The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 on the Mainland saw a large number of British and Indian troops transiting Hong Kong. Many liked the look of the Colony, just recently and substantially expanded by the acquisition on lease from the Mainland of the New Territories. And there were a number of enlistments from the Navy, principally the Royal Marine Light Infantry.

The Rebellion, sometimes referred to as the Third China War, had for the first time brought to public recognition the First Chinese Regiment, an infantry battalion raised in the British enclave of Wei Hei Wei situated on the northern coast of the Shantung Peninsular in northern China and acquired in the late 1890s on similar terms to the New Territories.

These tall and muscular well-disciplined troops had proved themselves thoroughly loyal in action in what was an ethnically messy affair.

And their conduct had made many a favourable mark, particularly amongst the officers seconded to the regiment from the British Army, many of whom stayed on the Mainland in various positions in the administration and in the police forces of the various Treaty Ports.

The First Chinese Regiment was regrettably short-lived, but from it grew the eventual recruitment of those men, initially known as the Wei Hei Wei Contingent, whose Police service numbers were prefixed by the letter D.

After the Pacific War they became more popularly known as the 'Shantung men'.

The same conflict had produced a similar result in the Hong Kong Regiment, the first Indian Regiment raised in India for general service overseas.

Several companies of this Regiment had served with distinction in the Boxer campaign and, on its conclusion and also on the later disbandment of the Regiment, a number of Non-Commissioned Officers and men, liking life in Hong Kong, joined the police.