Minutes of the AGM of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group on
Wednesday 19 July 2017




Presentation by Mr Roger Hoefling relating to the role of the Mercantile Marine in the Great War, and the importance of the GWGC Memorial to the Service at Tower Hill





Minutes of the AGM of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group on
Wednesday 26 October 2016



Presentation by Colin Kerr, director of external relations at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, relating to the Living Memories project, the ‘Forgotten Fronts’, and the CWGC’s plans for 2017.

Also covered were the commemoration of the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Somme in 2016.




Minutes of the Meeting of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group on
Tuesday 20 October 2015



Notice of next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group
Tuesday 20 October 2015 in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House at 5.15 pm



The Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP will report on the Government’s Great War Centenary Programme

Lord Soley will update the Meeting on fund raising for the erection of a monument to Mary Seacole

Dr Philip Weir will report on the attempts to save the WW2 convoy escort ship HMS Whimbrel for the nation.

All MPs and peers are welcome to attend.


Read the Minutes of AGM on 16 June 2015.


Read the Minutes of meeting on 3 February 2015.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Question for short debate



22 June 2015: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

   Read the Hansard report of the debate.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester and Robin Walker, MP for Worcester, visit war graves and memorials around Worcester on Friday June 20th, 2014



The visit was part of a country-wide initiative (see entry of 27 November 2013 below) taken by the War Heritage Parliamentary All-Party Parliamentary Group, with the CWGC and the “In from the Cold” voluntary organisation to map war graves in each parliamentary constituency in the UK. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains war graves at battlefields around the world from the Somme to Alamein, Gallipoli to Normandy and Monte Cassino to Ypres but also graves all over the UK for the soldiers, sailors and airmen whose lives were lost in military hospitals or at home due to the injuries sustained in battle.

   Read the text of the article in Worcester News



Notice of next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group
Wednesday 9 July 2014 in Committee Room 3A, House of Lords at 4.00 pm



The Annual General Meeting of the All Party War Heritage Group will be held on Wednesday 9 July 2014, in Committee Room 3A, House of Lords at 4.00 pm.
This will be followed by an update on activities associated with the centenary of the Great War. There will be an overview of the work carried out in time for the re-opening of the Imperial War Museum London ten days later, on 19 July 2014, and of the ‘Lives of the Great War’ project.

We will hear from The Woodland Trust about its First World War planting project, and Liz Woodfield (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) will describe developments following the launch of the Mapping of War Graves in Constituencies project earlier in the year.

All MPs and peers are welcome to attend.

   Read the minutes of the meeting.

NOTICE OF MEETING: Wednesday 26 March
    NB change of time & venue
11.30am-13.00 pm in Committee Room 14



Following the launch of the initiative to map out the location of war graves in constituencies, the next meeting of the War Heritage APPG is an opportunity to meet Deirdre Mills, Commonwealth War Graves Commission UK Area Director, who will describe the arrangements for MPs and peers to visit war graves in their local areas.  

Colin Kerr, the Commission's Lead 14/18 Director, will be present to discuss the Commission's overall 14/18 plans

All are welcome to attend

19 December 2013
Government announces £5 million funding to preserve war memorials

New funding of £5 million that will help conserve, repair and protect First World War memorials and burial sites across the UK and overseas where British and Commonwealth servicemen and women are buried, was announced during a visit to Ypres on 19 December 2013 by the Prime Minister.

   Read full news release

5 December 2013
MEETING OF THE WAR HERITAGE APPG

Dr Andrew Murrison MP (Minister for International Security Strategy & the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Centenary Commemoration of the First World War) attended the meeting to update members on Government plans for the First World War Centenary.

   Read the minutes of the meeting.

27 November 2013
CWGC invitation to MPs and peers to visit Commonwealth War Graves in the UK

Further to the email of 4 November sent to all MPs and peers, the CWGC have asked whether parliamentarians would be interested in visiting local cemeteries with Commission staff.
If the uptake is high, then the CWGC would be happy to arrange centralised/regionalised briefings by their UK area director followed by individual visits with regional supervisors or members of the UK management team.

Read more details in the email of 27 November


Notice of next meeting of the All Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group
Thursday 5 December 2013 in Committee Room 3, House of Lords at 4.00 pm

The next meeting of the All Party War Heritage Group will be held on 5 December 2013, in Committee Room 3, House of Lords at 4.00 pm.

Helen Grant MP (Minister for Sport & Tourism) and Dr Andrew Murrison MP (Minister for International Security Strategy & the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Centenary Commemoration of the First World War) will attend to discuss the Government’s approach to, and plans for, the centenary of the Great War in 2014–18.

All MPs and peers are welcome to attend.

Details of the Government’s Centenary Programme can be found in advance of the meeting at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/first-world-war-centenary

6 November 2013
PRESS COMMENT ON CWGC INITIATIVE

Some media coverage from yesterday's launch of the CWGC's initiative to raise awareness to the many war graves in the United Kingdom

Campaign for Britain's overlooked war graves in the Daily Telegraph

Calls to maintain war memorials - David Woods reports in this video clip from ITV news     » » » » » »


4 November 2013
COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION INITIATIVE

Following a request from the War Heritage APPG, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, in association with the In From the Cold Project, has initiated a project to identify those cemeteries within parliamentary constituencies that contain war graves.

Of the 650 constituencies in the UK, 644 contain CWGC sites, usually located within cemeteries and churchyards.
All MPs and members of the House of Lords have been emailed with instructions on how to access details of war graves within their constituency or area.

Read the letter sent to all MPs and peers


8 July 2013
MEETING OF THE WAR HERITAGE APPG

Mr Colin Kerr, Finance Director at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), and Ms Liz Woodfield, Head of Information Systems at the CWGC, made a presentation to the meeting entitled "The CWGC and the Commemoration of the Great War Centenary"

   Read the Minutes of the meeting here.

10 June 2013
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES PLANS TO MARK FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller, sets out how the Government will mark the First World War Centenary in 2014.

Latest news about the Government plans for commemoration, including information of national events and activities from the cultural programme will feature on a new dedicated website.    Read the Press Release in full.

20 May 2013
THE SOMME: SECRET TUNNEL WARS

Produced by La Boiselle Study Group, the documentary “The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars” was broadcast on BBC Four on 20 May 2013.

Written and presented by Peter Barton, co-secretary of the War Heritage APPG, the film follows the team as they explore the hidden labyrinth of the tunnel system at the Glory Hole, La Boisselle.
Three short clips can be viewed on the BBC's dedicated page.

4 March 2013
FIRST WORLD WAR: CENTENARY - QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

Lord Clark of Windermere tabled this Question for short debate:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Read the Hansard report of debate in full

26 November 2012
Meeting of Group on 26 November 2012


See the Minutes from the meeting

11 October 2012
Speech by the Prime Minister at the Imperial War Museum

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced funding of £5m for the new WWI galleries at the Imperial War Museum in a speech announcing plans to commemorate the First World War Centenary. Read his speech here

3 August 2012
Letter from the Australian Government's Department of Veterans' Affairs

The letter outlines the progress of the plans to mark the Anzac Centenary in Australia

10 July 2012
AGM
Progress report on plans to commemorate the centenary of WWI


See the Minutes from the meeting of 10 July 2012.

14 June 2012
UPDATE ON PLANS FOR CENTENARY OF THE GREAT WAR 2014–18

Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the Prime Minister’s special representative and coordinator for the commemorations to mark the centenary of World War One, writes with an update on developments.

Read his letter of 14 June 2012 addressed to all interested parties

Tuesday 6th December, 2011 at 6.45pm in Committee Room 4, House of Lords
SPECIAL DISCUSSION MEETING: CENTENARY OF THE GREAT WAR 2014–18

Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the Prime Minister’s special representative and coordinator for the commemorations to mark the centenary of World War One, will be outlining his initial thoughts and listen to the views of members of the group.

Read minutes from the Special Discussion Meeting on 6 December 2011

Minutes from meeting of Group on 26 July 2010

A meeting of the Group was held on 14 December 2010 when the Minutes from the first meeting of the reconstituted Group were agreed.

Group reconstituted as All-Party War Heritage Group

Lord Faulkner of Worcester has been reinstated as Chairman of the Group.
The first Meeting of the reconstituted Group will be held on Monday 26 July 2010.
A summary of the Group's achievements to date can be found under Successful Campaigns.



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