| Content Note | Topics covered:
Matters arising from the Minutes of the 403rd Meeting:
photographs taken during His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester’s recent visit to war cemeteries in Belgium, Holland and Germany were circulated to the Commissioners; arrangements and details of the unveiling of the Dunkirk Memorial were discussed;
Birthday Honours:
Brigadier Collingwood, Regional Director, Southern Region had been appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, while Mr T. G. Jellis, Administrative Assistant (Finance), Anzac Agency had received an MBE, and Mr W. Randall, Head Gardener, French Region, had been awarded the BEM.
Report of the 448th Meeting of the Finance Committee:
review of proposals concerning major maintenance at ten cemeteries in France under a special contract, with note that the Finance Committee had not accepted the proposals for two of the cemeteries, Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery and Focquevillers Military Cemetery, where extensive repairs to surrounding walls were required, and that these two cases would be examined further, also reference to Abbeville Communal Cemetery where it was noted that maintenance work would be carried out at the same time as the construction of the 1939-45 section; concentration of graves from Bidadari Christian Cemetery, Singapore, to Kranji War Cemetery, with details of costs involved in work; reference to proposed construction of a memorial wall in Hull (Northern) Cemetery to commemorate 55 cremations; note on the installation of air conditioning in Commission’s offices in New Delhi; mention of grant offered to by the Commission to the Ypres British Settlement, with note that Commission staff in Ypres (Ieper) derived much benefit from the welfare work carried out by the Chaplain;
Membership of the Finance Committee:
appointment of Admiral Sir John Hereward Edelsten as a member of the Finance Committee in place of Sir Arthur Longmore;
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members:
appointment of General Sir John Crocker as Commonwealth Official Member for the Commonwealth-German Joint Committee and Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee in place of Sir Arthur Longmore;
Appointment of the Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee:
establishment of the Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee;
Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee Appointment of Members:
appointment of T. W. Eckersley (Counsellor, Australian Embassy at Tokyo), G. J. Malik (First Secretary, Indian Embassy, Tokyo) and B. Greenhill (First Secretary, United Kingdom Embassy at Tokyo) as Commonwealth Members of the Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee, and appointment of Y. Nara (European and American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Kinichi Saito (Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance) and Juichi Oshita (Chief of General Affairs Bureau, Yokohama Municipal Office) as Japanese Members of the Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee;
Examination of Sketch Design: Khayat Beach War Cemetery, Haifa, Israel:
approval of the sketch design for Khayat Beach War Cemetery as prepared by J. A. Stewart, ARIBA, with description of design and comments from Brigadier Patterson and Sir Edward Maufe;
The Malta Agency of the Commission:
approval of revised arrangements in the constitution of the Malta Agency of the Commission, with expectation that this would lead to improved maintenance of the cemeteries and memorials on Malta, and with details on the background, history and make-up of the Malta Agency;
Exhumation of Italian War Dead: Graves in the Diocese of Worcester:
approval of the proposed exhumation of two Italian war dead from Upton-on-Severn Cemetery, Worcestershire, and Borough Cemetery, Dudley, for reburial in Brookwood Military Cemetery;
Maintenance of 51st (Highland) Division Memorial at Sferro, Sicily:
approval for the Commission to undertake maintenance of the Battle Exploit memorial and for the transfer of money necessary for maintenance into the Commission’s name
Allied War Graves:
presentation of paper regarding the form of commemoration for the graves of Allied nationals serving in the Commonwealth forces and servicemen belonging to independent Allied units, with note that it was recommended that the type of permanent marker used should be the decision of the each respective Allied government;
Conference with Regional Directors:
an account of annual Conference with Regional Directors with specific reference to the type and scale of inspections required to ensure maintenance throughout the world, the provision of effective reports and question of returns;
Graves of the South African War:
it was noted that reports had recently appeared in the Press about the proposals of the South African War Graves Board in connection with graves from the various Kaffir Wars and the Anglo-Boer War. The South African Agency had passed on details to the Secretary, who reported that the concentration of isolated identifiable graves was to be considered, and that the names of those whose graves were unidentifiable were to be commemorated on memorial plaques, while the graves in the concentration cemeteries would be marked with granite headstones similar to Commission stones but with the corners cut away at an angle of 45 degrees
“Their Name Liveth”
notice that Part One, Volume Three of “Their Name Liveth”, containing photographs of cemeteries and memorials in France, Belgium and South-Eastern England, and the Dunkirk Memorial, would be published on 21st June;
ATTENDEES:
General Sir John Crocker GCB KBE DSO MC (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
Campbell Moodie (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada)
O. L. Davis (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
Captain J. O’C. Ross RNZN (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
F. W. Thomashoff (Representing the High Commissioner for South Africa)
Lieutenant-Colonel M. M. Singh (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Captain S. M. Akhtar (Representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan)
I. B. Watt (Representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies)
A. J. Isaac (Representing the Minister of Works)
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore GCB DSO
The Right Hon. Sir Patrick Spens KBE GC MP
Captain Sir Harold Campbell GCVO DSO RN
Sir Arthur Rucker KCMG CB CBE
Admiral Sir John Edelsten GCB GCVO CBE
Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest KBE CB
SECRETARY
W. J. Chalmers CBE
ADVISERS
Sir William Halcrow M. Inst. CE (Consulting Engineer)
Sir Edward Maufe RA FRIBA (Chief Architect and Artistic Adviser)
Also in attendance:
W. Wynne Mason MC (Assistant Secretary (External Relations))
A. K. Pallot (Assistant Secretary (Finance and Establishments))
H. L. Simmons LLB (Legal Adviser)
W. F. W. Harding BSc (Chief Horticultural Officer)
Brigadier N. E. V. Patterson OBE (Principal Deputy Director of Works)
A. S. Laing
R. I. Mill |