IMPERIAL WAR GRAVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20707, 3 May 1929, Page 10

IMPERIAL WAR GRAVES.

COMMISSION’S ANNUAL REPORT. APPOINTMENT OF PERMANENT STAFF. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CEMETERIES. (Fbom Oub Own Cobeespondenx.) LONDON, March 19. Interest in the work of'the Imperial War Graves Commission increases, says Sir Fabian Ware, in the introduction to the ninth annual report. Around the cemeteries and monuments is steadily growing up that feeling of intimate public and individual ownership which is associated with all truly national monuments, and it is the duty of the official organisation responsible for their upkeep and maintenance to serve this public sentiment, and more and more to leave the form of its expression to develop freely and spontaneously. The selection of photographs supplementing the'annual repents have gone some, but a very little, way to meet that demand; it has been to a further extent satisfied by the excellent photographs which have appeared in the press. But now comes the announcement that an illustrated guide to all the cemeteries and memorials in France and Belgium will shortly be published containing reproductions of photographs of each, so that as far as these two countries are concerned it will be possible for relatives to possess* a picture of any particular British cemetery or memorial. The name of this work is “The Silent Cities," by Sidney C. Hurst (Methuen). PERMANENT OFFICIALS. The most important , administrative .work during the past year was the reduction of the large staff, which was for the purpose of construction, to the limits laid down by the participating Governments for a permanent ■stafl to undertake the work of 'maintenance. The permanent staff is nearly complete, "In building up and organising this permanent staff,” Sir Fabian Ware states, " many problems have to he faced, some foreseen, others ionly arising from experience, in particular with regard to the cornemission’s officials . who ' have, to make their homes, often, with their families, in foreign lands; ’. The education of the children has become one of the most pressing of these, and has ;beeu receiving special consideration. . . The hardship incurred by those whose work was finished and who could not be absorbed in the permanent staff., has been very greatly alleviated by the response which employers "here and in :the dominions gave to the appeal which T made on their behalf in the introduction to last year’s report.” In regard to the permanent staff re-., ferred to by Sir Fabian Ware, it is well here to mention the fact that so far New Zealand is not by an officer. All the other dominions have permanent officials —not so New Zealand. ‘ Ever since 1918 the Dominion has been ably represented by Mr, A. W. Mildenhall, first on the'Gallipoli Peninsula and then in France, and it would seem, if New Zealand-is to have its permanent representative on the staff, that this officer’s appointment should be ratified. It remains for the Defence Department in' Wellington to express a wish to this effect. ’ The report is supplemented by an excellent series of photographs.. Among these are pictures of cemeteries in Canada, Tanganyika, Bloemfontein, Tunisia, and Germany. Many of the most important cemeteries in Belgium and France are also illustrated. REDUCTION OF STAFF- . The total personnel employed by the commission (says the report) was on April, 1, 1928, 1209, a's compared with 1493 bn April 1, 1927. This shows areduction of 194 during the year: and. a reduction of 1334 since 1922. Further reductions are taking place- during 'the year ending March 31, 1920. These figures do not include about. ,105 natives. employed in various areas. - ■ ' CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL REGISTERS. During; the ‘ year. 112 ifegister parts were published.' These contain 125,802 names and cover 195 cemeteries. and memorials. The total number of - names in registers printed and published from the commencement of the work to March 31, 1928, is 449.938 contained in 1411 register parts. The interest displayed by the'public in the . cemetery and memorial registers, ■as reflected by the s ales; remained steady. ‘ CEMETERY CONSTRUCTION. During the period April 1, 1927, to March 31, 1928, 230 cemeteries containing 121,680 graves, have been underconstruction, and 124 cemeteries, con--taining 46,448' graves, were completed. The position of constructional work In France and Belgium on March 31, 1928, was:— The number of cemeteries, completed in all respects with headstones erected, 727.Number of cemeteries completed as regards construction, but erection of headstones not completed, 56. Number of communkl cemeteries and churchyards with only a few graves and where headstones have been erected, but where there is no architectural treatment, 772. “Number of headstones shipped to France, 516,274. Number: of headstones erebted, 490,115. Number of headstones in course f-i manufacture, 28,031. Sketch designs approved, 742. . Sets of working drawings completed, 701. NEW ZEALAND. In regard to New Zealand the report states:— The care of war graves in New Zealand has been undertaken by the Dominion Government, and as far as possible, the , policy of the commission ‘is adopted in the treatment of the graves. The total number of war graves de finitely located and recorded as at March 31, 1928, was 2223. These- graves are contained in 351 cemeteries and churchyards spread over the Dominion. All graves, where death is considered to have been due to war service, are accepted as war graves irrespective of the date of death, and during the year 115 such graves were “ adopted ” and marked with wooden crosses pending the carrying out of permanent work. The number of headstones erected to date is 1538. A contract was entered into for the erection of a Cross of Sacrifice in Featherstone Cemetery, the material stipulated being New Zealand Coromandel grey granite. 1,081,952 NAMES REGISTERED. An appendix to the- report mentions that the total number of names registered is 1,081,952. Of the number . 582,783 have been .identified and buried in known graves, while 499,169 are recorded as “ missing.” Of this number, however, 173,213 ate missing only in a technical sense. They have been found but not j identified and are buried as “ unknown.” The names of the “missing” appear on memorials, and they include thpse lying 1 in “ unknown ” graves. I • Of the 39,489 names on memorials in the British , Isles nearly all are those of sailors who perished at sea and whose recovery or identification has been impossible. Every week the dead are still being found in the old battlefields. Sometimes they can be identified, sometimes not, and there- are those who’ went down in ships that are being salved, as in the case of the 40 dead so recently recovered from Submarine L 55.