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The Chairman welcomed Mr Paul Cotton, representative of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, who was attending a Commission Meeting for the first time.
Matters arising from the 488th Meetings of the Commission Report on the return of staff and their families to the Middle East and the partial resumption of the Commission’s work, and details about the condition of war cemeteries, including Deir-el-Belah War Cemetery and Kantara War Cemetery; report on the appeal made by Field Marshal Montgomery to President Nasser not to remove Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery and Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery; report on the completion of construction at Ambon War Cemetery; account of the joint British, Canadian and French ceremonies held in Dieppe to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid; comments regarding the photographic exhibition of the Commission’s work at the Imperial War Museum; account of the Director-General’s visit to Entebbe, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Rhodesia to inspect cemeteries and memorial, meet with local authorities and discuss the issue of Dar-es-Salaam (Ocean Road) War Cemetery; account of the Vice-Chairman’s visit to the Arras and Estaires Areas, Luxembourg and the South Western Area of the United Kingdom Region; letter from the German War Graves Organisation in connection with the inauguration of the Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery.
Report of the 530th Meeting of the Finance Committee Appointment of two members of staff to the Permanent Maintenance Staff; details of expenditure on the production of Commission Manuals; expenditure on central heating installation and structural alterations and redecoration at the Commission’s premises at Ypres; expenditure on the provision of accommodation at Baghdad (North Gate) Cemetery, including a Group Caretaker’s Quarters; expenditure on the installation of a new pumping system at Knightsbridge War Cemetery; publication of Part 2, Volume VI of “Their Name Liveth”; introduction of revised rates of pay for United Kingdom based manual staff; recommended introduction of a new system for the payment of overseas allowances for United Kingdom based non-manual staff; amendments to the rules of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952); discussion concerning the permanent installation of floodlighting at the Thiepval Memorial, with details about the financial expenses and arrangements for electricity.
48th Annual Report and Accounts of the Commission Submission of the Annual Report and Accounts of the Commission, which consisted of a Summary of Receipts and Payments and Statement of Expenditure for 1966/67; details of expenditure for the Purchase of Property and Construction of Premises in Southern Region, specifically the Area Office and Area Superintendent’s accommodation at Heliopolis; details of the expenditure on General Purposes and Special and Agency Purposes.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees Appointment of Lieutenant-General Aldo Rossi, as Italian Honorary Member and Minister Arrigo Volpe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome, and Dott Guido Spano, Ministry of Public Works, Rome, as Italian Official Members of the Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee; appointment of Miss V. E. Beckett, British Embassy at Copenhagen, as Commonwealth Member of the Commonwealth-Danish Joint Committee.
Amendments to the Rules of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952) in connection with cases where a redundancy payment under the Redundancy Payments Act 1965 was payable to the Commission and the calculation of reckonable service of a member of the Scheme.
Approval of the classification of the 1,732 war graves enumerated in List No. 12 of war graves in the United Kingdom recommended for classification as “not within the Commission’s control”.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Westminster City Cemetery, Ealing Approval of the proposed commemoration of one Commonwealth war burial in Westminster City Cemetery on special memorial headstones, bearing a suitable superscription, that was to be erected adjacent to the First World War Cross of Sacrifice in the same cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Westgate Hill) General Cemetery Approval of the proposed commemoration of 13 Commonwealth war burials in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Westgate Hill) General Cemetery, Northumberland, on a new Screen Wall Memorial that was to be built in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (West Road) Cemetery.
Dar-es-Salaam (Ocean Road) Cemetery, Tanzania Report concerning the proposed removal of Commonwealth and German war graves from Dar-es-Salaam (Ocean Road) Cemetery to a new cemetery at Dar-es-Salaam (Bagamoyo Road) Cemetery, with details of the design by Mr R. N. Seward, Regional Architect, estimated costs relating to the removal of graves and construction of the new cemetery, and granting of a 99-year lease by the Government of Tanzania.
Tamworth General Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia Proposal to regroup 12 Commonwealth Second World War burials from Plot C in Tamworth General Cemetery into Plot H in the same cemetery, and re-siting of the flagpole.
Arrangements for the alternative commemoration of 14 Second World War burials in the African Cemetery at Victoria, which were lost or unmaintainable, and four isolated First World War graves at Mamfe and Maanakang, on memorial headstones that were to be erected at Victoria Botanical Gardens Burial Ground.
Unmaintainable Graves – Cameroon; Buenos Aires (Chacarita) British Cemetery, Argentina Proposal for the regroupment of eight Commonwealth war burials in Buenos Aires (Chacarita) British Cemetery into a new plot that was to be constructed in the same cemetery.
Execution of Documents by the Commission or on its Behalf Discussion as to why the Commission was asked to confirm actions in documents if authorisation had been provided to the responsible officials to sign legal documents on their behalf.
Award of Certificate for Long and Devoted Service to Locally Engaged Staff Discussion concerning the awarding of certificates to locally-engaged staff for long and devoted service to the Commission after 20 years’ or more service.
Reports from United Kingdom, Northern, Southern and Eastern Regions, Canadian Agency and Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region for the Quarter Ended 30th June 1967 Account of visit by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to Bayeux War Cemetery and Memorial; details of Field Marshal Montgomery’s visit to El Alamein War Cemetery and Lady Wortington’s visit to cemeteries in North Africa; account of visit by Mr Andrew Carnwath, Chairman of the Trustees of the Imperial War Graves Endowment Fund, to cemeteries in Hong Kong and Japan.
General Notes Recount of Miss Joan Woodgate’s visit to the South Western Area in the United Kingdom Region and Mr David Griffiths’ tour of sites in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany; account of General Sir John Anderson’s visit to cemeteries and memorials in the Eastern and Pacific Regions; details of forthcoming events, including the Gardeners’ Service at Westminster Abbey and the annual Remembrance Day broadcast.
Arrangements for the 4th Meeting of the Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee.
Other Business The deaths of Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, former Australian Prime Minister and High Commissioner for Australia, Lieutenant-Colonel B. C. G. Shore, former member of the Commission’s Structural Maintenance Advisory Committee and Technical Adviser of Stonework, and Mr O. L. Gill, former Travelling Superintendent Gardener and Horticultural Officer, were reported; announcement that Surgeon Captain McCowen had bequeathed a legacy to the Commission’s General Fund; report that the Commission headstone in Little Chart (St. Mary) Churchyard, which had been destroyed during the Second World War, was permitted to remain in situ; report on the future maintenance of war graves in Aden in lieu of the colony’ forthcoming independence from Britain.
ATTENDEES: Admiral Sir Guy Grantham GCB CBE DSO (Vice-Chairman of the Commission) Colonel Alan Chambers DSO OBE (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada) Mr F. C. Boyle (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia) Mr R. M. Miller (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand) Mr D. S. Preller (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa) Major B. N. Fatya Murti (Representing the High Commissioner for India) Air Marshal Sir Charles Guest KBE CB Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE Mr Verner Wylie Colonel Sir Richard Glyn BART OBE TD DL MP Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
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 |