Lawson and Harcourt at Stanley internment camp where they meet Reverend Sandbach, the superintendent of the camp. They walk through the camp. They leave the camp's hospital building and depart by car; the prison buildings can be seen on the hill in the background. Lawson inspects a detachment of No.1 Army Commando on duty on the road between Stanley and Victoria. At Murray Barracks Lawson meets the commanding officer of No.1 Commando. Medium wide shot as he inspects a guard of honour; a man armed with a Thompson submachine gun stands in the foreground (a bodyguard?). He speaks with members of the guard as he inspects them. After crossing the harbour from Hong Kong Island in Admiral Harcourt's barge Lawson comes ashore at Kowloon jetty and is greeted. Lawson inspects a guard of No.44 Royal Marine Commando with Harcourt and General Frank Festing, General Officer Commanding Hong Kong. Outside the Peninsular Hotel in Kowloon (brigade headquarters) Lawson takes the salute at a marchpast by No. 44 Commando headed by the pipe band of No.42 Royal Marine Commando. Lawson meets two Chinese generals, named on the dopesheet as 'Wah Kwok Pun' and 'SK Yee' [sic]. Lawson inspects men of the Hong Kong Defence Volunteers, recently released from internment. Lawson and party arriving at Sham Shoi Po [sic] prison camp where Japanese troops are now interned. A group of Japanese officers salute the party as they pass and Japanese troops are on parade. Party leaving the camp; the Japanese officers salute again. Leaving the headquarters of No. 44 Commando. Lawson inspecting British officers. Lawson meets a number of Indian Army Sikhs.

Harcourt and Lawson board their car at Government House and it drives away. Lawson meets staff officers at Flagstaff House.

Jack Lawson, Secretary of State for War in Clement Attlee's newly-elected Labour government, visits troops and internees in Hong Kong with Admiral Cecil Harcourt, the senior naval officer.

Notes

1945 saw Clement Attlee's Labour Party withdraw from the wartime coalition government and prompt a General Election, which they won in a spectacular landslide. Jack Lawson, MP for Chester-le-Street, was appointed Secretary of State for War and was tasked with demobilising Britain's large and far-flung armed forces. In doing so he completed a 35,000 mile round trip of India and the Far East, including this visit to Hong Kong.