Content Note | Topics covered:
The Chairman welcomed Mr E. Farnon representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand, who was attending a Meeting of the Commission for the first time; Announcement of the retirement of his Excellency Mr C.S.A. Ritchie MA DCL, the High Commissioner for Canada; Announcement that Sir Denis Blundell KBE, High Commissioner for New Zealand would be returning there in September 1972 to succeed to the post of Governor-General.
Announcement of the death of Monsieur Andre Prothin who was the longest-serving member of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee.
Announcement of the death of Monsieur Jean Silvy, who was also a member of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee, Director of Records and Medical Services at the Ministere des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre.
Announcement of the death of Signor Pietro Quaroni MC, who had been an Honorary Member of the Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee while Italian Ambassador in London from 1961 to 1964.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 505th Meeting Including an update on the New Commission Head Office building at Maidenhead, and the sale of properties as part of the Overseas reorganisation.
Adoption of the Report of the 547th Meeting of the Finance Committee Including an update on the proposal to provide a Type A1 Cross of Sacrifice at Gander Cemetery, Newfoundland, an update on the action taken in acquiring plots of land in Canakkale, Turkey to be used to build offices and accommodation for the Local Supervisor, and proposals for revised rates of pay for United Kingdom based non-manual staff and for staff of the Anzac Agency.
52nd Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Commission Approval of the 52nd Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Commission for the year ended 31st March 1971.
Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region Approval of the appointment of the person for the time being holding the office in Australia of Minister of State for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts as the Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region of the Commission in place of the person for the time being holding the office of Minister of State for the Interior.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members. Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee: Monsieur le Dr Gryson (Ministere de la Sante Publique et de la Famille) Commonwealth-French Joint Committee: General d'Armee Aerienne M H Valin KCB General d'Armee Bernard Usureau (Gouverneur Militaire de Paris) Monsieur Louis Longeaux Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee: Vice-Admiral F Kruimink (Flag Officer Personnel, Royal Netherlands Navy) His Excellency Mr R S Chhatari SQS PSS (Pakistan Ambassador, The Hague)
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Nutley (St. Mary) Churchyard, Hampshire Approval of the proposal to commemorate one Commonwealth war burial in Nutley (St Mary) Churchyard, Hampshire on a special memorial headstone, bearing a suitable superscription, to be erected within the plot of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 War graves in Basingstoke (Worting Road) Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Withington (St. Paul) Churchyard, Manchester, Lancashire Approval of the proposal to commemorate two Commonwealth war burials in Withington (St Paul) Churchyard, Manchester, Lancashire by adding a suitable superscription to the Commission headstone now erected against the perimeter wall of the churchyard and by erecting a new special memorial headstone, bearing a suitable superscription, alongside the first headstone.
Confirmation of the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents, Serial Nos Part I 424 & 425 and Part 11 70 to 73, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser and Solicitor.
Proposal that from 1 November 1971 the Area Superintendent for the time being of each of the two Administrative Areas established by the Commission as listed in the Schedule set out is authorised to sign on behalf of the Commission any instrument, deed, act, stipulation, lease, agreement, contract or other document which may require to be executed by the Commission.
Reports from Regions, Areas and Agencies: Quarter Ended 30th June 1971 Including a report of the visits of the Governor-General and Mrs Michener to the Netherlands and Belgium.
General Notes Including a report from the Secretary on his visits to Poland and Czechoslovakia, where the standards of care and public interest in the Commission Cemeteries had impressed him.
Report from the Chairman on his visit to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic with the Regional Director Mr Lloyd and the Area Superintendent, Major Pettigrew;
Report from Sir Robert Black and Admiral Sir Frank Twiss on their visit to Normandy and the Somme Valley in France, with comments about challenges of seasonal conditions for horticultural work and concerns about the future of sites located in industrial areas like La Nord.
Brief discussion about the question of public engagement, particular with young people about the Commission's work, with concerns over the message being distorted through dissemination through the media and the availability of information through maps, directional signs to cemeteries and location notes in cemetery registers.
Note that Mr Wallace had visited Belgium and France, Mr Gardner had visited Belgium, Holland and Germany, and Mr Wylie and Lord Holford had visited cemeteries in Italy.
Note from Sir Robert Black that he had visited the British Cemetery on Corfu.
Note that during her forthcoming visit to Turkey Her Majesty The Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, would spend a day visiting cemeteries and memorials on the Gallipoli Peninsula; Note that the fifth meeting of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee would take place in Paris on 19 October; Note that the annual Gardeners' Service would take place in St George's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, on Friday 12 November at 12 noon.
Other Business, including a report that in Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands where the town had installed a carillon of 27 bells in the nearby church and dedicated it to the memory of the 250 Allied soldiers buried in the war graves plot, a stone tablet bearing a bilingual inscription had been be laid in the kerb at the entrance to the plot, and a small unveiling ceremony would be arranged.
Announcement of the retirement of three senior members of the staff: Brigadier Daniell, Director of Works, would be retiring at the end of October, Colonel Griffin, Regional Director, Northern Region, would be leaving France at the same time, and Mr Simmons, Legal Adviser and Solicitor, would be retiring at the end of March, with the proposal that after the March meeting a luncheon would be given with these gentlemen as guests of honour; The Secretary spoke about Brigadier Daniell's work as Director of Works.
Note of a legacy of £50 from the will of Miss Isabella Reid, which would be placed in the General Fund For The Care and Maintenance Of The Graves Of The Fallen.
Note of the date of the next Meeting of the Commission on Thursday 16 December 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 E. Farnon (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand) Mr P.A. Grobbelaar (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa) Lieutenant-Colonel J. Sikund (Representing the High Commissioner for India) Commodore L.N. Mungavin (Representing the High Commissioner for Pakistan) Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RC Admiral Sir Frank Twiss KCB DSC
SECRETARY Mr W.J. Chalmers CBE (Director-General)
ADVISER Mr Peter A. Scott BSc FlCE (Honorary Consulting Engineer)
There were also present Mr A.K. Pallot CMG (Assistant Secretary, Director of Finance & Establishments) Brigadier K.F. Daniell CBE BA (Director of Works) Mr H.L. Simmons LL B (Legal Adviser & Solicitor) Mr P.N. Dolan (Chief External Relations & Records Officer) Mr A.S. Laing MVO (Deputy Establishment Officer) Mr W.H. Dukes (Deputy Director of Works) Mr R.D. Hogg MBE AHRHS (Senior Horticultural Officer) Mr R.J. Dalley |