Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force
Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force | |
---|---|
Active | 1933–1967 |
Country | British Hong Kong |
Branch | Royal Navy |
Type | local auxiliary navy |
Garrison/HQ | Hong Kong Defence Force |
Nickname(s) | The Wavy Navy |
Motto(s) | Fortiter et recte (Boldly and rightly) |
Engagements | Battle of Hong Kong |
The Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force (HKNVR) was a volunteer navy established in 1933. In 1939, it was granted the
Establishment
In 1922, the
1933-1939
The initial recruits for the unit numbered around 50 men.
On 31 March 1934, the Royal Navy loaned HMS Cornflower permanently to the HKNVR to serve as a drill ship. Elliot replaced the crest and motto of the ship to that of Clan Eliott (Elliot's ancestor Charles Elliot had also been the first Administrator of Hong Kong).[5] Before the war, the HKNVR included 380 men.[6] The unit became known as the "Wavy Navy", due to the wavy stripes on the uniform sleeves of officers.[3]
Second World War
Following the outbreak of war in 1939, the HKNVR was granted the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve status and was renamed Hong Kong Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (HKRNVR). Morale was low during wartime: British seamen wanted to participate in active engagements with the enemy closer to their home country, and Chinese seamen were not concerned about the far-removed European war.
On 8 December 1941, Japan invaded Hong Kong. At the time, the force numbered 800 men.[6] During battle, the unit saw mass desertions. The whole crew of HMS Perla "bolted" after the adjacent HMS Indira was sunk. The morale worsened on 11 December, when seamen were ordered to fire upon fellow Chinese, whose junks were wrongly-accused of carrying Japanese infiltrators. The seamen also feared for the safety of their family, who had not been moved to safe houses due to the abruptness of the invasion. The fears were made worse when Kowloon was evacuated on 13 December, leaving the fate of many on the peninsula unknown. Many seamen deserted to check on their families. On 16 December, the replacement crew of HMS Minnie witnessed a large scale air-raid and immediately refused to serve.[8] As a Japanese victory drew nearer, orders were sent out to have all ships in the harbour scuttled. Several HKRNVR members of the 2nd MTB Flotilla refused the order, and with their motor torpedo boats, aided Admiral Chan Chak in his escape to China.[9]
The Hong Kong garrison surrendered on 25 December, and was occupied by Japan until Admiral Cecil Harcourt accepted the Japanese surrender in 1945.
Post War
For a time, the
In 1959, all colonial Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves were absorbed into the Royal Naval Reserve, and the HKRNVR was renamed the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve (HKRNR). The unit was disbanded on 12 March 1967, due to the financial cost of maintaining warships and relative inactivity and ineffectiveness of the unit.[14][15] The members were absorbed into the Naval Control of Shipping (NCS) unit of the Royal Naval Reserve in Hong Kong.[16]
Vessels
From 1934 to 1940, the unit was headquartered on HMS Cornflower. In 1940, she was replaced by HMS Cornflower II (ex-SS Tai Hing). [7]
During the Second World War, they operate the following auxiliary patrol vessels:[17]
- HMS St Aubin
- HMS St Sampson
- HMS Minnie
- HMS Margaret
- HMS Henriette
- HMS Perla
- HMS Indira
- HMS Shunley
- HMS Poseidon
- HMS Britannia
- HMS Swanley
- HMS Stanley
- HMS Diana
The unit also commanded MTB 7, 8, 12, 26 and 27 in the 2nd MTB Flotilla.[18]
In 1951 the unit was presented with the minesweeper HMS Lysander, which was renamed as HMS Cornflower and used as a training ship.[19]
After the war, the unit operated the minesweepers HMS Cardinham and HMS Etchingham, which were on free loan from the Admiralty, until the unit's disbandment in 1967.[14]
Citations
- ^ a b Spence 2015, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Spence 2012, p. 231.
- ^ a b c Cracknell 2019.
- ^ a b Spence 2015, p. 26.
- ^ Spence 2012, p. 236.
- ^ a b HKLC 1948, p. 327.
- ^ a b Spence 2012, p. 247–248.
- ^ Spence 2015, pp. 28–29.
- ^ Spence 2012, pp. 265–266.
- ^ Spence 2015, p. 32.
- ^ Spence 2015, p. 35.
- ^ Spence 2015, p. 36.
- ^ Spence 2015, p. 39.
- ^ a b Spence 2015, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Spence 2012, p. 328.
- ^ Spence 2012, p. 329.
- ^ Lai 2014, p. 23.
- ^ Griffiths 2014, p. 5.
References
- Cracknell, Philip (2019-07-15). Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4456-9050-6.
- Griffiths, Bill (2014). "Nancy Get Your Gun" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- The Navy List Containing List of Ships, Establishments, and Officers of the Fleet. Vol. 2. 1943. pp. 1244–1246. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
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:|work=
ignored (help)</ref> - "15th December, 1948" (PDF). Hong Kong Legislative Council. 1948-12-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- Lai, Benjamin (2014-06-20). Hong Kong 1941–45: First strike in the Pacific War. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-269-7.
- Spence, David O. (2012). "Imperialism and identity in British colonial naval culture, 1930s to decolonialisation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- Spence, Daniel O. (2015). "'The merchant has neither faith nor country': Naval Mobilization and Colonial Loyalties in Hong Kong, 1933–1967". War & Society. 34 (1): 23–42. S2CID 218692520.