| Content Note | Topics covered:
Sir Denis Blundell
Note that the Chairman and Secretary had visited the retiring High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir Denis Blundell who had been appointed Governor-General of New Zealand to thank him for his services to the Commission.
Monsieur Jacques de Beaumarchais
Note that the Secretary and Director of External Relations had paid a courtesy call on Monsieur Jacques de Beaumarchais, who had succeeded Monsieur Geoffroy de Courcel as French Ambassador in London.
Mr Herman Hoetzen
Announcement of the death of Mr Herman Goetzen CBE, one of the founders and former Chairman of the Netherlands War Graves Committee and a member of the Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee from 1952 - 1969.
Letter from New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs
Presentation of a letter sent to the Chairman from the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sir Keith Holyoake, to put on record New Zealand's appreciation of the Commission and its staff for the service they render in maintaining the graves of the members of the forces of the Commonwealth and Empire who died in two World Wars.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 509th Meeting
Including a note that the Queen and the Duchess of Windsor had been sent copies of the Resolution approved at the last meeting on the Death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor, and that Her Majesty had thanked the Commission for their expression of sympathy; update on the new Head Office Building in Maidenhead and Reorganisation; update on Pakistan's Membership of the Commission; update on Tripoli War Cemetery and Proposed Commonwealth-Libyan War Graves Agreement; update on change of title of the Ceylon Agency to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Agency; update on proposed Turkish Memorial Park on the Gallipoli Peninsula; update on Cairo War Memorial Cemetery.
Adoption of the Report of the 551st Meeting of the Finance Committee
Including the proposal to build two semi-detached cottages at Brookwood, and an update on maintenance work at the Thiepval Memorial.
53rd Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Commission (CM11/23)
Approval of the 53rd Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of the Commission for the year ended 31 March 1972.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members
Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee:
His Excellency Monsieur Renaat vans Elslande (Minister of the Interior)
Monsieur R Fourdin (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Commonwealth-German-French Joint Committee:
His Excellency Sir Nicholas Henderson KCMG (British Ambassador in Bonn)
Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee:
Mr M Funakoshi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Mr M Kurihara (Yokohama City Government)
Mr T Kazoe (Ministry of Finance)
Mr S H Heeney (First Secretary, Canadian Embassy, Tokyo)
Unmaintainable Graves, France Area: Feugarolles (Limon) Communal Cemetery, France
Approval of the proposal to commemorate one Commonwealth war burial of the 1939-1945 War in Feugarolles (Limon) Communal Cemetery, France on a special memorial headstone to be erected in Pornic War Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom, Chesterton (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Staffordshire
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 8 Commonwealth war burials of the 1914-1918 War in Chesterton (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Staffordshire on a small memorial bearing an explanatory inscription, to be erected in the same churchyard near the north-east corner of the church.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: Holt (St. Martin) Churchyard, Worcestershire
Approval of the proposal to commemorate two Commonwealth war burials, one of the 1914-1918 War and one of the 1939-1945 War, in Holt (St Martin) Churchyard, Worcestershire by the erection of special memorial headstones in the plot of 1939-1945 War graves in Pershore Cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves, United Kingdom: St Minver (St Menefrida) Churchyard, Cornwall
Approval of the proposal to commemorate one Commonwealth War burial of the 1914-1918 War in St Minver (St Menefrida) Churchyard, Cornwall on a special memorial headstone to be erected in the same churchyard, near the west end of the church.
Execution of Documents (CM 210/4/1/LC)
Approval and confirmation of the action for the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents Serial Nos Part I 449 to 456 and Part II 81 to 84, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser and Solicitor.
Reports from Regions, Areas and Agencies: Quarter Ended 30 June 1972 which mentioned numerous ceremonies in and visits to the Commissions cemeteries and memorials, as well as noting progress in the toxic wash and roadside direction sign programmes.
General Notes
Including a note from the Chairman that he had met Mr Laing the Canadian Minister of Veteran's Affairs, and had attended ceremonies at Brookwood, Runnymede and Dieppe War Cemetery that had gone off very well; Report from Admiral Twiss on his visit to France where he had visited a large number of cemeteries, and met a large number of staff; Report from the Secretary on his trip to North West Europe, where he had visited cemeteries in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, and had found the cemeteries maintained by the Commission's own staff had been in very good order; Note from the Chairman that he hoped that all Members would be able to attend the short Gardeners Service in Westminster Abbey at noon on Friday 10th November.
Other Business
Including a report of vandalism at Cork Military Cemetery; Note that Sir Robert Black and Miss Woodgate would be visiting the Netherlands the following month where they would be meeting members of the Commonwealth- Netherlands Joint Committee; Report that the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Mr Edward Heath had visited Japan where although the Prime Minister had not had time to visit Yokohama British Commonwealth War Cemetery, he had asked for information about it and had arranged for a wreath to be laid on his behalf; Confirmation that the long outstanding claim for refund of Turnover Tax (IGE) paid by the Commission on construction contracts in Italy had been settled, and received by the British Embassy and was being passed to the Commission, with the amount being between £15,000 and £16,000.
Reminder to Members that the next Meeting at which the Annual Estimates would be considered, would be held on Tuesday 19 December, with the venue and time of the meeting to be decided after the visit to Maidenhead on 10 October.
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 N.V. Farrell (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)
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
General Sir Noel Thomas KCB DSO MC
SECRETARY:
Mr W.J. Chalmers CBE (Director- General)
ADVISER:
Professor Lord Holford RA FRIBA MTPI DLitt, (Honorary Artistic Adviser)
There were also present:
Mr A.K. Pallot CMG (Assistant Secretary, Director Finance & Establishments)
Mr P.H.M. Swan (Assistant Secretary, Director of External Relations and Records)
Mr P.R. Matthew BA (Legal Adviser & Solicitor)
Mr W.H. Dukes (Director of Works)
Mr W.F.W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort) FLS (Director of Horticulture)
Mr A.S. Laing MVO (Deputy Establishment Officer)
Mr W.F. Cole MBE (Chief Records Officer)
Mr W.J. Symons (Administrator, Overseas Direct Administration Department |