Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

Good Friday 1979

Pound House

Cattistock

Dorchester
Dorset

Your Ref PHL/WH

Dear Mr Liddle,

In reply to your letter of 11^th April. On 14^th August 1914 I was completing 2 years as Lieutenant in command of the armed launch Miner in the Persian Gulf arms traffic blockade. After a spell in Bombay helping to put the RIM on a war footing I was appointed 1^st Lt of the Dalhousie, a decrepit and ancient ship. We returned to the Gulf and after sundry adventures I returned to the Miner and spent the next three years in Mesopotamia. In 1917 I came home and served the rest of the war in command of destroyers in the convoy escort based at Buncrana and later in 14^th Flotilla Grand Fleet. If you care to send me a questionnaire I will try to answer it, or alternatively, if you or any of your associates are in this part of the world we should be happy to put you up. I have a diary up to the capture of Kurna [Qurna?] but it is too personal to send away.

Yours sincerely,

C.H. Heath-Caldwell

Grandpa at Cattistock 

Captain C.H. Heath-Caldwell

Liddle: It is July 1979 and this is Mr Liddle of Sunderland Polytechnic speaking with Captain C.H. Heath-Caldwell at his home, the Pound, Cattistock near Maiden Newton just north of Dorchester with regard to his experience in the First World War which was in the Navy and in particular involved in the Mesopotamia Campaign.

Liddle: Would you tell me first please when and where you were born?

CHHC:Aldershot, November 7, 1889.

Liddle: What was your father.

CHHC: He was a Sapper, ended up as a Major General in the end.

Liddle: Where did you go to school?

CHHC: A place called, I forget the name at Slough which was an extremely rotten place and then Winton House,Winchester.

Liddle: And from there to Britannia?

CHHC: And from there to The Britannia.

C.H. Heath-Caldwell as a naval cadet.

Liddle: Why was it that you wanted to make the Navy your career.

CHHC: I think partly I was bored with being at school and partly seeing photographs of all these little fellows dressed up in uniform and I suppose that was mainly the reason.

Liddle: And Britannia, what was the course at Britannia designed to produce? Young Naval Officers?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: She was moored in, just off Dartmouth?

CHHC: Yes.

Back row - L.F. Richardson,  C.H. Heath, A.B. Chamberlain, A.K. Gibson, J.E. Millais

2nd Back - H.F. Clarke, E.N. Sygret, O.H.Storne, S.D. Grey, J.C. Cowan

3rd Row - H.F. Minchin, G.K. Tunis, T. Lundholm, C.F. Bush, J. Schofield, A.W. Blaker

2nd Row - P.G.Turner, G.F. Loftus Jenks, A. Studd, - F. Blomfield, C. Gardiner,

1st Row - L.E. Ottley, W.S. Gilchrist, L.H. King-Hall, Wilfred Park, R.C. Ryan, G.A. Hall 

Liddle: And how long was the course.

CHHC: Eighteen months. A year there and then 3 months in a training cruiser.

Liddle: As you look back on your naval career do you consider that Britannia provided a well balanced education and preparation for the young officer?

CHHC: Oh as far as it went, yes.

Liddle: Any bullying?

CHHC: Very little. The third term used to boss the news as they were called, but it was only for one term. No, I wouldn’t say there was really any bullying at all.

Grandpa's boxing trophies from Brittania - 1904-1905

Liddle: Was Osborne and Dartmouth designed completely to replace Britannia or was Britannia in anyway kept on after Osborne was opened?

CHHC: No. Britannia was kept on after Osborne was opened and the college was built up alongside where The Britannia was moored and was being built when we were there.

Liddle: And what happened to Britannia?

CHHC: I don’t really know.

Liddle: Well, after your cruise you would be appointed as midshipmen to what sort of vessel?

CHHC: The flag ship in Australia.

Liddle: The Powerful?

HMS Powerful in Sydney 1906

CHHC: The Powerful, yes.

Cadets from HMS Powerful in Newcastle, Australia, 1906. CHHC back row, second from right.

Liddle: Have you any vivid recollections of your pre-1914 service? Any alarms and excursions in foreign parts?

CHHC: No. I don’t think so really. People were very good to us in Australia. Rather spoilt us for anything else.

Liddle: In which ship were you serving when war broke out in 1914?

CHHC: Oh, in the Persian Gulf in Miner. Armed launch Miner.

Miner along side a Dhow, 1913

Liddle: Yes. What was Miner’s work during the period before the war?

Miner, ships company on the beach 1913

CHHC: Arms traffic blockade, trying to stop arms going to the Afghan frontier and actually they were mostly produced I think by French merchants in Muscat and in the end the government bought the whole lot from the merchants and dumped them at sea.

Liddle: Well, I never. Well, did you leave Miner soon after the outbreak of war?

CHHC: Yes. Soon after the outbreak of war, yes, and then we went down to Bombay to put the Indian Marine on a war footing.

Liddle: And from there?

CHHC: Well, from there I went first to attend to The Dalhousie, a very ancient Indian Marine ship.

Liddle: She was now to be armed was she?

CHHC: She was given 6 6 pounder shells which had been lying down at Bombay dockyard for I think 20 years.

Liddle: Scarcely of much use had you come into contact with Emden?

CHHC: Utterly useless.

Liddle: But in fact you saw no action in Dalhousie?

CHHC: No. Fortunately for us I think.

Liddle: When did you go back to Fao and Basra?

CHHC: Well, I suppose that was about 3 or 4 months later. I don’t know the exact date unless it is…

Liddle: In your diary.

CHHC: No, I don’t think it is.

Liddle: And what was the reason? What was to be your new post?

CHHC: I went back to The Miner because they were going up the river and they had absolutely no small craft at all and they were scraping up anything they could.

Liddle: So Miner was to be used as a sort of armed river gun boat?

CHHC: Yes. They put in a 12 pounder and a 3 pounder and a Maxim and off we went.

Liddle: To what sort of adventure?

CHHC: Well, to start with we were at, after they took Fao we were at Abadan for some time. There was a battle opposite Abadan. We got there just in time to fire 2 or 3 rounds at the retreating Turks and then after a month or two I suppose we went up toBasra. Captured Basra but I arrived a bit late because we were stuck on the way up.

Liddle: And then when Townshend chose to advance up the Tigris and was accompanied, indeed preceded by what became known as his regatta, you were not to serve at that particular time?

CHHC: After Basra, yes. The actual capture of Basra I missed. I didn’t get there until next day but, …

Liddle: You were to be involved in the maritime advance, the naval advance up the Tigris were you?

CHHC: Oh yes. We advanced to Qurna.

Liddle: In what ship? In Miner?

CHHC: In the Miner, yes.

Liddle: Tell me about the action as you remember it? It has been called a regatta but you would describe it perhaps very differently.

CHHC: What, the capture of Qurna?

Liddle: Well, the advance of a naval flotilla up theTigris?

CHHC: Well, extraordinarily lucky really when I come to think of it. I mean the Turks were so hopelessly inefficient because they ought to have mined the place and done all but they never did and when they did mine it, the mines never went off for the right time. So, actually it was, you know, image of war without its [gilt and 99.?] of the danger really.

Liddle: Were the British ships close together as you went up the river?

CHHC: Oh yes. Two of us, two armed launches. Ourselves and The [Lewis Pell] towed a wire in front of them. The idea being to sweep up any mines that were there.

Liddle: So you went up in pairs with a wire sweep between you?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: And you were first?

CHHC: Yes. We were just ahead of the others. Yes.

Liddle: Where were you? Were you a Sub at this stage?

v Pardon.

Liddle: Were you a Sub Lieutenant at this stage?

CHHC: No. I was a Lieutenant of about 2 or 3 years seniority, I suppose.

Liddle: And what was your particular job as the [Lewis Pelle] and The Miner went up theTigris?

CHHC: Well, we used to go off up river but we would work in with the Cavalry patrol quite a lot. This is after the capture of Qurna. The Turks were at a place about 2 or 3 miles further up.

Liddle: Yes, but where was your action station and what was your particular responsibility?

CHHC: Oh, I had no particular responsibility.

Liddle: Were you second in command?

CHHC: Oh no. I was commander of The Miner.

Liddle: You were in command of The Miner?

CHHC: Oh yes.

Liddle: So you would be on the bridge?

CHHC: Yes, I used to sit up in the mast head actually where I could see better.

Liddle: Because the terrain was so flat and featureless?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: Did you come under heavy fire?

CHHC: Very seldom. At the capture of Qurna we did of course.

Liddle: Well, tell me what you remember of the capture of Qurna?

CHHC: Well, the sloops were got up as far as they could. They were all stuck in the mud and the troops were on the left bank it would be because looking towards the sea is left, isn’t it, and we went up to support the troops up towards Qurna. I suppose we got within about 200 or 300 yards from them before we copped it with a shell in the engine room and we managed to get back and subside into the mud just ahead of The Espiegle and after that we went down. The Espiegle patched it up and we went down to Basra and got some more ammunition and a proper patch put on and came back again and did the same thing again only this time we didn’t get badly damaged because I kept rather clear of where the gun was. I know by this time where the gun was pointing. The one that had got us.

Liddle: But you have just said Espiegle patched you up?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: Now what do you mean by that? Some men from Espiegle?

CHHC: Yes. We subsided just under The Espiegle’s bows you see, on to the mud. Otherwise we would have sunk and they put in a leak stop or something to stop the hole and pumped out the water and we were alright to go down to Basra after that.

Liddle: What casualties did you suffer on either of the two occasions? I believe on the first you had some killed?

CHHC: We had one severely wounded who died of his wounds. An ordinary seaman, Gibson and two in the engine room who were badly smashed up, but both survived.

Liddle: Now Miner’s compliment? How many men?

CHHC: I think we had about 10 or 12. I don’t remember exactly how many.

Liddle: How many officers?

CHHC: Well, I had a midshipman with me at the time from The Ocean and a gunner, and Indian Marine gunner.

Liddle: The midshipman’s name?

CHHC: There again I am not quite sure. I have forgotten I am afraid.

Liddle: No. Well, on the second occasion.

CHHC: He came on recommendation you see. He didn’t stay long.

Liddle: Yes. He hadn’t been with you long?

No.

Liddle: On the second occasion you kept more over to the right to prevent this enfilading gun getting a target and you were scarcely hit or not hit at all?

CHHC: Well, of course, there was a rain of bullets all the time, but no shells but we had iron plates which kept most of them off.

Liddle: Were you actually within sight of the surrender of Qurna? Was there any sort of visible sign that they were?

CHHC: Well, they came down. A boat with lights came down in the middle of the night to The Espiegle to say they wanted to surrender and Nunn informed the General and he came aboard The Espiegle and they fixed it up, I think, that night, and we went up there next day and they had all, they were all taken prisoner.

Liddle: What do you remember of Nunn? Have you any anecdotal recall of him?

CHHC: He had an uncanny way of knowing when to go on and when not to go on. A flair. I mean many many a time I used to think, now why don’t we go on now, and found a very good reason, not that he knew anything more about it than I did. On other occasions I think it was absolute madness to go on and he would go on and get away with it and also, of course, he had a wonderful way of dealing with the soldiers. He got on extraordinary well and had them eating out of his hand. He was a very great friend of mine, Wilfrid Nunn, afterwards.

Liddle: What knowledge have you of, and I don’t mean from reading, but of gossip or proper information at the time of the sad affair of The Julnar?

CHHC: Well, all I know is that we were banked in at a place I think called Sheikmh Sa’id when a gunboat came down the river in great fuss. Poor old Fermin who had volunteered, who had been chosen and told me about this desperate business and wanted to get some volunteers from my crew and I told the Coxswain, I am afraid, I said, on no account should any of you volunteer for this. I mean if I had been going it would have been a different matter and that is all I know about it really. They went down to Basra and fitted out The Julnar and I think the Turks knew all about it and that was that. I was always very glad that I didn’t have a chance to volunteer because I don’t know whether I would have had the courage not to but certainly Mark Singleton who nobody could accuse of lack of courage didn’t volunteer.

Liddle: Because he thought it was a mad brained scheme?

CHHC: Absolutely mad. There wasn’t a hope. Not a hope.

Liddle: Well, how did the whole venture end for you? How was it that you were to leave theTigris?

CHHC: How was it?

Liddle: How did it come about that you left the naval effort in Mesopotamia for theNorth Sea?

CHHC: Oh, after I had been there for 3 years Wilfrid Nunn had gone home and Wilson had gone home. There were both my particular friends.

Liddle: Had you played any part in the recapture of Kut in February 1917?

CHHC: No. I forget where we were then. Oh yes, that was the time we were up at the front and Nunn was sick and there came a telegram from Basra saying they wanted a gun boat down for the date patrol which I knew was nonsense and I tried hard to avoid being sent down because I knew that the advance was coming off but I had no luck. I think if Nunn hadn’t been sick I would have done. Anyway, down we went.

Liddle: The Date Patrol being?

CHHC: Oh, just messing about in the lower part of the river. As soon as I got there I went and saw old Winston who was a great friend of mine who was running the show down there and he allowed me to go back but halfway up half our propeller fell off and only left 2 blades. So we managed to go on with the other half. The other half fell off just as we got to Sheikh Sa’id and I dug a hole in the bank and pushed the stern up on to it and hoped that she wouldn’t break in half when the river fell and sent telegrams every 10 minutes or so for a new propeller from Basra but it took about a week to come up and by that time the advance had gone on.

Liddle: So really Qurna was the most dramatic experience you had in those gun boats on theTigris?

CHHC: I think so, really, except Nasiriyeh.

Liddle: Tell me about Nasiriyeh?

Well, Nasiriyeh, I was in a paddle, a stern wheeler with a couple of 4.7 guns each side and the only thing really of interest there was that we were parked behind a grove and going in for indirect fire with these 4.7 guns which nobody really knew much about and we opened fire and somebody who will be nameless was spotting for us and he said, down a 1,000. At the time I thought it was rather rash, down a 1,000 yards but we did and we very nearly hit the General. So we didn’t fire any more after that. If he had come down about 200 it would have been some sense. However, we were all rather amateur at this indirect fire, you see.

Liddle: Do you have any recall of the slight but noteworthy co-operation with aircraft?

CHHC: No.

Liddle: There were both seaplanes and or, a couple of seaplanes and some land based aircraft?

CHHC: Well, I only remember one land based aircraft but they couldn’t go very high, I don’t think, and I don’t think they really had much to do with it. I did have a hit up at a Turkish one later on. We were about 40 miles, I think, north of Baghdad, a gun boat and the sailors had their farmyard of chickens ashore and an interpreter had gone off to get eggs in an village when Fritz came over and dropped bombs and we set to with our pom pom and had just about an equal chance, I should think, of being hit by a bomb or hitting him with our pom pom. Anyway, he moved off. That is the only time I ever saw an aeroplane.

Liddle: Then lets come to, was it Buncrana that was your first sort of home water station in Ireland?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: With regard to destroyer convoying so far westward of the Atlantic convoys?

CHHC: Yes. Two of us used to be sent out at a time to 20 west to pick up a merchant ship and usually take them into Liverpool.

Liddle: What was the name of your destroyer?

CHHC: Bulldog.

Liddle: Any alarms and excursions?

CHHC: No, not really. Filthy weather all the time.

Liddle: How big were the convoys?

CHHC: Oh, only one ship  as a rule. They hadn’t started a real convoy system.

Liddle: Oh I see. Almost just escort duties?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: This would be in 1917?

CHHC: This would be 1916 I should think. The winter of 1916  I think.

Liddle: And where were you in 1917 and 1918?

CHHC: I was in the Grand Fleet flotilla then. In the 14^th Flotilla.

Liddle: Which ship?

CHHC: Peyton.

Liddle: Would you spell Peyton for me?

CHHC: Peyton.

HMS Peyton

 http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=11365

HMS Peyton in rough weathery, from the book "British Destroyers of World War One'" by R.A. Burt.

Liddle: Yes. Attached to which of the battle squadrons?

CHHC: No particular battle squadron, I don’t think.

Liddle: Did you go out with them on their sweeps?

CHHC: Oh yes, we used to go out. Start off at about 0400 and the think then was to avoid being cut in half by a battleship really. That was the most intricate manoeuvres we had to go in for. There again I was very fortunate in my boss. My Captain Dee. In fact, I was to have gone out in his flotilla to China after the war but it didn’t come off.

Liddle: But you had no events of what might be called excitement in this last period because Jutland had gone. There was a near collision I think in November 1917 but there is no other action until we come to the surrender of the High Seas Fleet?

CHHC: No. It was all routine work really and chasing then.

Liddle: How was morale sustained in officers and men in this long period of watching and waiting with the almost sure certainty that the High Seas Fleet would not come out?

CHHC: Well, I don’t think one thought about it much, you just carried on with the routine and there was always of course.

Liddle: The 2 theatre ships?

CHHC: Mild excitements. I mean going along at 12 knots in a fog and a trawler scraping alongside you or coming up hard against something and having to go full speed astern.

Liddle: Your ship was a happy ship?

CHHC: Oh yes, I think so, and I had, I remember, one incident in the cruiser squadron. We went out screening. We were known as the ‘mad dogs’ and it was sort of half foggy. The fog had come down and then it would be clear and we were out on the beam and the fog was just coming down and they hoisted a signal, 8 point turn and we were coming in to get in stern in the fog, and at full speed and they turned before they made the executive signal and there was this cruiser there and there were us and I put the port engine over from full speed ahead to full speed astern and we scraped down the side. Just didn’t touch.

Liddle: Did you do anything to your turbines?

CHHC: No, it didn’t seem to matter. They seemed alright. They were very good in the engine room. Full speed ahead.

Liddle: Were you then a Lieutenant Commander?

CHHC: Yes.

Liddle: Second in command of the destroyer?

CHHC: No. I was in command.

Liddle: You were in command of the destroyer?

CHHC: Oh yes.

Liddle: No brushes with submarines?

CHHC: No. I had one occasion in which I was out with another destroyer off Scapa and he was not very bright and he suddenly made a signal that he had sighted a submarine and done nothing at all. So I told him to drop a depth charge and we did a curve search round and round but we never saw it again, but I think somebody else got it next day. That is the only time I really, the nearest I ever got to a submarine.

Liddle: Did you have anything to do with the escorting the German surrendering High Seas Fleet or indeed experience of the Scapa scuttle?

CHHC: No. I was then down, I think, in the Isle of Wight going to a new destroyer. On Armistice Day we went round full speed from the Firth of Forth to Glasgow to refit and I suppose I was a bit casual about anchoring but we were put in the confidential books, the sub and I, before the refit when the Quartermaster came down and said, I think we are dragging, Sir. At the same moment there was a crash and there we were alongside a merchant ship like that with our anchor and cable completely twisted up and quite a big hole in the wardroom. However, we managed to disentangle ourselves and get up and I am glad to say that they didn’t stop me going on leave. They had a court of enquiry but I didn’t have to go to it. I was told I had shown lack of seamanship or something and that was all and then I went down to theIsle of Wight to take over a new destroyer.

Liddle: Well, Captain, it has been a pleasure and a delight working with you this afternoon. Thank you very much indeed.

CHHC: Well, I hope some of the nonsense I have talked is of some use to you.

I

bit at the end of the page

CHHC - rather a scratched up photo.

 Mr Banyard & Jennie, January 1913

 B. Marsh, 1st Lieutenant on the Minto, January 1913

Mr Webber and Dixie, Nov 1913

Baranja and Henjam

HMS Peyton, photo from 'Warships Illustrated No.7 - British Destroyers in World War One.' by R.A. Burt.