| Content Note | Topics covered:
Visits to War Cemeteries by the Royal Family
Account of the Royal Tour in the Caribbean by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, including a visit to Nassau War Cemetery and their forthcoming private visits to Tyne Cot Cemetery, St. George’s Memorial Church, the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and St. Julien Canadian War Memorial; recount of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester’s visit to Kranji War Cemetery and the Singapore Memorial.
The deaths of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Minister of India, Admiral Sir John Edelsten, former Member of the Commission, Finance Committee, and Commonwealth-Belgian and Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committees, and Sir Sam Brown, former Senior Partner of Messrs Linklaters and Paines and son of Mr Harold who advised on the establishment of the Endowment Fund, were reported.
Professor Edmund Blunden
Announcement that Professor Edmund Blunden, the Commission’s Honorary Literary Adviser, was elected as Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.
New Year Honours
Awarding of the BEM to Mr Charles Adam, Caretaker of the Runnymede Memorial.
Matters arising from the 481st Meeting of the Commission
Update on the Australian Ambassador’s attempts to arrange a meeting with the President of the United Arab Republic in connection with the proposed removal of Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery and Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery; details of the agreement between the United Nations and the Israel and Jordan Governments to allow the Commission to send a team of Commonwealth workmen to Jerusalem War Cemetery to carry out repair and rehabilitation work; arrangements for the temporary floodlighting of the Thiepval Memorial; approval of the Estimates 1966/67; revision of the dates of the Meetings of the Finance Committee and the Commission during 1966.
Report of the 524th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Granting of the usual annual authority to the Secretary and Director-General to appoint and employ staff; recommended expenditure on the rehabilitation of Jerusalem War Cemetery, which would cover the cost of sending personnel to carry out the work and for the supply and transport of structural and horticultural supplies and equipment; appointment of Mr D. H. Lloyd as Regional Director of the United Kingdom Region and Mr G. A. Cheater as Senior Quantity Surveyor at Head Office; reappointment of Brigadier Brown as Secretary-General and Regional Director of the Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region; expenditure on the provision of new roadside direction signs for the signposting of Commonwealth war cemeteries, memorials and graves; recommended expenditure on maintenance at Agira Canadian War Cemetery to retain all existing features, repair the paving, steps and flower bastions, and strengthen the foundations; production of the Commission’s Works and Horticultural Manuals; increases in pay of United Kingdom based non-manual staff and three members of the staff of the Canadian Agency; increases in the pensions of existing Commission pensioners; annual authority for the employment and payment of the establishment of staff provided for in the approved Estimate for 1966/67.
Membership of the Finance Committee
Appointment of the High Commissioner for Canada as a Member of the Finance Committee.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees
Appointment of His Excellency Sir Ronald Walker, Australian Ambassador at Paris, as Commonwealth Honorary Member, Monsieur J. Silvy, Ministere des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre, as French Official Member, and Mr D. S. Preller, South African Embassy in London, as Commonwealth Official Member of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee; appointment of His Excellency Baron Jean van den Bosch, Belgian Ambassador at London, as Belgian Honorary Member and His Excellency Mr R. L. Hutches, New Zealand Ambassador at Brussels, as Commonwealth Honorary Member of the Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee.
Marking and Maintenance of Commonwealth War Graves in the UK – Graves not within the Commission’s Control: Approval of the classification of the 1,172 war graves enumerated in List No. 6 of war graves in the United Kingdom recommended for classification as “not within the Commission’s control”.
Unmaintainable Graves: Lisnaskea Union Cemetery, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Approval of the proposed commemoration of one Commonwealth war burial in Lisnaskea Union Cemetery on a special memorial headstone, bearing a suitable superscription, that was to be erected in Belfast City Cemetery.
Faenza War Cemetery, Italy
Approval of the proposed modifications to Faenza War Cemetery, including the decision to retain the circular paving in the cemetery, replacement of the paving at the rear of the cemetery with turf and removal of the concrete post and wire fencing at the south-west end of the cemetery.
Reports from United Kingdom, Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions, Canadian Agency and Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region for the Quarter Ended 31st December 1965
Discussions between the Works Sub-Committee of the London Boroughs Committee and Commission on the problem of maintenance of war graves in derelict cemeteries in London; report regarding the recovery of remains in the Southern Region; arrangements for the refund of duty paid on petrol and oil bought in Kenya.
General Notes
Report that Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore, who recently retired, attended the Annual Service of Commemoration at St. Clement Danes Church on Australia Day and visited the Plymouth Naval Memorial; arrangements by various Governments to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme; showing of the Commission’s film at the Imperial Defence College; arrangements for the 4th Meeting of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee.
Other Business
Report on Sir Robert Black’s visit to the Northern Region, which included trips to cemeteries and memorials in Paris, and his forthcoming visit to cemeteries and memorials in the Netherlands and Germany Area; account of the Vice-Chairman’s forthcoming tour in North Africa, which was to include visits to cemeteries and memorials in the United Arab Republic, Libya and Tunisia.
ATTENDEES:
Admiral Sir Guy Grantham GCB CBE DSO (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
Colonel Alan Chambers DSO CBE (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada)
Mr F. C. Boyle (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
Mr M. J. C. Templeton (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
Mr D. S. Preller (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa)
Major V. K. Dandekar (Representing the Ambassador of India)
Lieutenant-Commander S. Haque (Representing the Ambassador of Pakistan)
Mr B. H. J. Lane (Representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies)
Sir Arthur Rucker KCMG CB CBE
Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest KBE CB
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.) MICE (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)
Brigadier K. F. Daniell CBE BA (Director of Works)
Mr H. L. Simmons LLB (Legal Adviser and Solicitor)
Mr W. F. W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort.) (Chief Horticultural Officer)
Mr A. E. V. Shephard |