§ 60. Mr. GILBERTasked the hon. Member for the Pollok Division of Glasgow, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, what are the Regulations as regards laying wreaths on the Cenotaph; is there any censorship on the messages attached to any wreaths; if so, who is responsible for carrying same out; and are wreaths only allowed in memory of officers, men, or regiments who suffered during the War?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe First Commissioner has received complaints as to political inferences in certain memorial notices. Wreaths have also been placed on the Cenotaph to commemorate children and relatives of ex-soldiers. The First Commissioner is reluctant to instruct his Clerk of Works to act as censor of inscriptions, which might raise delicate issues, but general instructions have been given to safeguard the use of the Cenotaph, and it is hoped that public sentiment as a whole will support the Department in maintaining the original object and character of the Cenotaph, which was erected as a direct memorial to those who lost their lives in Connection with the Great War. May I add that the practice of placing permanent memorials—bronze tablets, metal wreaths, and glazed artificial flowers—seems inappropriate, as such objects are unbecoming in themselves, and prevent the proper display of humbler and more transitory tributes of affection.