| Content Note | Topics covered:
Announcement regarding the election of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore to the Chair and appointment of Colonel Alan Chambers, who was succeeding Mr H. F. Clark, as representative for the High Commissioner for Canada.
Matters Arising from the 469th Meeting of the Commission
Appointment of Admiral Sir Guy Grantham as Vice-Chairman of the Commission and as a Trustee of the Imperial War Graves Endowment Fund and Trustee of the Commonwealth War Graves Superannuation Scheme (1952); agreement between the Commission and Bath Corporation regarding the inclusion of a clause protecting the Commission’s interests in their Bill; details of the unveiling ceremony for the Auckland Provincial Memorial.
Announcement that Mr John Hogg, TD, was conferred the Honour of Knighthood by Her Majesty The Queen.
Report of the 512th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Recommendation on the terms of appointment of the Vice-Chairman; excess expenditure concerning the Thiepval Memorial due to structural maintenance and improved specification for the car park; recommended expenditure on structural and horticultural maintenance at El Alamein War Cemetery and Memorial, including renewal of the mains for the supply of water; supply of granite and Botticino headstones as replacements for existing deteriorated stones; recommended expenditure on modifications to the design and structural maintenance at Delville Wood Cemetery; details concerning two water supply schemes at Massicault War Cemetery and Tripoli War Cemetery; recommended expenditure on structural maintenance at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery; increases in rates of pay of non-manual and manual United Kingdom based staff; revision of overseas allowances for non-manual and manual United Kingdom based staff; memorandum on the construction of the Basra Cremation Memorial and modified design of the Indian Forces Cremation Memorials; expenditure on structural maintenance at Knightsbridge War Cemetery.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committee
Appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel H. Martel, Ministere de la Defense Nationale, Service Social de l’Armee, as Belgian Official Member of the Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee.
Approval of the proposed execution of documents by the Commission or on its behalf.
Discussion regarding the proposed erection of permanent notices in Commonwealth war cemeteries and memorials stating that they were constructed and maintained by the Commission for the purpose of correcting common misconceptions about the Commission’s role in this work;
Unmaintainable Graves in the United Kingdom
Report regarding the removal of 6 Commission headstones marking graves in Tideswell (St. John the Baptist) Churchyard and their re-erection in a corner of the churchyard due to road-widening and tidying-up schemes; classification of 4 war graves buried under the roadway as “not within the Commission’s control”.
Unmaintainable Graves in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain
Approval of the proposed alternative commemoration of 15 Second World War burials in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain that had not been maintained because their location made maintenance by the Commission impracticable.
Basra and Amara War Cemeteries, Iraq, Southern Region: Marking of War Graves
Approval of the proposed removal of the blue Staffordshire brick blocks placed in Basra War Cemetery and Amara War Cemetery marking the First World War graves in the cemeteries.
Report of the 4th Meeting of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee.
Report from United Kingdom, Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions, Canadian Agency and Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region, including reference to the inability to carry out out-of-door work due to weather in the United Kingdom, Northern and Southern Regions, and arrangements for the construction of Ambon War Cemetery and near completion of construction at Jakarta War Cemetery.
General Notes
Account of private visit by Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to the Runnymede Memorial; attendance by Mr David Griffiths at the Anzac Day Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Sir Arthur Longmore at the Annual Act of Commemoration at the Runnymede Memorial; report of visit by Mr John Hogg to 15 cemeteries in Normandy; account of Lord Spens’ visit to cemeteries in Italy with specific reference to the horticulture and work of the horticultural staff, and visit to Santerno Valley War Cemetery; details of visit by Lord de L’Isle, Governor-General of Australia, to Bomana War Cemetery.
Announcement that the Honourable Marcel Lambert had succeeded the Honourable Roger Teillet as Minister of Veterans’ Affairs in Canada and the Canadian Agency of the Commission.
Works Construction Progress
Update on the construction at Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery and Tehran War Cemetery, which was nearly complete, as well as Fredrikstad Miitary Cemetery, Kviberg Cemetery, Damascus War Cemetery, Jakarta War Cemetery, Le Petit Lac War Cemetery, Bougie War Cemetery, Khanaqin War Cemetery, Mosul War Cemetery, the Kaduna Memorial and Choc Bay Cemetery.
Presentation of perspective drawings drawn by the late Mr P. D. Hepworth, the Commission’s former Principal Architect for Northern Europe.
Lecture given by the Chief Horticultural Officer to the Royal Horticultural Society on the Horticultural Work of the Commission.
ATTENDEES:
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore GCB DSO (In the Chair for part of the meeting)
Admiral Sir Guy Grantham GCB CBE DSO (Took the Chair as Vice-Chairman)
Colonel Alan Chambers DSO OBE (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada)
Mr P. A. K. Manton (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
Mr R. L. Jermyn (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
Mr F. W. Thomashoff (Representing the High Commissioner for South Africa)
Major S. Kumar (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Major Bashir Ahmad (Representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan)
Mr D. K. Malone MBE (Representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies)
Mr J. W. T. Pritchard (Representing the Minister of Public Building and Works)
The Right Honourable Lord Spens KBE
Sir Arthur Rucker KCMG CB CBE
Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest KBE CB
Mr John Hogg TD
Mr David Griffiths MP
SECRETARY
Mr W. J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISER
Sir Edward Maufe RA FRIBA (Chief Architect and Artistic Adviser)
Mr H. D. Morgan MSc (Eng.) M.Inst. CE (Consulting Engineer)
Also in attendance:
Mr W. Wynne Mason MC ((Assistant Secretary) Director of External Relations and Records)
Mr A. K. Pallot ((Assistant Secretary) Director of Finance and Establishments)
Major-General J. F. D. Steedman CBE MC (Director of Works)
Mr H. L. Simmons LLB (Legal Adviser and Solicitor)
Mr W. F. W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort.) (Chief Horticultural Officer)
Mr T. A. E. Gibson |