In November 1941, a month prior to the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, the War Office agreed to form the Hong Kong Chinese Regiment, a battalion-sized military unit. Believing it was necessary to recruit a solid core of potential NCOs, and train them up using experienced officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) to the point where the regiment's first battalion could be built. The battalion was originally intended as a machine gun battalion similar to the 1st Middlesex Regiment, whose officers were providing the training cadre for the regiment. However, by the time the Battle of Hong Kong broke out, only a platoon-sized group had completed training.