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The Chairman announced that Colonel Victor R. Jones, representing the High Commissioner for Canada in the temporary absence of Colonel Chambers, Mr M. J. C. Templeton, representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Mr D. S. Preller, representing the High Commissioner for South Africa, and Mr J. H. H. Vaughan, representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan, were attending a Commission Meeting for the first time, and that Mr J. H. H. Vaughan was returning as representative of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The Chairman announced that he had called on Dr Jivraj N. Mehta, High Commissioner for India, to welcome him as a member of the Commission, as well as Dr Hilgard Muller, who was to be replaced as Ambassador of London by Dr Carel de Wet, and The Honourable George Drew, High Commissioner for Canada, thanking them for their interest and help in the work of the Commission.
New Year Honours
Brigadier A. E. M. Brown, Secretary-General, Anzac Agency, and Director of the Pacific Region appointed a CMG; Mr G. Dawe, District Inspector, Southern Area, Anzac Agency, appointed an MBE appointment of a CMG; Mr N. Pemberton, Local Supervisor, Eastern Mediterranean Area, Southern Region, awarded the BEM.
Matters Arising from the 473rd Meeting of the Commission
Report on the Commission’s Petition for the grant of a Supplemental Charter, which was expected to be approved at the end of March; details of the Revised Estimate for 1964/65 provided to Participating Governments; update on the construction of Ambon War Cemetery, including the inability to transport materials from Australia to Ambon owing to difficulties between Malaysia and Indonesia; request that the Town Clerk of Canterbury notify the Commission of any proposal affecting Canterbury (Wincheap Road) Cemetery; arrangements for specialists to visit the Waterloo Memorial in Belgium to prevent further deterioration.
Report of the 516th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Granting of the usual annual authority to the Secretary and Director-General to appoint and employ staff; appointment of three members of staff to the Permanent Maintenance Staff; granting of the usual block authority on account of routine expenditure on normal services in the financial year 1964/65; expenditure for the supply of 1,000 inscribed bronze plaques, which were to be erected in cemeteries and memorials indicating that they were constructed and maintained by the Commission; expenditure on the publication of Part 3 of Volume V of “Their Name Liveth”; increases in the rates of pay for United Kingdom based manual staff; expenditure incurred for the repositioning of the caretaker’s quarters at Chungkai War Cemetery.
Membership of the Finance Committee
Appointment of the High Commissioner of New Zealand as a member of the Finance Committee.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees
Appointment of Monsieur M. Van den Bosch, Inspecteur General a l’Administration Centrale de l’Enregistrement et des Domaines, as Belgian Official Member of the Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee; appointment of Monsieur Elie Leboeuf, Chef de Service des Relations Internationales, Ministere des Finances, and Monsieur Gabriel Pallez, Directeur General des Collectivites Locales, Ministere de l’Interieur, as French Official Members of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee; appointment of His Excellency Mr Q. U. Shahab, Pakistan Ambassador at The Hague, as Commonwealth Honorary Member and Mr D. S. Preller, Protocol Attaché, South African Embassy in London, as Commonwealth Official Member of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee; appointment of Mr J. M. Fisher, Counsellor and Consul-General, British Embassy, Bangkok, as Commonwealth Member of the Commonwealth-Thai Joint Committee.
Unmaintainable Graves in the United Kingdom: Dudley (St. Thomas) Cemetery
Approval for the proposed commemoration of two Commonwealth war burials in Dudley (St. Thomas) Cemetery by the erection of two memorial headstones bearing a suitable inscription within the area allocated for Second World War burials in Dudley Borough Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves in the United Kingdom: Vernham’s Dean (St. Mary) Churchyard
Approval for the proposed commemoration of one Commonwealth war burial in Vernham’s Dean (St. Mary) Churchyard on a memorial headstone bearing a suitable superscription in the Second World War Graves plot in Andover Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves in the United Kingdom: Hull General Cemetery and Hull (Holy Trinity, Hessle Road) Cemetery
Approval for the proposed commemoration of 28 Commonwealth war burials in Hull General Cemetery and 29 Commonwealth war burials in Hull (Holy Trinity, Hessle Road) Cemetery on the existing Screen Wall in Hull Northern Cemetery.
Kut War Cemetery, Iraq
Approval of the proposed realignment of the road outside Kut War Cemetery.
1st Meeting of the Commonwealth-Thai Joint Committee
Report on the 1st Meeting of the Commonwealth-Thai Joint Committee held at Kanchanaburi on 12 December 1963.
General Notes
Account of the Australia Day Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields that had been attended by Sir Arthur Longmore; note regarding visit by Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, as well as visit by Lord Mountbatten and General Cassels, Adjutant-General, to war cemeteries in Libya; details of tour by Brigadier K. F. Daniells, Director of Works, in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, which included visits to and details of Mosul War Cemetery, Khanaqin War Cemetery, Tehran War Cemetery, Damascus War Cemetery and Aleppo War Cemetery; report of visit by Mr W. F. W. Harding, Chief Horticultural Officer, to war cemeteries in Algeria, Tunisia and Tripolitania, with specific reference to horticultural and structural work at Bougie War Cemetery and Le Petit Lac Cemetery, and the water supply at Massicault War Cemetery; report of the Secretary’s visit to local plots of war graves in Sydney, the German cemetery at Tatura, cemeteries at Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane in Australia, Lae in New Guinea, Rabaul in New Britain and Port Moresby in Papua, Ambon War Cemetery, as well as those in Hong Kong and Yokohama.
Other Business
Arrangements for the 3rd Meeting of the Commonwealth-German-French Joint Committee, which was to discuss the protection of surroundings of Commonwealth war cemeteries in West Germany and West Berlin, German graves in the Commission’s care, the establishment of a German war cemetery at Cannock Chase and the sign-posting of war cemeteries in Germany; account of the Vice-Chairman’s visit to Brookwood Military Cemetery with Colonel Woodgate, Regional Director, and meetings with staff at the Regional Headquarters in Maidenhead; announcement regarding the departure of the Honourable Gordon Freeth, former Minister for the Interior and Head of the Anzac Agency, who was to be replaced by Mr J. D. Anthony; announcement regarding the sale of Wooburn House, site of the Commission’s former Head Office.
ATTENDEES:
Admiral Sir Guy Grantham GCB CBE DSO (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
Colonel Victor R. Jones OBE ED QC (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada)
Mr P. A. K. Manton (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
Mr M. J. C. Templeton (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
Mr D. S. Preller (Representing the High Commissioner for South Africa)
Major K. J. Elias (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Mr J. H. H. Vaughan (Representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies)
Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore GCB DSO
The Right Honourable Lord Spens KBE
Sir Arthur Rucker KCMG CB CBE
Mr John Hogg TD
Mr David Griffiths MP
Lieutenant-General Sir John Anderson KCB CBE DSO
SECRETARY
Mr W. J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISER
Mr H. D. Morgan MSc (Eng.) MICE (Consulting Engineer)
Also in attendance:
Mr A. K. Pallot ((Assistant Secretary) Director of Finance and Establishments)
Brigadier K. F. Daniell CBE (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 |