IMPERIAL WAR-GRAVES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 191, 2 May 1918, Page 4

IMPERIAL WAR-GRAVES

MEETING OF THE COMMISSION,

The second meeting of the Imwrial War Graves Commission was held in London recently. Tho Prince of Wales, President of tho Commission, took the chair, and there woro present the Mil of Derby, Secretary for War (chairman); Mr. Walter Long, M.P.. Secretary for tho Colonies; Lord Islington, Under-Secretary for India; Sir George Perley High Commissioner for Canada; Mr. Andrew Fisher, High Commissioner for Australia-; Sir Thomas Mackenzie, High Commissioner for New /e.ur.iul; Mr W P. Schreiner, High Commissioner for the Union of South Alncni Dr E F S. Green, Newfoundland; bir William Garstin, Mr. Hany Mi. Rudyard Kipling. Admiral Sir Ldmund S. Poe, and Brigadier-General Fabian Waro (vice-chairman). It was announce*! that tho Government had undertaken to bear the cost of laying out, enclosing, planting, and maintining British military cemeteries Xoad, and of providing suitable h«.dstones for tho graves wherever possible. TC commission hod under consideration a report from Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederic Kenyon, Director of tho .British Museum, who had Von appoint'd \dviser to the Commission with reg rd to the laying out and architectural Raiment of cemeteries and who had consulted the representatives of the \.\r ™ hnrcl.es and religions bodies, and had paid special visits to France and Belgium in order to study the local conlo acquaint h.m«W*«2;J| opinion oittw avnws m the &«U\ ™ the SU Sfcj/ief recommcndnlions eonlninrd in tho report were: (a) That he pnncic of equality of treatment laid down fthe o q mmission should be earned on - tho erection over the graves of all officer" and men in the war cemeteries abroad o headstones of uniform size, tin oacl case distinctive as regards tig n of the regiment or other unit t which the officer or man l>c>loiißP*d: (' > hat in addition to the individual headtone. > ore should be in each ease ce.ucry central memorials mscnb 1 »Ui some appropriate phrase or text; <U hat the constructional work in tho cemeteries should be earned out «nde tho cencral supervision of three pnnc 2 architects-Mr. Eeginald BlmnfieM Sir Edwin Lutyens, and Mr. Uoibert B sS r FK!derio Kenyon's propesn's m™ generally approved and.. that wth avcw to arriving at an ac ale estimate of tho cost of cnrmnß out tho recommendations contained n ,"?ne "port. Iho necessary authority uld bo obtained (o proceed, on plan* approved hy> tho three principal uel,iirote with the work of laying out, pnSn ß r ami planting, and the erection o headstones and eon vol memorials in Ureo selected cemeteries ... Irnnco or Belgium which contain the graves of bo 11 British and Dominion soldier*. On C estimate could be based the reeommendation which the commission wo. I, n-,ako as to tho proportion of the ota cost to 1)0 homo by the t.ovcrnnicnts of tho United Kingdom and of the Overseas Dominions. . It was announced that regiments and othor military formations had been asked to send in their own suggestions tor dm design of headstones. These were now being received by the commission, and it. was decided that Mm offer of tlm Directors of tho National Gallery and tho Wallace Collection and Mr. Mac- J donnld Gill to assist in the final soloc- | (ion should lie accepted. Tt was stated j that, some, if not oil. of the Dominions would decide on .•>. heads)on© representing the Dominion rather than individual [ regiments. _ ' A committee was appointed to consider the special question .arising in connection with the graves of Indian soldieM.l