BRITISH TROOPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 August 1940, Page 5

BRITISH TROOPS

WITHDRAWN FROM NORTH CHINA FOR SERVICE ELSEWHERE. TOTAL NUMBERS INVOLVED NOT LARGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 9.10 a.m.) SHANGHAI. August 9. British army authorities have announced: “British troops at present stationed at Shanghai and in North China are being withdrawn for service elsewhere.”

It is stated, on reliable authority, that Britain informed the United States at the end of June of her intention to withdraw her troops , and refrained from asking the United States to patrol British areas in order to avoid embarrassing the United States. A Japanese Embassy spokesman said: “There would be no special reaction to the withdrawal of the British troops. He pointed out that Japan had requested on the outbreak of war that troops of belligerents be withdrawn, since their presence might cause some untoward incident which might in,volve Japan, thus affecting her noninvolvement policy. He added: “We expect and hope that other troops will also be withdrawn.”

A majority of the Italian forces in Shanghai have been withdrawn, leaving a very small garrison of marines. Most of the French troops sailed for Indo-China in December.

LONDON COMMENT STEP UNDER CONSIDERATION SINCE WAR BEGAN. (Received This Day. 9.10 a.m.) LONDON, August 9. It is authoritatively stated that the troops affected in the China withdrawal number 1500. The dispersal has been under the Government’s consideration since the outbreak of war. The force’s original purpose was to protect British lives and property in Shanghai from Chinese violence, but this lost its practical significance as a result of the Sino-Japanese war. The Japanese and the American Government have been notified.

RIGHTS RESERVED BRITISH NOTE TO JAPAN. (Received This Day, 9.10 a.m.) TOKIO, August 9. The Foreign Office has announced that a member of the British Embassy handed over a British Note concerning the withdrawal of British garrisons at Shanghai, Peking and Tientsin: reading: "Britain reserves all rights under the Peking Protocal of September 7. 1901, until the said protocal be amended or abrogated by agreements between the Powers concerned.”