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Minutes of the 405th Meeting:
minutes of the 405th Meeting were approved and signed, and the following matters arising were noted:
the Deed of Appointment of a Trustee of the IWGC Endowment Fund had been completed and approved by the President of the Commission; necessary formalities concerning the Trustees’ Powers of Investment relating to the IWGC Superannuation Scheme (1952) had been completed; the contract for the purchase of the site for the Southern Region’s office premises in Rome had been signed; letter of welcome to Colonel Brooks as the Agency of the Commission in Canada had been written and cordial reply received; the suggestion by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore to affix plaques recording when and by whom the Memorials to the Missing had been unveiled was being studied and a further report would be made
Report of the 450th Meeting of the Finance Committee:
adoption of the report of the 450th Meeting of the Finance Committee; after discussions on the following items:
authorisation for expenditure, including costs for the construction of new office premises for the Anzac Agency; note of approval of maintenance costs for work at Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension and Arques la Bataille British Cemetery under special contract with Entreprise Reynes, and deferred consideration for the maintenance of Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery and Foucquevillers Military Cemetery; discussion regarding the use of Silicon Ester, a bonding agent, and Silicone Water Repellents in the preservation of structures, including the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and Dunkirk Memorial; further expenditures relating to the maintenance of headstones in Malta; production of the second and third volumes of “Their Name Liveth”, including reference to total costs of, and issuing of specific volumes to coincide with the unveiling of the Dunkirk Memorial and the Medjez-el-Bab Memorial; increases in the salaries of non-manual United Kingdom based staff and in Canada;
Examination of Sketch Design: Choloy War Cemetery, France
authorisation of the sketch design for Choloy War Cemetery drafted by Mr J. D. Cox, ARIBA, which treated the war cemetery and the enclosed post-war Canadian cemetery as one entity, subject to the Canadian Government agreeing to bear the cost of one of the two shelters planned;
Maintenance of 41st Division Memorial at Flers, Somme, France:
approval for the revised financial arrangements regarding the maintenance of the 41st Division Memorial at Flers;
Maintenance of 19th Division Memorials in France and Belgium:
approval for the revised financial arrangements for the maintenance of the 19th Division Memorials at Ovillers-la-Boiselle and Montagne de Bligny, France, and Wytschaete, Belgium;
Progress Report for the Quarter Ended 30th June 1957:
comments on the report which showed the establishment and strength of the staff, the progress of the work of the Records department, and the number of enquiries handled by the Enquiries branch, with note that the one task the Records Department had yet to start was the preparation of the overall Final Index of casualties, and note of the progress on the construction of 24 cemeteries in 14 different countries and that the Medjez-el-Bab Memorial, Karachi Memorial and Brookwood Memorial were under construction (with comment on some difficulty with the foundations at Brookwood, and that the Commission had been greatly helped by Sir William Halcrow and his partners in this matter), and that construction work was not currently possible in Indonesia, Algeria, Syria, and at Thanbyuzayat;
General Notes:
note that the standard of horticulture at Yokohama British Commonwealth War Cemetery was so high that it had been selected for a visit by delegates to the Conference of Superintendents of Parks and Gardens of the major Japanese cities;
Endowment Fund Income:
presentation and approval of paper on the amendment to the dates on which payment by the Trustees of the Imperial War Graves Endowment Fund was provided to the Royal Bank of Scotland for the credit of the Commission;
Visit by Vice-Chairman to Cemeteries in the United Kingdom:
note of the recent visit by the Commission’s Vice-Chairman to cemeteries in the London area and West of England;
Visit by Mr G.O. Slyvester, M.P., to Cemeteries and Memorials in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany:
note of visit by Mr G. O. Sylvester, MP, to cemeteries and memorials in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, including representing the Commissioners at the staff’s annual Flower Show at Arras, where Mrs Sylvester had presented the prizes;
Visit by Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest to Cemeteries in Scotland:
report of Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest’s visit to cemeteries in the Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands and Renfrew in Scotland, with general comments on the high standard of maintenance encountered;
Departure of Mr J.G. Hale:
expression of thanks to Mr J. G. Hale, who had represented the High Commissioner for New Zealand at Commission Meetings since 1954 and was set to return to New Zealand following a new appointment.
ATTENDEES:
General Sir John Crocker GCB KBE DSO MC (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
E. J. B. Foxcroft (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
J. G. Hale (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)
The Right Hon. Sir Patrick Spens KBE GC MP
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
ADVISER:
Sir William Halcrow M. Inst. CE (Consulting Engineer)
Also in attendance:
A. K. Pallot (Assistant Secretary (Finance and Establishments))
Major-General J. F. D. Steedman CBE MC (Director of Works)
H. L. Simmons LLB (Legal Adviser)
W. F. W. Harding BSc (Chief Horticultural Officer)
P. N. Dolan
R. I. Mill
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