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The Chairman welcomed Mr Doyle, representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand, and Colonel Gupta, representing the High Commissioner for India, both of whom were attending a meeting of the Commission for the first time.
The Chairman welcomed Mr Peter A. Scott BSc FICE who had been appointed the Commission's Honorary Consulting Engineer; Announcement that the Honourable Ralph J. Hunt MP had succeeded the Honourable Peter J Nixon as Australia's Minister for the Interior and as Head of the Commission's Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region.
New Year and Birthday Honours Lists
Announcement that in the New Year and Birthday Honours Lists Her Majesty The Queen had been pleased to appoint two members of the Commission's staff to be MBE: Mr William Beevis, Higher Executive Officer responsible for superannuation in the Establishment Department at Head Office had been appointed in the New Year Honours List, and Mr Roland French, Area Superintendent , formerly of Italy Area and now of Central Area, United Kingdom Region, had been appointed in the Birthday Honours List.
Major Dan Cilliers
Announcement of the death of Major Dan Cilliers who had been Secretary of the Commission's South African Agency from 1959 to 1968; Announcement of the death of The Honourable H.P. MacKeen CD QC LLD DCL, former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 504th Meeting
Including an update on the Rangoon War Cemetery, Burma.
Adoption of the Reports of the 545th (Special) and 546th Meetings of the Finance Committee
Including updates on the new Head Office Project, maintenance work at the Thiepval Memorial and appointment of a new Director of Works.
Honorary Consulting Engineer to the Commission
Appointment of Peter A. Scott Esq BSc FICE as Honorary Consulting Engineer to the Commission.
Graves not within the Commission’s Control – United Kingdom
Approval of the classification as not within the Commission's control of the 129 war graves enumerated in Supplementary List No 1 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, United Kingdom: Whitehaven Cemetery, Cumberland
Approval of the proposal to commemorate four Commonwealth war burials in Whitehaven Cemetery, Cumberland by re-erecting the headstones, with suitable superscriptions, near the Cross of Sacrifice in the same cemetery.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members.
Commonwealth-Danish Joint Committee:
Mr R N Dales (British Embassy, Copenhagen)
Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee:
Mr S Imanishi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Mr K Takahashi (Ministry of Finance)
Mr M Kurihara (Yokohama City Government)
Mr R S MacLean (Canadian Embassy, Tokyo)
Mr C G Lewis (Australian Embassy, Tokyo)
Mr T P Sreenivasan (Indian Embassy, Tokyo)
Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee:
His Excellency Baron WJ G Gevers CVO (Netherlands Ambassador, London)
Commonwealth-Thai Joint Committee:
Mr Thawatt Mokarapong (Chief, Information & Foreign Affairs Division, Ministry of the Interior)
The Honourable Wongse Chawbichien (Governor of Kanchanaburi)
Execution of Documents
Approval and Confirmation of the action taken for the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents, Serial Nos Part I 421 to 423, which included the contract for the construction of the new Head Office building in Maidenhead, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser & Solicitor.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952): Amendments to the Rules
Authorisation for the Trustees of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952) to make Amendments to the Rules of the Scheme.
Reports from Regions, Areas and Agencies: Quarter Ended 31 March 1971.
General Notes
Including a report from Lord Holford on his visits to Salerno and Cassino; Report from Mr Wallace on his visit to Malta; Report from the Chairman on his visits to Turkey and Greece, which included the cemeteries in Macedonia and on the Gallipoli Peninsula and also the Crimean cemetery at Baidar Pasha; Report from Colonel Black that when the Governor-General of Canada had visited the Netherlands he had been most impressed by the co-operation extended by the Commission's staff and in particular Mr Wall; Note that the Canadian Ministers of External Affairs and of Transport had recently visited a number of cemeteries and memorials, and had been impressed by the standard of maintenance.
Other Business
Including a report from the Chairman on vandalism at Copenhagen (Bispebjerg) Cemetery.
Note of the date of the next meeting as Thursday 30 September at 11 am.
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 A.C. Doyle (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
Mr P.A. Grobbelaar (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa)
Colonel D.N. Gupta (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Mr J.W.T. Pritchard (Representing the Minister for Housing and Construction)
Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE
Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
Sir John Winnifrith KCB
Admiral Sir Frank Twiss KCB DSC
Mr Edward Gardner QC MP
Mr G.D. Wallace MP
SECRETARY
Mr W.J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISERS
Professor Lord Holford RA FRIBA MTPI DLitt (Honorary Artistic Adviser)
Mr Peter A. Scott BSc FICE (Honorary Consulting Engineer)
There were also present
Mr P.H.M. Swan (Assistant Secretary, 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 A.S. Laing MVO (Deputy Establishment Officer)
Mr R.J. Dalley |