| Content Note | Subjects covered:
minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed
notice that Sir Edgar Bowring has been appointed as an additional member of the Finance Committee
consideration of report from the Director of Works regarding the erection of a Cross of Sacrifice in St. Albans Cemetery, with resolution that the tender from Messrs. A.J. Powdrill, Hitchin Road, Luton be accepted;
consideration of a letter from the Brig. Gen. A. Russell, Military Attaché Berne regarding the Monument for Interned Allies, Officers and Soldiers who died in the district of Montreux, with resolution that the cost of fixing the British Arms in bronze to the memorial which had been paid by the British Legation at Berne be refunded to them from Commission funds;
consideration of letter from Messrs Holloway Bros, contractors for the construction of Forceville and Louvencourt cemeteries, regarding the amount due from them to the Commission for the cost of billets and rations supplied to their men, with resolution agreeing to the amount suggested by the firm as being owed to the Commission;
consideration of letter from the Inspector of Works, Italy requesting the creation of an Imprest Account to defray any authorised local expenditure that may be necessary, with recommendation that this be created;
consideration of report from the Director of Works regarding the placing of a contract for the construction and supply of headstones for Padua Cemetery, with resolution to accept the tender of Messrs. Portoni and Zecchinati of Schio for the work;
consideration and acceptance of the Vice-Chairman's report of the expenditure of the Commission from the month of December 1919;
consideration of letter from the Railway Clearing House regarding charges made for the conveyance of traffic on behalf of the Commission, with resolution that that the Commission decline to accept the statement of account as given and instruct the Director of Works to obtain a detailed statement of the charges
consideration of letter from the Inspector of Works, Palestine regarding the taking over of a building in Jerusalem, which had formerly been used as a German school, for use as offices and billets, with resolution that expenditure for the repair of the building be authorised;
consideration of further letter from Lt. Colonel C.E. Hughes, Inspector of Works, Gallipoli, requesting authority to vary the purposes to which a grant of £20,000 already authorised can be expended, with recommendation that Hughes be authorised to expend the funds for the purposes set out by him;
consideration of letter from Col. C. D. Branch, Controller of Administration, requesting authority to purchase 12 embossing presses and 100 rolls of aluminium tape for the purpose of replacing inscriptions on wooden crosses in cemeteries in France and Belgium, with resolution authorising the expenditure;
consideration and approval of draft letter submitted by the Financial Adviser to be used in notifying staff of the regrading of salaries;
consideration of letter from H.B.M. Minister at Berne, with attached report from the Military Attaché, Berne, requesting authority to expend funds for the upkeep of war graves in Switzerland, with resolution that further information be sought from the Military Attaché;
consideration of letter from Mr. E.F. Gray, H.B.M. Consul at Christiana (now Oslo) relating to the upkeep of the graves of six British seamen in Lodingen Churchyard, with resolution authorising expenditure for the upkeep of the graves;
consideration of report from Controller of Administration relating to the purchase of 12 Crossly cars for the use of the Commission in France and Belgium in connection with the horticultural maintenance of the cemeteries, with approval of same;
consideration of letter from the Director of Works requesting approval for the erection in Hastings Cemetery of one of the 12 Great War Stones (Stones of Remembrance) ordered from Messrs. H.T. Jenkins and Son, Torquay and originally intended for sites in France, with resolution that the matter should be referred to the Commission;
consideration of letters from the Director of Works and the Financial Adviser relating to the allocation of costs for the construction of Bruay Communal Cemetery between the British, French and German governments, with resolution that cost of constructing mixed cemeteries, excluding the costs of headstones, should be borne by the governments concerned in proportion to the burials of their nationals in the cemetery;
consideration of letter from the Principal Assistant Secretary relating to the free distribution of copies of the Commission pamphlet "The Graves of the Fallen" to the public through certain specified organisations of ex-soldiers and sailors, with details of numbers already distributed, and resolution that the matter be referred to the Commission;
consideration of question relating to the creation of certain permanent pensionable appointments on the staff of the Commission, with recommendation of the creation of the following; Controller of Administration and Deputy Financial Adviser, with further recommendation that the position of Deputy Financial Adviser be filled by Lt-Col. C.P. Oswald
consideration of claim by Messrs. W.S. Tarrant Son and Co., for payment of work carried out at Le Treport Cemetery, including repair of damage that had been caused by a steam roller, and costs associated with an increase in the size of the war stone, with resolution that payment should be made, with the exception of costs relating to the Great War Stone which was deferred until a further report has been received from the Inspector of Works, France, and general comments that the committee regret that the architects of the site had made considerable changes to the design without reference to the proper authority and that the Commission staff on the spot had accepted such changes which resulted in the additional costs without obtaining proper authority
letter from General Macready was read asking that he be allowed to tender his resignation as a member of the Finance Committee
Attendees:
Major General Fabian Ware, CB, CMG (Chairman)
Sir William Garstin, GCMG, GBE
Lt. Col. G.J. Hogben (representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
J.H. McCraig (representing the Treasury)
Lt. Colonel H. Ellissen (Secretary)
Also present
Lt. Colonel F. R. Durham, OBE, MC (Director of Works)
Additional documents include:
agenda, resolutions, minutes and report of the 15th meeting of the Finance Committee, 11th February 1920
report by Lt. Colonel F. R. Durham, Director of Works, regarding the tenders for the erection of the War Cross in St. Albans Cemetery, with list of firms who tendered and their costs, 30th January 1920
copy letter from Brig. General A. Russell, Military Attaché, Berne to the IWGC regarding the regarding the Monument for Interned Allies, Officers and Soldiers who died in the district of Montreux and the fixing of the British Arms in bronze to the memorial, 31st December 1919
copy letter from Ernest C. Holloway, Holloway Brothers (London) Ltd., to the IWGC regarding costs associated with the billets and rations supplied to their men during cemetery construction work, 20th January 1920
copy letter from Lt.Col. T.M. Lowry, Inspector of Works, Italy to the IWGC requesting the creation of a sub-account for the Commission in Italy to help defray local costs, 12th January 1920
copy report from the Director of Works regarding the tendering for the construction and supply of headstones for Padua Cemetery, recommending Messrs. Portoni and Zecchinati of Schio for the work, and providing details of other firms approached to tender, 30th January 1920
copy letter from Lt.Col. C. Graham Ford, Inspector of Works regarding the taking over of a building in Jerusalem for use as an office and billets for the Commission, with details of the work and repairs required, 9th January 1920
copy letter from Lt.Col. C.E. Hughes, Inspector of Works (Gallipoli) requesting to be allowed to use funds already allocated for lorries for costs associated with the transport workshop instead, 13th January 1920
letter from Colonel C. D. Branch, Controller of Administration, to the Financial Adviser requesting approval to purchase embossing presses and aluminium tape for the purpose of replacing inscriptions on wooden crosses in cemeteries, with description of the process used and reference to the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries (DGRE), 3rd February 1920; with copy letter from the British Automatic Company Limited providing a quote for the embossing presses, 29th January 1920
copy of draft letter to be used in notifying staff of the regrading of their salaries
various copy letters concerning the upkeep of British war graves in Switzerland, including letter from Brig-Gen A. Russell, Military Attaché, Berne to Sir Horace Rumbold, H.M. Minister, Switzerland advising that the graves are being well cared for but that a proper system for their ongoing care should be implemented, 25th August 1919; and further letter from Brig-Gen A. Russell to The Hon. Theo Russell, H.M. Minister Switzerland, advising that all the Communes in Switzerland in which British war graves are present have been contacted and have provided costs for their annual maintenance, with tabulated figures provided, 6th January 1920
copy letters regarding the upkeep and marking of graves of British sailors in Lodingen Churchyard, including letter from Edward F. Gray, H.B.M. Consul, Christiania, to The Rt. Hon. Earl Curzon of Kedleston, K.G., Foreign Office, providing information passed on by the Vicar of Lodingen as to how the graves should be maintained, 10th January 1920
letter from Colonel C. D. Branch, Controller of Administration, to the Financial Adviser requesting authority for the purchase of 12 additional cars for the Commission in France and Belgium in order to assist the work carried out by the Horticultural Officers and Travelling Superintendent Gardeners, and referring to the number of cemeteries which have been taken over by the Commission from the Army (300), the anticipated influx of relatives to the cemeteries next year, and the importance that the cemeteries are put into proper order as the work of the Commission as a whole will be judged by the appearance of the cemeteries, 5th February 1920
copy of letter from the Director of Works to the Financial Adviser regarding a War Stone for Hastings Cemetery, with note that Sir Frederic Kenyon has approved the placing of a War Stone in the cemetery, 4th February 1920
correspondence regarding the cost of construction of Bruay Communal Cemetery, including letters from the Director of Works and the Financial Adviser who disagree as to how the cost of the work should be split between the French and British Governments, 22nd January - 30th January 1920
copy letter from Arthur Browne, Principal Assistant Secretary to the Financial Adviser regarding the distribution of Kipling's "The Graves of the Fallen", with figures for the numbers distributed by certain specified organisations of ex-soldiers and sailors, namely the Comrades of the Great War; the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilised Soldiers and Sailors, London; and the National Association of Discharged Soldiers and Sailors, Middlesbrough, 6th February 1920
correspondence regarding the additional costs associated with the construction of Le Treport Military Cemetery, including copy letter and detailed description of additional costs incurred at the cemetery provided by Lt.Col De La Fontaine, Inspector of Works, 30th October 1919 |