| Content Note | Topics covered:
Death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor
Announcement of the death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor, with a note that a wreath had been sent in the name of the Commission and the Secretary had written at once to the Private Secretary to Her Majesty The Queen, recalling His Royal Highness's long association with the Commission and asking that the Commission's sympathy be expressed to the Duchess of Windsor in her bereavement; Resolution to place on record the Commission's profound sorrow on the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor, the Commission's first President from 1917 to 1936, and their sincere sympathy with Her Majesty The Queen, the Duchess of Windsor and the Royal Family in their bereavement, and acknowledgment with gratitude of the unique contribution to the foundation and work of the Commission made by His Royal Highness, both as Prince of Wales and after his accession to the throne.
Birthday Honours List
Announcement that in the Birthday Honours List, Her Majesty The Queen had appointed Mr S T H Grady, Superintendent of the Eastern Mediterranean Area in Athens, to be OBE, and Mr P H Dawson, Head Gardener at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, had been awarded the BEM.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 508th Meeting
Including an update on the New Head Office Building in Maidenhead and Reorganisation; Update on Pakistan's Membership of the Commission; Update on Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya and Proposed Commonwealth-Libyan War Graves Agreement.
Adoption of the Report of the 550th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Including the proposal that the regional office in New Delhi be closed, and a proposal to construct a memorial feature in Swakopmund Municipal Cemetery in South-West Africa.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members
Commonwealth-German-French Joint Committee:
His Excellency Mr R L Harry CBE (Australian Ambassador in Bonn)
Vortragender Legationsrat I Klasse Herr Konrad Gracher (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Ministerialdirigent Herr Gerhard Attenberger (Federal Ministry for Youth, Family and Health)
Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee:
Dott Mario Giacobini (Ministry of Public Works)
Ceylon Agency of the Commission
Proposal that the title of the Ceylon Agency be changed to Sri Lanka Agency.
Unmaintainable Graves – Australia
Confirmation of the action taken by the Anzac Agency for the Pacific Region in commemorating in the Gardens of Remembrance of the States of Australia 1,978 dead of both wars buried in graves considered un-maintainable in civil cemeteries in Australia, as detailed in the list laid before the Meeting and signed by the Secretary on each page for identification.
Graves not Within the Commission’s Control – United Kingdom
Approval of the classification as not within the Commission's control of the 231 war graves enumerated in Supplementary List No 3 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: Gateshead (St. Edmund) Churchyard, County Durham
Approval of the proposal to commemorate one Commonwealth war burial of the 1939-1945 War in Gateshead (St Edmund) Churchyard, County Durham on the new Screen Wall to be built in Gateshead (Saltwell) Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Harrow Weald (All Saints) Churchyard Extension, Middlesex
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 4 Commonwealth war burials of the 1914-1918 War in Harrow Weald (All Saints) Churchyard Extension, Middlesex on special memorial headstones, with a small commemorative stone, to be erected within the plot of 1939-1945 War graves in Wembley (Alperton) Burial Ground.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom, Dudley (St. James) Church yard Extension, Worcestershire
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 2 Commonwealth war burials, one of the 1914-1918 War and one of the 1939-1945 War, in Dudley (St James) Churchyard Extension, Worcestershire by the erection of special memorial headstones in the group of 1939-1945 War graves in Dudley Borough Cemetery.
United Kingdom: King’s Cross (St. Paul) Churchyard, Halifax, Yorkshire
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 5 Commonwealth war burials of the 1914-1918 War in King Cross (St Paul) Churchyard, Halifax, Yorkshire by the erection of special memorial headstones in the same churchyard.
Execution of Documents
Approval and confirmation of the action for the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents, Serial Nos Part I 438 to 446 and Part 11 80, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser and Solicitor.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952) – Amendments to the Rules
Agreement to Amendments to the Rules of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952).
Gallipoli Peninsula – proposed Turkish Memorial Park
Update and background information on proposed Turkish Memorial Park on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Report on Fifth Meeting of the Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee
Reports from Regions, Areas and Agencies: Quarter Ended 31 March 1972.
Refers to reports of vandalism at Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq; also refers to paths and surrounds to Malta Memorial.
General Notes
Icluding a note that Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Dukeof Edinburgh had visited another war cemetery at St Sever Cemetery and Extension, Rouen, that Her Majesty Queen Juliana of The Netherlands had visited the Netherlands Field of Honour in the City of Westminster (Paddington) Cemetery at Mill Hill and, that the President, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, had visited the Commonwealth War Graves Plot in Copenhagen (Bispebjerg) Cemetery; Report from Sir Robert Black on his visits to Florence and Arezzo; Report from Sir John Winnifrith on his visit to the Netherlands; Report from Admiral Twiss on his visit to cemeteries in Italy; Report from Mr Wallace on his visit to Arnhem; Report from Colonel Black that during his holiday in Canada he had taken the opportunity to visit the Halifax Memorial and the Charlottestown Cemetery, where there had been a great improvement, and the previous week he and his wife had had the privilege of visiting the Canadian Memorials in France and Belgium, all of which had been in excellent condition; Report from Sir George Taylor on his fortnight's inspection of the cemeteries in Algeria, Tunisia and Southern Italy under the guidance of the Chief Horticultural Officer and his very efficient staff.
Other Business
Including an update on un-maintainable war graves in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where Commonwealth graves of the 1914-1918 War in isolated cemeteries had been found to be neglected and, after discussion about the difficulty of future maintenance, preliminary arrangements were now being made for the concentration of 16 remains of war casualties from 12 sites into Colombo (Liveramentu) Cemetery; Report on a threat to Cairo War Memorial Cemetery and to Cairo New British Protestant Cemetery which was maintained by the Commission on behalf of the United Kingdom Government, both of these cemeteries being administered as a single site within one boundary wall.
Reminder to Members that the next meeting of the Commission would be held on Thursday 28 September at 11 am.
Proposal for a visit to the New Head Office at Maidenhead on Tuesday 10 October 1972.
ATTENDEES::Air Chief Marshall 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)Major-General Amreek Singh (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE
Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
Sir John Winnifrith KCB
Admiral Sir Frank Twiss KCB DSC
Mr G.D. Wallace MP
General Sir Noel Thomas KCB DSO MC
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)
Sir George Taylor DSc FRS FRSE FLS VMH (Honorary Botanical Adviser)
There were also present:
Mr P.H.M. Swan (Assistant Secretary, Director of External Relations & Records)
Mr A.K. Pallot CMG (Assistant Secretary, Director of Finance & Establishments)
Mr W.H. Dukes (Director of Works)
Mr P.R. Matthew BA (Legal Adviser & Solicitor)
Mr W.F.W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort) FLS (Chief Horticultural Officer)
Mr A.S. Laing (Deputy Establishment Officer)
Mr W.F. Cole MBE (Chief Records Officer)
Mr R.J. Dalley BA |