| Description | File of correspondence concerning the grave of Colonel Frederick John Stewart Cleeve in Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Greece, and the permanent memorial erected by his comrades over the grave. Main topics include correspondence regarding the registration and marking of Cleeve’s grave in the Anglo-French Military Cemetery, Lembet Road, Salonika, and the next of kin’s request for a photograph of the grave. Correspondence with casualty’s brother querying whether the Commission would remove the permanent memorial (a white marble cross on a base) with further confirmation that it had fallen into disrepair in 1924 and would be replaced with a Commission headstone. Further correspondence regarding the Commission’s decision to remove the permanent memorial and replace with a Commission headstone. Correspondence regarding Deputy Director of Works’ report about the marble cross being damaged and subsequently repaired with response from Principal Assistant Secretary advising the Deputy Director that it was not the Commission’s policy to repair private memorials and to refrain from doing so again in future. |
| Content Note | Includes: Handwritten letter from casualty’s sister requesting for a photograph of the grave and explaining that Colonel Cleve died of dysentery on 13 October 1916 in No. 29 General Hospital, Salonika, dated 28 October 1916. Handwritten letter from casualty’s brother advising that the removal of the permanent memorial erected by Colonel Cleeve’s comrades would be resented by their sister, dated 5 April 1921. Note recording enquiry from Director of Works with reply from Enquiries branch providing description of the permanent memorial to Colonel Cleeve and the wording of the inscription on it, dated 27 July 1921. Note recording enquiry from Director of Works with reply from Enquiries branch providing description of the condition of the permanent memorial to Colonel Cleeve and recommendations to replace it with a Commission headstone as it was deemed impossible to repair the existing memorial, dated 3 May 1924. Handwritten letter from casualty’s brother querying if the War Office had issued any orders or instructions to the Commission for the destruction or demolition of regimental or private memorials erected prior to the Armistice, dated 24 June 1924. Response from the Commission explaining that the memorial to Colonel Cleeve had disintegrated due to bad weather and would be impossible to repair, hence the replacement with a Commission headstone, undated. Handwritten letter from casualty’s brother regarding Commission’s response and the removal of the damaged permanent memorial erected over Colonel Cleeve’s grave, 20 July 1924. Handwritten letter from casualty’s brother expressing his refusal to accept the Commission’s reasoning and stating to bring legal action against the Commission, dated 22 August 1924. Two black and white photographic prints and two negatives of the white marble cross originally erected over Cleeve’s grave, undated. Copy letter from A.F. Menzies, Deputy Director of Works, Macedonia, explaining that “Vardar” winds had blown the marble cross over and had subsequently broken into several pieces and was repaired, 10 October 1924. |
| Cemetery_Name | SALONIKA (LEMBET ROAD) MILITARY CEMETERY |