| Content Note | Topics covered:
Sir William Geraghty KCB
Announcement of the retirement of Sir William Geraghty KCB, to be succeeded by Mr Arthur P Hockaday.
Mr R A Howe, Mr M D Richard, and Mr M H Delannoy
Announcement of the deaths of three of the Commission's France Area staff, Mr R A Howe, a British Head Gardener, M D Richard, a Driver and M.H Delannoy, a Gardener.
Chairman of the South African Agency
Announcement of the retirement of Mr Aubrey Howard as Chairman of the South African Agency, to be succeeded by Mr M M du Preez.
Australian Department of Veteran Affairs
Announcement that the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs, would take over responsibility for war graves matters from the Department of Administrative Services.
Matters arising from the Minutes of the 526th Meeting
a) Update on Pakistan's Membership of the Commission.
b) Update on proposed move of Rangoon War Cemetery.
c) Update on status of Head Office air conditioning system.
d) Update on acquisition of land at Brookwood Military Cemetery.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952)
Discussion of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952) valuation as at 31 March 1975.
Amendment of the Rules and Trust Deed of the Superannuation Scheme
Approval of proposals for the Amendment of the Rules and the Trust Deed of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Superannuation Scheme (1952).
Estimates 1977-1978
Approval of the Revised Estimate of Expenditure for the financial year 1976/77 at £6,678,350.
Approval of the Estimate of Expenditure for the financial year 1977/78 at £7,089,675.
Approval of the proposal that Participating Governments should meet expenditure for 1977/78 on the basis of interim revised percentages, approved for use during the years 1975/76 and 1976/77.
Approval of the proposal to transfer the inspection duties of the post of Representative, Singapore, to the Overseas Direct Administration Department, Head Office.
Adoption of the Report of the 568th Meeting of the Finance Committee
Item 5 dealt with maintenance issues at Bourail War Cemetery, New Caledonia.
Item 6 dealt with the next stage of work to reface parts of the Thiepval Memorial as part of the seven-year programme approved by the Commission.
Item 10 referred to the agreement with the unions over revised rates of pay for United Kingdom based manual staff.
Item 11 referred to a pension increase for the few remaining staff still paid directly by the Commission under the old 1926 Superannuation Scheme.
Item 12 reported and sought confirmation for the appointment of Mr R J Dalley to a vacancy as Senior Executive Officer in the Organisation and Audit Department.
The Liverpool Memorial
Proposal that subject to the satisfactory outcome of further representations to Liverpool City Council, the planning applications for the demolition of the existing Liverpool Memorial and the erection of a new Memorial on an alternative site be withdrawn.
Report on the Eighteenth Meeting of the Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee.
Commonwealth-Foreign Joint Committees: Appointment of Members.
Commonwealth-Belgian Joint Committee:
His Excellency Monsieur Robert Vaes KCMG (Belgian Ambassador, London)
Commonwealth-Italian Joint Committee:
His Excellency Sir Alan Campbell KCMG (British Ambassador, Rome)
Dottore Vincenzo Manno (Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Commonwealth-Japanese Joint Committee:
Mr Kuneo Muraoka (Director, Second West-European Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Mr Shoichi Yamamoto (Director, National Property Inspection Division, Ministry of Finance)
Mr J W Given (Second Secretary and Vice-Consul, Australian Embassy, Tokyo)
Commonwealth-Netherlands Joint Committee:
His Excellency Mr S F Rae (Canadian Ambassador, The Hague)
Graves Not Within The Commission’s Control – United Kingdom
Approval of the proposal for the classification as not within the Commission's control of the 60 war graves enumerated in Supplementary List No 12 of war graves in the United Kingdom recommended for classification as "not within the Commission's control".
Unmaintainable Graves – Shildon (St John) Churchyard, Durham
Approval of the proposal to commemorate 9 burials of the 1914-1918 War and 2 of the 1939-1945 War in Shildon (St John) Churchyard, Durham by a single screen wall to be erected 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 535 to 537 and Part 11 127, referred to in the Schedule laid before the Meeting and signed for identification by the Commission's Legal Adviser and Solicitor.
Diary update
Report from Sir John Barraclough on his recent visit to Italy where he had visited seventeen sites. Report from Sir Robert Black on his visit to France Area where he had presented four members of staff with Long Service Certificates and one with a gold watch.
Report that on 11 November The Queen Mother had opened the ‘Remembrance Time’ exhibition in the Chapter House at Westminster.
Comment from the Secretary on his recent tour in the Far East and Australasia, where he reported that while showing the Commission's film 'I Will Make You A Name' to a variety of audiences during his tour he had realised that the relative levels of the narration and the sound effects were wrong.
Report from the Chairman of the favourable reaction from all over the world to the new format of the Commission's Annual Report.
Note from the Chairman that he wished to draw members' attention to a new book called "Before Endeavours Fade - A Guide to the Battlefields of the First World War", written by Miss Rose Coombs, Special Collections Officer of the Imperial War Museum.
Other Business
Update on the proposed replacement of the ruined Port Tewfik Memorial, Egypt.
Announcement that Mr Sterban was attending his last meeting as representative of the South African Ambassador.
The meeting concluded with the playing of a tape recording of the Remembrance Day broadcast by Gabriel Woolf.
Attendees:
General Sir Noel Thomas KCB DSO MC (Vice-Chairman of the Commission), in the Chair
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)
Mr J.M. Sterban (Representing the Ambassador of South Africa)
Brigadier J.M. Vohra (Representing the High Commissioner for India)
Sir Robert Black GCMG OBE
Miss Joan Woodgate CBE RRC
Admiral Sir Frank Twiss KCB DSC
Mr Edward Gardner QC MP
The Lord Wallace of Coslany
Air Chief Marshal 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. H. Westland MIPM (Establishment Officer)
Mr P. J. Cook (Chief Finance Officer)
Mr W.J. Symons (Administrator, Overseas Direct Administration)
Mr D. L. Ayers (Secretariat) |