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The Chairman welcomed Commodore L N Mungavin SK who had succeeded Brigadier Hasan as Head of the Pakistan Military Mission and was representing the High Commissioner at a meeting of the Commission for the first time; The Chairman welcomed Colonel A D Watt, OBE who had succeeded Mr Boyle as representative of the High Commissioner for Australia; The Chairman welcomed Mr P H M Swan, who had succeeded Mr Wynne Mason as Director of External Relations & Records.
Announcement of the death of General Pierre Koenig, a distinguished soldier and patriot, a most active member of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee and a good friend of the Commission.
Announcement of the retirement of Mr David Griffiths and Colonel Sir Richard Glyn Bart OBE TD DL from Parliament and that the Chairman would shortly be submitting to Her Majesty The Queen the names of a Member of Parliament from each of the two main political parties to succeed them as Members of the Commission; The Chairman offered the Commissions congratulations to Mr H D Morgan FCGI MSc (Eng) FICE who had been awarded the Telford Gold Medal by the Institution of Civil Engineers for his design of the Victoria Line tunnel.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 501st Meeting An update on Amendments to the Rules of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952).
Update on Hadra and Chatby War Memorial Cemeteries, Alexandria Mentions a meeting was requested by the United Arab Republic Government to discuss the Commission's estimate.
Adoption of the Report of the 542nd Meeting of the Finance Committee Includes update on the proposed new Head Office Building in Maidenhead, including discussion about the design of the building with a proposal that the Architects' preliminary proposals for the new Head Office be amended to include provision for a high velocity air induction system of air-conditioning and mentions that the type of brick proposed was the same as that used in Churchill College, Cambridge.
Update on the Reorganisation of Northern Region Refers to proposal that the Region should be reorganised into two independent Areas working direct to Head Office - France Area, with headquarters at Arras, responsible for France, Switzerland and Monaco, and North-West Europe Area, with headquarters at Ypres, responsible for Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Germany.
Update on maintenance of stonework Refers to the appointment which had been agreed of a chemical consultant to help with the problem of biological growths on stonework.
Report on events in the Middle East Refers to incident on 29 June when a bomb had been dropped on Suez War Cemetery, killing a locally-engaged gardener, Mr Ahmed Mohamed Kinawi, son of the Head Gardener. Also mentions damage to the living quarters, walling and several headstones. Refers to expulsion on 10 August of Mr P.B.N. Henry, the Commission’s Group Supervisor in Libya.
Approval of the 51st Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Commission Refers to the appointment of Peter Henry Maddison Swan to be an Assistant Secretary to the Commission and a ''Proper Officer'' in succession to Mr Wynne Mason.
Commonwealth- Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee: Secretary-General Mr P.H.M. Swan Commonwealth-French Joint Committee: Secretary-General Mr P.H.M. Swan Commonwealth-German-French Joint Committee: His Excellency M. Jean Sauvagnargues (French Ambassador in Bonn); German Official Member Ministerialrat Dr Hans Kaiser (Bundesministerium der Finanzen); Secretary-General Mr P.H.M. Swan Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee: His Excellency Mr Benjamin Rogers (Canadian Ambassador in Rome); His Excellency Mr M R Booker (Australian Ambassador in Rome); His Excellency Raja J K Atal (Indian Ambassador in Rome); Secretary-General Mr P.H.M. Swan. Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee: Secretary-General Mr P.H.M. Swan.
Graves Not Within The Commission’s Control – United Kingdom Approval of the classification as not within the Commission's control of the 692 war graves enumerated in List No 24 of war graves in the United Kingdom recommended for classification as "not within the Commission's control", submitted by the Secretary and signed by him on each page for identification.
Unmaintainable graves – Hammersmith Old Cemetery, London Approval of the proposal to commemorate 3 Commonwealth war burials in Hammersmith Old Cemetery, London on the 1914-1918 War Screen Wall in the same cemetery.
Unmaintainable graves – Durham (St. Bede’s) Roman Catholic Cemetery, Country Durham Approval of the proposal to commemorate 8 Commonwealth war burials in Durham (St Bede' s) Roman Catholic Cemetery, County Durham on the new Screen Wall to be built in Gateshead (Saltwell) Cemetery.
Unmaintainable graves – cemeteries in the Manchester area Approval of the proposal to commemorate 5 Commonwealth war burials in Bury (Brunswick) United Methodist Cemetery and one Commonwealth war burial in Edgworth Congregational Chapelyard on the new Screen Wall in Manchester Southern Cemetery.
Unmaintainable graves – Cwmbwrla (Babell) Calvinistic Methodist Burial Ground Approval of the proposal to commemorate 2 Commonwealth war burials in Cwmbwrla (Babell) Calvinistic Methodist Burial Ground on the Screen Wall in the 1939-1945 War Graves Plot in Cardiff Western Cemetery.
Execution of documents (CM 210/4/1/LC) Confirmation of the action taken for the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents, Serial Nos Part I 408-411 and Part 11 63, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser & Solicitor.
Reports from Regions, Areas and Agencies: Quarter Ended 30 June 1970, including a report from the Secretary on his visits to South Africa and Canada.
General notes, with a note that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother had visited the war graves at Osmondwall Cemetery, Hoy; Report from the Chairman on his visit to Belgium and France, and the South Western Area of the United Kingdom Region.
The Members attention was drawn to the Gardeners Service to be held in St George's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, at 12 noon on Friday 6 November.
Other Business, including a note of a bequest to the Commission in the Will of the late Miss E D Hampton of Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, who had lost a brother in the 1914-1918 War.
Note of the date of the next meeting of the Commission to be held on Thursday 17 December at 11 a.m. when, the Annual Estimates of Expenditure would be considered.
ATTENDEES: Air Chief Marshal Sir Walter Cheshire GBE KCB (Vice-Chairman of the Commission), in the Chair Colonel C.F. Black CD (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada) Colonel A.D. Watt OBE (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia) Mr R.M. Miller (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand) Mr P.H. Viljoen (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa) Major-General R.K. Batra (Representing the High Commissioner for India) Commodore L.N. Mungavin SK (Representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan) Mr J.W.T. Pritchard (Representing the Minister of Public Building and Works) General Sir John Anderson GBE KCB DSO Mr Verner Wylie Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
SECRETARY Mr W.J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISERS Professor Lord Holford RA FRIBA MTPI DLitt (Honorary Artistic Adviser) Mr H.D. Morgan FCGI MSc (Eng) FICE (Honorary Consulting Engineer)
There were also present: Mr A.K. Pallot CMG (Assistant Secretary, Director of Finance & Establishments) Mr P.H.M. Swan (Director of External Relations & Records) Brigadier K.F. Daniell CBE BA (Director of Works) Mr H.L. Simmons LL B (Legal Adviser &Solicitor) Mr W.F.W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort) FLS (Chief Horticultural Officer) Mr P.N. Dolan (Chief External Relations & Records Officer) Mr A.S. Laing MVO (Deputy Establishment Officer (P)) Mr R.J. Dalley |