Sessional_Paper_1946 — Page 95

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Hong Kong, 19th November, 1946.

Your Excellency,

HONG KONG WAR MEMORIAL COMMITTEE.

I have the honour to forward herewith the report and recommendations of the Committee formed by Your Excellency at the end of July to make recommendations as to (a) the form which such memorial might take, and (b) the manner in which the cost should be defrayed. It was intimated to Committee that the memorial should be a general memorial of a nature to benefit the community as a whole and so to serve as a memorial to the dead (both civilian and services) of all the races of the community who died through enemy action or as the result of hardship suffered by the occupation.

The memorial was not necessarily to take the form of a monument.

2. The composition of the Committee as finally set up was as follows:

His Honour Mr. Justice E. H. Williams (Chairman).

The Right Reverend Bishop Hall.

The Honourable M. K. Lo, C.B.E.

The Honourable Leo d'Almada e Castro,

The Honourable T. N. Chau, C.B.E.

Dr. the Honourable S. N. Chau.

The Honourable R. D. Gillespie.

Commodore D. H. Everett, C.B.E., D.S.O., R.N.

Colonel H. M. Whitcombe, Royal Engineers.

Wing Commander A. G. Parnall, Royal Air Force

Commander R. J. Vernall, R.N.V.R.

Lieutenant Commander B. J. B. Morahan, H.K.R.N.V.R.

Lieutenant Colonel E. J. R. Mitchell, o.B.E., E.D., H.K.V.D.C.

Captain R. Smith.

Mr. J. H. Ruttonjee.

Mr. G. A. Pentreath.

Mr. D. H. Blake.

Mr. E. C. Fincher.

Mr. John Pau, B.E.M.

Mr. H. J. Tebbutt.

3. The Committee held three meetings and copies of the minutes of these meetings are appended. (Enclosures 1, 2 and 3).

4. (i) At the first meeting the attention of members was drawn to the Hong Kong War Services Assistance Fund.

(ii) The feeling at that time was that it might be possible to contribute towards that fund and at the same time decide on some more concrete form of memorial which would benefit those who were not included in the scope of the War Service Assistance Fund. Accordingly various suggestions on these lines were made by members.

(iii) It was early realised that anything in the shape of a hospital or City Hall would require the collection of a fund running into millions of dollars.

(iv) At this first meeting it was decided to make enquiries and collect figures to be available for the next meeting regarding the cost of the War Memorial Hospital and to receive estimates for the erection of other possible memorials such as health centres, swimming pools, etc. It was also agreed that the public should be invited to send in suggestions to the Committee. It will be seen from the minutes of the first meeting that members differed widely in their estimates as to the amount which might be raised by public subscription, the sum varying from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000.