| Content Note | Topics covered:
Mr F.C. Murray
The Chairman welcomed Mr Murray who was representing the High Commissioner for Australia for the first time.
Mr H. Watt
Announcement that Mr Watt had returned to New Zealand after just over a year as High Commissioner for New Zealand and a Member of the Commission, and that he was to be succeeded by Mr Douglas Carter.
Birthday Honours
Announcement of the appointment of Sir William Geraghty to KCB.
Announcement of the appointment of Mr Reginald Freeson, Minister for Housing as a member of the Privy Council.
Mr A. Morcel
Announcement that Mr Alfred Morcel, a Gardener/Caretaker with the Bayeux Mobile Group, had been made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.
Matters Arising from the Minutes of the 524th Meeting
a) Update on Pakistan's Membership of the Commission.
b) Update on the request for extra land at Rangoon War Cemetery.
c) Update on proposed Economy Measures.
d) Announcement that General Grieve had formerly accepted the appointment of Secretary-General, Canadian Agency.
Adoption of the Report of the 566th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Item 2 concerned maintenance at Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial.
Item 3 dealt with the contract for the supply of Botticino headstones.
Item 4 concerned structural maintenance at the Menin Gate Memorial by directly employed labour.
Item 5 dealt with a pay award to United Kingdom-based staff in line with a pay award to the United Kingdom Civil Service.
President’s Visit To France
Report of the President's visit to France, with comments that it had been very successful and achieved much in terms of staff morale and Commonwealth-French relations.
The Liverpool Naval Memorial
Approval of the proposal to dismantle the existing Liverpool Naval Memorial and approval of the sketch design by Mr D Baber ARIBA (drawing No UK 1729A/7A) for a new Liverpool Naval Memorial.
Commonwealth- Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members
Commonwealth-French Joint Committee:
Monsieur Claude Hettier de Boislambert (Grand Chancelier de l'Ordre de la Liberation)
Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee:
Her Excellency Mrs Rukmini Menon (Indian Ambassador, Rome)
Sixth Meeting of the Commonwealth-French Joint Committee
Report of the Sixth Meeting of the Commonwealth- French Joint Committee (for 3/5/1), with comments about the meeting’s success.
Graves Not Within The Commission’s Control – United Kingdom
Approval of the Classification as not within the Commission's control of the 76 war graves enumerated in Supplementary List No 11 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 for identification.
Unmaintainable Graves – Bristol (Arnos Vale) Cemetery
Approval of the proposal to commemorate one burial of the 1914-1918 War in Bristol (Arnos Vale) Cemetery, by the erection of a special memorial headstone in the Service Plot in the same cemetery.
Unmaintainable Graves – Gillingham (All Saints) Churchyard, Norfolk
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 1 burial of the 1939-1945 War in Gillingham (All Saints) Churchyard, Norfolk by the erection of a special memorial headstone in St Mary' s Churchyard.
Unmaintainable Graves – Chesterfield (Christ Church) Churchyard, Derbyshire
Approval of the proposal to commemorate one burial of the 1914-1918 War in Chesterfield (Christ Church) Churchyard, Derbyshire by the erection of a special memorial headstone in the same churchyard.
Execution Of Documents
Confirmation of the action for the execution by the Commission or on its behalf of the documents, Serial Nos Part I 526 to 530 and Part II 125 and 126, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser and Solicitor.
Yokohama War Cemetery – Boundary Realignment
Update on Yokohama War Cemetery Boundary Realignment, concerning a paper which referred to the surrender of a small portion of land required in connection with construction of a new motorway which would run parallel to the east boundary of the cemetery in a deep cutting, thus having little effect on the peace and quiet of the cemetery.
Jerusalem War Cemetery
Update on scenic preservation at Jerusalem War Cemetery, with summary of the historical background of political situation and comments that interesting historical documents from the 1920s and 1930s were presented at the meeting.
Title of Area Superintendent
Update on title of Area Superintendent, which was to bring Areas abroad in line with the United Kingdom.
Diary update
Report from the Chairman on his visit to Ypres.
Report from Sir John Winnifirth on his visit to Crete and the Suda Bay War Cemetery, and the Department of the Environment's cemetery at Heraklion.
Report from Sir John Barraclough on issues found on visits to Belgrade War Cemetery, Durnbach War Cemetery, Milan War Cemetery, and the Soviet War Cemetery in East Berlin.
Discussion on the increasing interest in visiting the War Cemeteries in various locations.
Report from Sir John Barraclough on the Annual Ceremony at the Runnymede Memorial.
Report from Miss Woodgate on her recent tour in South East England visiting sites where there were maintenance problems.
Report from the Secretary about his visit to Israel and the cemeteries in the Gaza Strip, and an update on staff in Lebanon.
Showing of the new Commission film 'I Will Make You A Name' at the end of the meeting.
Attendees:
General Sir Noel Thomas KCB DSO MC (Vice-Chairman of the Commission) in the Chair
Sir William Geraghty KCB (Representing the Secretary of State for Defence)
Mr R.H. Noyes Roberts (Representing the High Commissioner for Canada)
Mr F.C. Murray (Representing the High Commissioner for Australia)
Mr D.B.G. McLean (Representing the High Commissioner for New Zealand)
Brigadier J.M. Vohra SM (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Mr P.C. Aggleton (Representing the Minister for Housing and Construction)
Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE
Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
Sir John Winnifrith KCB
Air Chief Marshall Sir John Barraclough KCB CBE DFC AFC
SECRETARY:
Mr A.K. Pallot CMG (Director-General)
ADVISER:
Mr P.A. Scott BSc FICE (Honorary Consulting Engineer)
There were also present:
Mr A.S. Laing MVO (Assistant Secretary, Assistant Director-General (Secretariat))
Mr J. Saynor (Assistant Secretary, Assistant Director-General (Administration))
Mr P.R. Matthew BA (Assistant Secretary, Legal Adviser and Solicitor)
Mr W.H. Dukes (Director of Works)
Mr W.F.W. Harding OBE BSc (Hort) FLS (Director of Horticulture)
Mr P.H.M. Swan (Director of External Relations)
Mr S.G. Campbell MC (Director of Information Services)
Mr W.J. Symons (Administrator, Overseas Direct Administration)
Mr D.L. Ayers (Secretariat) |