it. (Go with it)
Mostly curious about post WWII to Hand Over but over all how was being posted to Hong Kong viewed by British military personnel through the entirety of its British ownership? Was it a highly sought after position and looked well on a soldierβs record or was it a place to be avoided?
