Upon landing in Kowloon harbour on 16 November, the C Force were personally greeted by Sir Mark Young, the governor of Hong Kong, and Major-General Christopher Maltby, the GOC (General Officer Commanding) of Hong Kong. The first action of C Force was to march down the Nathan Road in Hong Kong accompanied by a British Army brass band playing martial music. The next day, Lawson toured Hong Kong with Maltby to survey the lay of the land and to establish the best places for defensive positions in Hong Kong. They did not have their full equipment: a ship carrying all their vehicles was diverted to Manila when war began. The soldiers were still undergoing training and acclimatisation. Lawson suggested that a third battalion from Canada would be arriving soon to make up a full brigade. Maltby had initially planned to defend only Hong Kong island and to abandon Kowloon and the New Territories, but with the arrival of the two extra battalions from Canada now felt he had enough troops to man the Gin Drinkers' Line that formed the frontier with China. Lawson had no disagreement with Maltby's plans, and reported to Ottawa that he believed that Hong Kong if invaded could hold out for months.