Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1943 - 1944 - 1945

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General Frederick Heath-Caldwell CB aged 85/86

Constance M.H. Heath-Caldwell aged 75/76 

Capt. the Rev. Cuthbert H. Heath-Caldwell DSO aged 54/55 

Violet Heath-Caldwell (ne Palmer) - aged 58/59 

Patricia C.M. Heath-Caldwell - aged 23/24 

Diana Heath-Caldwell - aged 20/21 

Rosamond Heath-Caldwell - aged 18/19

James A. Heath-Caldwell aged 13/14

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Memoirs of Lt. J.A. Heath-Caldwell R.N.

H.M.S. Eaton Hall 

One afternoon at the end of 1944, me and some friends of mine were on a boat in the river. We had to have some place on the river so that we could learn about boats and how they behaved. Sailing dinghies, there were, and rowing boats, and carvel built whalers which could sail.

The River Dee was quite narrow, but you got all the more practice then having to change tacks fairly quickly if you were wanting to sail upstream sometimes. You simply had about a couple of cricket pitch widths and you had to tack all the way up. And this of course, gave you lots and lots of practice of actually tacking.

And one afternoon a friend of mine, and myself were out in one of the skiffs, we were just rowing up just to enjoy the boating on the river, and we got far away, about a mile or two up, quite near this aerodrome where the Americans had been and they had moved on, and we heard the intercom of the air field being used by somebody, and what happened was that some cadet had been exploring this deserted aerodrome and found the control tower and the position where the microphones were that the loud hailer system all around the airfield and he delighted himself I suppose magnifying his voice all the way around the air field.

The only thing was of course he was given away by this and discovered and got into big trouble and I think he got caned for that too. He was just playing around with military gear, it was all there and all in working order but there were no Americans there, or no air force personnel, they had moved on further down to the south of England. 

That would have been getting on past 1944. The war effected us in that we could not visit any ships that went to sea because they did not really want any of us to go to sea and be torpedoed by a lurking German submarine in the waters around the UK at that time. And of course the only thing was that we did manage to do some ship visiting in Manchester. We were taken in buses and paid a visit to the end of the Manchester Ship Canal which enabled merchant ships and destroyers to go all the way from Liverpool to Manchester where the ships were repaired in the dockyards there. That was fun, that was seeing what a real ship was like. 

My eldest sister of 3, Patricia Constance Mary Heath-Caldwell was well educated and in fact matriculated and thus she could have gone to any University. But after getting fed up with peeling spuds in the ATS (a women’s wing of the Army) she was sent down to Portsmouth with a group of nurses to look after civilians wounded in the air attacks on Portsmouth, a Naval Port of the Royal Navy during WWII. And she was not used to treating civilian casualties and had a nervous breakdown. And during the dreadful time for her she threw herself out of a hospital window and broke her leg, which was treated OK. And our mother, who was a doctor’s daughter from Armagh, Northern Ireland. My mother heard of a Doctor in Harley Street, London, and he believed that the hospital environment of locked doors etc was mainly responsible for lasting nervous damage, and he prescribed an injection of insulin and the patient should go home and have lots of TLC (tender loving care).

For a time she was at home with my parents in Dorset, then our grandparents had a lucky strike, they heard and contacted a family, well healed (lots of cash) who were emigrating to Australia during War time. And Pat (the three sisters were Pat, Danny and Ros) went on a fast liner to Australia and her passage paid for her by them for looking after their kids on the liner (I thought this was 1946 – ed). So she ended up in Newcastle, New South Wales and got her Australian Qualification to be a mid-wife. And just about the end of WWII she returned to the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary to get her British Credentials. Having successfully done all that she moved South to Dorset and there she brought hundreds of babies into the world. She ended her midwife career as Night Sister in Exeter Maternity Hospital and returned to Dorset where she looked after our now aging parents, till first my mother got a shock and was moved down stairs in the Pound House and died before our father did. While she was dying she had to be looked after hand and foot by my father.

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Friday 21 January 1944
Newcastle-under-Lyme Times

A Report was received, and certain recommendations adopted, concerning a disputed footpath over land owned by Mr.P.Barker and Major-General F.C.Heath-Caldwell

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Saturday 12 February 1944
Staffordshire Advertiser

Kidsgrove
'Salute to the Soldier' Campaign
The Kidsgrove War Savings Committee has decided to have its "Salute the Solider" savings campaign during the week March 25 to April 1, when a special effort will be made to rope in the small investor. Mr.James Cadman D.S.C., has consented to perform the opening ceremony, with the support of the leading citizens, and Mr.W.Green, national savings commissioner. At the parade, in which military and civil defence units will take part, the saluted will be taken by Major-General Heath-Caldwell

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Friday 24 March 1944
Newcastle-under-Lyme

A Disputed Footpath
The Highways and Health Committee reported on correspondence received over land owned by Mr.J.P.Barker and Major-General F.C.Heath-Caldwell. A letter from representatives of Major-General intimated that he still adhered to his decision strongly to resist any attempt to enforce this right-of-way.

The letter also contained the suggestion, in the circumstances described, of the inadvisability of the Council fighting a case to establish the right-of-way. It was decided (1) That the Clerk be directed to reply to Major-General Heath-Caldwell's representatives acknowledging receipt of the communication, stating that the Council regret to observe their client's attitude which leaves the Council no option but to pursue the matter further at their discretion, and, moreover, intimating that the Council do not acknowledge as accurate their statement regarding the inadvisability of endeavouring to implement the claim, and that the Council itself is the best judge as to whether and how this should be done: (2) That the Clerk enter into communication with the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society soliciting their assistance in this matter.
More Council news next week.

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Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser.
Saturday 13 May 1944

Warminster- West - Bury Rural Council

Housing, Drainage and Water Supply - Pressing Problems.

The monthly meeting of the Westbury and Warminster Rural District Council at Westbury on Monday lasted more than two hours, the matters dealt with including water shortage, overcrowding, and the letting of Council houses including a report on the progress of construction of the new agricultural workers houses. Some of the discussions are reported under separate headings.

- - - (continues) - - 

Post War houses

- - - (continues)  - -  Rev. Heath-Caldwell thought the houses should be built in equal numbers in the Deverills, not four in one village and ten in another

- - - (continues) - - - 

Members Present: Messr T.Rivers (Chairman), P.B. Pepler (Vice-Chairman), W.J. Banwell, C.J. Carpenter, P. Carr, J.T. Few, A.E. Jeffreys, W.Kemp, L.A.King-Church, H.J.Langley, N.Marriage, W.J. Mizen, A.J.Noad, W.C. Sutton, V. Wallis, W.H. Yeatman-Biggs, F.S. Bee, P.H. Forward, T.Smith, Miss M.C. Alexander, Col. Atkinson, Rev. Heath-Caldwell and Col.H.G.K. Wait

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Wiltshire Times & Trowbridge Advertiser

Saturday 13 May 1944

Church Councils
Methods of Election Discussed at Rural-Decanal Conference.

The practice of re-electing Parochial Church Councils en bloc was strongly deprecated by the Rural Dean of Heyfesbury, the Rev. Canon R.E.P Gorringe, introducing a discussion on Parochial Church Councils at a meeting of the Heytesbury Ruri-decanal Conference at Warminster on Saturday.

The Right Rev. the Bishop of Sherbourne was to have addressed the conference on the subject, but he was compelled to cancel the engagement at short notice owing to indisposition, and the Rural Dean invited a general discussion on the matter.

 - - -  continues - - -  The Rev. Heath-Caldwell (Brixton Deverill) asked what was to be done when nobody attended the annual Church meeting except serving members of Parochial Church Councils, and the Rural Dean replied that such a state of affairs only shewed that the Parochial Church Council had not been doing its job of stirring up the parish.

 - - -continues - - -

Quiet Influence.
The Rev.F.R.Edmonds (Corsley) said Parochial Church Councils could, by quiet influence - and not by noisy controversy, which he had found very often among Parochial Councils - have a tremendous effect on the rest of the parish. He had found that himself. The Chairman said a layman had told him in one parish that he never went to his Parochial Church Council meetings because everything had been settled beforehand by the churchwardens. That was absolutely wrong, because by the Measure, Parochial Church Councils took a lot of work away from churchwardens, and the latter were certainly not in a position to be able to settle everything without the consent of the Church Council.

The Rev.Heath-Caldwell expressed regret that it was not permissible to elect members of the Church Council at say the age of 18, instead of having to wait until they were 21.

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Friday 23 June 1944
Newcastle-under-Lyme

Garden Party
The final effort to raise £100 in Alsager for the War Emergency Appeal Fund of the Waifs and Strays Society was a very successful garden party, held on Saturday in the grounds of "Willowsmere," Chancery Lane, kindly lent by Mrs.Bingham. The opener was Mrs.Heath-Caldwell of Linley Wood, Talke. Coun.Mrs.D.M.Harpur presided. The Rev.J.V.Culley (Clerical Organising Secretary for the Diocese of Chester) announced that the appeal, launched six months ago, had passed its target. He expressed thanks to all who had helped achieve this result. The fete was organised by a committee which included members of the Mothers' Union, and the helpers included - - - Organising committee for the appeal consists of: President. Mrs.Heath-Caldwell; Chairman Coun.Mrs.D.M.Harpur: hon.sec. Mrs.M.Moorcroft; hon.treasurer Mr.Price.

Charities Committee: In the annual appeal the President of the Alsager Charities Committee writes: "The support to the appeal last year was one which the Committee were very proud. The renewed support of many old friends of the effort, supplemented by a number of newer residents was very much appreciated. The needs of the voluntary efforts we support still increase. This year the Committee have asked me to make the President's Appeal. I have been an active member of the committee since its inception and have seen, over that long period a sustained support of our efforts, and I would ask you this year, to see that this appeal matches our previous successes." Last year the following donations were made:-

North Staffs Royal Infirmary £70;
Alsager Sick Nursing Fund £50
Burslem Haywood and Tunstall War Memorial Hospital £25
Alsager St.John Ambulance Brigade £15
North Staff Cripples Aid Society £15
Contributions to the fund during the year ended October 1943 totalled £196.16s.4d.,and included the following: - Vice-President's subscriptions. £13.10s.6d.- - - -

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Friday 4 August 1944
Newcastle-under-Lyme Times

Disputed Footpath
A letter from Mr.J.P.Barker was read, stating that he presumed that the Council would not now have any objection to the removal of the stile on land owned by himself and Major-General F.C.Heath-Caldwell.
Resolved: that the Clerk reply declining to remove the stile.

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Friday 1 September 1944
Western Gazette

Dorset and Somerset Assocations
The death occurred on Saturday of Lieut.Colonel Rev.Thomas Edgar Hugh Taylor D.S.O, M.C., rector of Stourton, Wilts. Aged 56 years, he had been ill for between three and four months. -- - - The body had been taken into Stourton Parish Church on Monday, when Rev.A.M.Fosbrook, who has been acting for the Rev.Taylor during his illness, conducted the short service. - - -

Clergy present, in addition to those taking part in the service, included Revs. Eric Norman (Maiden Bradley), Heath-Caldwell (Brixton Deverill), - - -

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Friday 1 September 1944
Newcastle-under-Lyme Times

Gala at Lawton Hall
£800 for Red Cross and St.John
The magnificent sum of over £800 was raised for the British Red Cross and St.John Prisoner of War fund by the fete and gala organised at the Lawton Hall Grounds on Saturday by the No.3 Unit, Civil Defence Reserve, No.9 Region, assisted by the Lawton W.V.S.
Sir Philip W.Baker-Wilbraham, Bart., presided at the opening ceremony, supported by Ald.G.S.Lingren J.P., C.C., who formally opened the fete, the Countess of Stamford (President of the Cheshire County Red Cross Society). Viscountess Ashbrook (County Deputy President of the Red Cross ), Captain Percy Reay M.C., (Country Commissioner), - - -
Among the visitors were Major-General F.C.Heath-Caldwell C.B., Mrs.Heath-Caldwell and Mrs D.Poole of Linley Wood, Talke. - - -

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Saturday 23 September 1944
Surrey Advertiser

Fire Guard's Black-Out Lapse
Attracted by a bright light from an unscreened window at the Imperial Services Club, West Street, Dorking, in black-out hours on August 26th, P.C.Smith told the Dorking Bench on Wednesday, he entered the premises and found Mr.Walter Travis, of 19 West Street, Dorking, asleep on a camp bed. Mr.Travis was performing fire-guard duty and had not noticed that the black-out was not drawn. A fine of £1 was imposed.

- Genesta Mary Long, 8 Madena Terrace, Hove, was similarly fined for a blackout offence on August 19th at Mount Pleasant, Cold Harbour, on the evidence of P.C.Collins, who found a bright light streaming from an unscreened window.

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Monday 25 September 1944
Staffordshire Sentinel

Dominion Service Visitors - Hospitality Scheme.
Steps were taken at a meeting held at the Borough Hall, Stafford, on Friday, to operate in Staffordshire the Dominion and Allied Services Hospitality Scheme, which is being run by Lady Frances Ryder C.B.E. - daughter of the Earl and Countess of Harrowby - and Miss Macdonald of the Isles C.B.E.

At the meeting, which was briefly reported in the Sentinel on Saturday, the Mayor of Stafford (Mr.A.E.Hourd), who was accompanied by the Mayoress (Mrs.Hourd) presided, and the representative attendance included:-
The Countess of Harrowby, Colonel W.J.Beddows,(Wolverhampton), Lieutenant-Colonel A.H.Barrett Greene (County Welfare Officer), Miss Parker-Jervis, Mrs.P.Wenger (Stone), Mrs.Heath-Caldwell and Mrs.Derrick Poole (Talke), - - -

A Real Need - "This is a need and a real human need," said Lady Frances Ryder, after expressing her thanks to the Mayor and all who were present for their support. She was very glad to have an opportunity of explaining the scheme, and of enlisting their help, which she knew would be readily forthcoming. - - - long article - - -

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Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser.
Saturday 25 November 1944

Housing Sites in Warminster-Westbury Rural Area 

- - - -(Continues) - - - 

Post-War Housing Sites.

The General Purposes Committee submitted a report of the Regional Architect on post-war housing sites in relation to suggested sites which had not been approved by the Ministry, as follows: The Deverills, - Mr Heath-Caldwell re-iterated the views put forward by him to the Council, and the Committee recommended that the houses proposed to be erected should be divided equally between Brixton Deverill and Monkton Deverill, and that the site originally selected in the latter village be submitted to the Ministry for approval- - - -(Continues) - - - 

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Friday 15 December 1944
Surrey Mirror

Deaths
Heath - On Monday December 11th 1944 at Moorhurst, Holmwood, Surrey. Sarah Caroline Gore (nee Gambier), widow of Cuthbert Eden Heath of Anstie Grange, The Holmwood, Surrey. Lady of the Manor of Coldharbour. Memorial service at Coldharbour Church today.(Friday) at 3pm.

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Wiltshire Times & Trowbridge Advertiser

Saturday 23 December 1944

Brixton Flooding

The Clerk reported receipt of a letter from the Rev. C.H.Heath-Caldwell complaining about the flooding of his and other people's premises in the Brixton Deverill area. Mr Finch said Mr Heath-Caldwell, while admitting that is was also due to the heavy rains, said it was also due to the need for dealing with the river and ditches in the neighbourhood.

The Council decided to refer the matter to the County Land Drainage Committee