| Content Note | Topics covered:
Matter arising from the Minutes of the 413th Meeting
Account of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore’s visit to South Africa, Rhodesia and East Africa, which involved a meeting with the South African Agency and visits to cemeteries at Salisbury and Dar-es-Salaam, and Nairobi War Cemetery.
Visit by Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest to Italy
Details of Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest’s tour in Italy and impressions of the horticulture and masonry in cemeteries and hard work of Italian gardeners who were working in all of the cemeteries he visited, except Cassino.
Visit by Admiral John Edelsten to cemeteries on Scotland’s East Coast
Account of visit by Admiral John Edelsten to cemeteries on Scotland’s East Coast, which were found in good order except for two cemeteries at Kinloss Abbey and Cromarty. Also refers to promoting interest in the cemetery at Kinloss Abbey from the personnel at the nearby Royal Air Force station.
Visit by Vice-Chairman and Secretary to South-Western Area, United Kingdom Region
Report of visit by the Vice-Chairman and Secretary to 50 cemeteries and churchyards in Devonshire, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Visit by Vice-Chairman to Northern Region (France)
Account of visit by the Vice-Chairman to cemeteries and memorials located in the Somme battle area, Aisne and Marne, and the Regional Office at Albert.
Report of the 458th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Report of major maintenance work at Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial, including the repair and replacement of masonry, waterproofing the roofs of buildings and proposed removal of three paved paths; repair of the boundary walls and Stone of Remembrance at Bac du Sud British Cemetery under contract with Entreprise Reynes; expenditures relating to the construction of Dunkirk Town Cemetery and Memorial and Diego Suarez War Cemetery; appointment of one member to the Commission’s Permanent Maintenance Staff; expenditure on Social Welfare and grant to the Ypres British Settlement.
Unmaintainable graves in Grimsby Old Cemetery, Lincolnshire
Approval for the commemoration of three war graves originally located in Grimsby Old Cemetery, which was to be converted into a public open space, by the erection of a triple stone in Grimsby (Scartho Road) Cemetery.
The Nigeria Memorial, Ereko, Lagos, Nigeria
Refers to the acquisition of a 999-year lease relating to the land forming the site of the Nigeria Memorial by the Commission.
Third Meeting of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee
Refers to paper which gave an account of the meeting which was held on 29 April 1958.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees
Refers to note concerning the Commonwealth Foreign Joint Committees, which was to be composed of representatives from the Embassies in the countries concerned.
Progress Report for the Quarter Ended 31 March 1958
Update on the Cemetery Construction Programme, which was 84% complete and required a large number of cemeteries to be constructed in the Southern Region.
General Notes
Commission Chairman’s report on attendance at the Annual Service of Remembrance at Dutch War Graves in Paddington (Mill Hill) Cemetery; Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore and Sir Edward Maufe representation on behalf of the Commission at the Annual Act of Remembrance at the Runnymede Memorial; maintenance of Ambon and Makassar War Cemeteries despite political situation; report of damages headstones in East Mudros Military Cemetery caused by an unknown individual; ceremony at the Czechoslovak Memorial in Brookwood Cemetery on 9th May; details of tour by Mr A. K. Pallot in the Middle East, which included visits to Greece, Crete, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon .
ATTENDEES:
General Sir John Crocker GCB KBE DSO MC (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
Campbell Moodie (Representing the High Commission for Canada)
E. J. B. Foxcroft (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
E. A. Broadridge (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
F. W. Thomashoff (Representing the High Commissioner for South Africa)
Major Hari Krishna (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Captain K. K. Apridi (Representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan)
S. H. Field (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 Rt. Hon. Sir Patrick Spens KBE GC MP
G. O. Sylvester 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
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))
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)
A. S. Laing
P. J. Cook |