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The Chairman welcomed Mr T. C. Jerrom, representative of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who was attending a Commission Meeting for the first time.
Visits to War Cemeteries by the Royal Family
Account of Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh’s visits to Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial, the St. Julien Canadian War Memorial, St. George’s Memorial Church and the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
The retirement of Mr K. Rood, Chairman of the South African Agency, was reported.
Queen’s Birthday Honours
Appointment of Mr A. K. Pallot as a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG); appointment of Miss G. M. Telford, Senior Assistant Establishments Officer at Head Office, as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); awarding of the British Empire Medal to Mr Stanley Hankin, Head Gardener ‘A’, Lille Group, Northern Region; appointment of the KBE to Air Marshal Murdoch, former representative of the High Commissioner for Australia, and Mr A. J. Lee, National President of the Returned Servicemen’s League.
Matters arising from the 482nd Meeting of the Commission
Further update on the Australian Ambassador in Cairo’s attempts to arrange a meeting with the President of the United Arab Republic to discuss the proposed removal of Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery and Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery; report on the restoration and horticultural rehabilitation work at Jerusalem War Cemetery; brief account of Sir Robert Black’s visit to Paris and the Somme Battlefields, and attendance at the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee Meeting.
Report of the 525th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Report on the expenditure for the proposed rehabilitation of the Halifax Memorial, which required the replacement of the Second World War memorial panels; appointment of three members of staff to the Permanent Maintenance Staff; details of the renovation of the water supply system and installation of a new reticulation system at Sangro River War Cemetery; report on the water supply problem at Salerno War Cemetery and recommended sinking of a new deep bore-well in another part of the cemetery; expenditure on the provision of a new supply system at Fayid War Cemetery; payment to the Trustees of the Commission’s 1952 Superannuation Scheme; details of the new rates of Overseas Allowances for manual staff in the Northern Region; proposal to amend the Rules of the 1952 Superannuation Scheme.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees
Appointment of Monsieur J. Silvy, Ministere des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre, as French Official Member, as French Official Member of the Commonwealth-German-French Joint Committee; appointment of Jonkheer G. Krayenhoff, Chairman of the Netherlands Red Cross, as Netherlands Official Member of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee; appointment of Nai Patana Phinthuyothin, Governor of Kanchanaburi, and Police Colonel Plusang Tantakhom, Foreign Liaison Officer, Thailand Ministry of the Interior, as Thai Members and Mr R. S. Scrivener, Counsellor, British Embassy, Bangkok, and Mr H. G. Marshall, Counsellor, Australian Embassy, Bangkok, as Commonwealth Members of the Commonwealth-Thai Joint Committee.
Marking and Maintenance of Commonwealth War Graves in the United Kingdom – Graves not within the Commission’s Control: Approval of the classification of the 1,852 war graves enumerated in List No. 7 of war graves in the United Kingdom recommended for classification as “not within the Commission’s control”.
Unmaintainable graves in the United Kingdom: Holywell (St. Peter) Churchyard
Approval of the proposed commemoration of two Commonwealth war burials in Holywell (St. Peter) Churchyard on special memorial headstones, bearing suitable superscriptions, that were to be erected in Bodelwyddan (St. Margaret) Churchyard.
Unmaintainable graves in the United Kingdom: Denham (St. Mary) Churchyard
Approval of the proposed commemoration of nine Commonwealth war burials in Denham (St. Mary) Churchyard by special memorial headstones, bearing suitable superscriptions, that were to be erected on the west side of the churchyard.
Minturno War Cemetery, Italy
Approval of the proposed modifications to Minturno War Cemetery, which included the replacement of the paving around the Cross of Sacrifice with turf, relevelling and removal of Judas trees and Oleanders, as well as those to Ancona War Cemetery, which included the removal of the brick path between the entrance feature and central flower bastions, and the central hedges behind the Cross of Sacrifice.
Execution of Documents by the Commission or on its Behalf
Negotiations between the Edinburgh Corporation, who were seeking additional powers to level graves and remove memorials, and Commission to protect the Commission’s interests in cemeteries containing Commonwealth war graves.
Report on the 4th Meeting of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee.
Reports from United Kingdom, Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions, Canadian Agency and Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region for the Quarter Ended 31st March 1966
Reports on vandalism in the Northern, Southern and United Kingdom Regions, with specific reference to the painting of swastikas on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial and Cross of Sacrifice in Manor Park Cemetery; account of the Director of Finance and Establishment and Director of Works’ visit to the Thiepval Memorial; report of the tour in the United Arab Republic, Libya and Tunisia by the Vice-Chairman and Colonel Griffin, Regional Director of the Southern Region, which included visits to Heliopolis War Cemetery, Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Manara Indian Muslim Cemetery, El Alamein War Cemetery, the Springbok Memorial, Sollum War Cemetery, Tobruk War Cemetery, Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Benghazi War Cemetery and Tripoli War Cemetery; remarks concerning the visit of Mr Denis Healey, Chairman of the Commission, to Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery.
General Notes
Accounts of the Anzac Day Service in Westminster Abbey and Annual Act of Commemoration at the Runnymede Memorial, which were attended by Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest; further accounts of ceremonies held in the Northern and Southern Regions during April and May, including those on Anzac Day, VE Day and other anniversaries; brief recount of visit by Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, to Kranji War Cemetery; details of the forthcoming Government of South Africa pilgrimage to Delville Wood Cemetery to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle; account of Mr A. K. Pallot’s, the Director of Finance and Establishments, visit to Turkey, Athens, Cyprus, Rome and Malta, with specific reference to his visit to Haidar Pasha Cemetery, the horticultural development of Gallipoli, improvements in Waynes Keep War Cemetery, and discussions with the Regional Director in Rome and Malta regarding problems with the maintenance of Commonwealth war graves; report on Brigadier K. F. Daniell’s, Director of Works, tour in the Caribbean to discuss future arrangements for the maintenance of war graves, and visits to Bermuda, British Honduras, the Bahamas, Barbados, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952) Amendments to the Rules Amendment of Paragraph 6 of the 1952 Rules concerning reductions in contributions and annual retirement pensions for any member of the Superannuation Scheme to whom the provisions of the Canada Pension Plan applied;
Other Business
Approval of the proposed appointment by Royal Warrant of Miss Joan Woodgate, Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service, as the first woman non-official Member of the Commission.
ATTENDEES:
Admiral Sir Guy Grantham GCB CBE DSO (Vice-Chairman of the Commission)
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)
Lieutenant-Commander S. Haque (Representing the Ambassador of Pakistan)
Mr T. C. Jerrom (Representing the Secretary of State for the Colonies)
Mr J. W. T. Pritchard (Representing the Minister of Public Building and Works)
Sir Arthur Rucker KCMG CB CBE
Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest KBE CB
Mr David Griffiths MP
Mr Verner Wylie
Colonel Sir Richard Glyn BART OBE TD DL MP
SECRETARY
Mr W. J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISER
Sir Edward Maufe RA FRIBA (Chief Architect and Artistic Adviser)
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 |