Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1945

General Frederick Heath-Caldwell CB aged 86/87

Constance M.H. Heath-Caldwell aged 76/77 

Capt. the Rev. Cuthert H. Heath-Caldwell DSO aged 55/56 

Violet Heath-Caldwell (ne Palmer) - aged 59/60 

Patricia C.M. Heath-Caldwell - aged 24/25 

Diana Heath-Caldwell - aged 21/22 

Rosamond Heath-Caldwell - aged 19/20

James A. Heath-Caldwell aged 14/15

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

Now, at the end of the war in Europe, and Japan, it happened that the atomic bomb which brought the war to a very swift close within twelve months of the Germans being surrendering. The war was continued in the Pacific against the Japanese and it was the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which brought the war to a close within fourteen days of that happening.

The Emperor of Japan told his people that the war had gone against them, and they were going to surrender. He had seen his cities in Japan, a lot of them burnt down by incendiary raids by American and British bombers and he saw that the war was over when this new weapon of war was introduced. Nagasaki and Hiroshima saved the lives of thousands of servicemen all over the Pacific, and I think they were as surprised as we were when we were one lunch time at the Royal Navel College up there in Eaton Hall when the Head Cadet Captain announced that some explosive devices had been dropped over Hiroshima and a fortnight later the war came to a close in the Pacific.

The Emperor of Japan’s palace was not razed to the ground in the air raids that the Americans conducted against them, obviously it was forethought, this was, they had had the Emperor’s buildings out of bounds of bombers, they were not allowed to drop their bombs anywhere near it and they didn’t.

Perhaps the Americans had more people who used their brains to do that, but I think it possible that if the military had been totally in control of the lot they would have razed the lot to the ground including the Emperor of Japan, because it was the influence of the Emperor, almost a god, more than in may other religions, and when he said the war was up they all immediately followed him and all the pilots who were earmarked to be Kamikaze pilots, they all survived too. So there were a lot of lives saved, although about 250,000 civilians died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that was a very large amount of people to die just because one airman pressed one button, or two airmen in the case of both cities and this terrible power was unleashed in the world for the first time. 

At the end of the war when German submarines were no longer a menace, we had the chance, and the whole of our term were put on board, or we went on board a destroyer in Liverpool, it could have been a frigate, it was not a very big ship, and each one of us cadets was paired off with a sort of a sea-father, an understudy to each member of the ship’s company.

We went from Liverpool to Bangor, a small seaside port in North Wales and then we crossed the Irish Sea having anchored and spent a night at Bangor Northern Wales we went over we went over to Bangor in Northern Ireland in Ulster. And that was a very successful for us, we saw what happened in a ship, we saw how a ship’s company lived, everything. It was mainly be shown things, but we did actually sink a mine with rods sticking out of it, a contact mine, which was reported, and we went and sunk it by rifle  fire. We hoped it would explode, but it didn’t, it just sank. We hoped we would have a bit of a bang and a bit of a display. 

The next thing was that on our way over we were given a demonstration of dropping depth charges, only one depth charge was used, all of us gathered on the quarter deck on the stern of this destroyer and everything was explained to us what would happen, the main thing was that it would be shot off the end of the quarter deck from the sort of depth charge thrower, then we were told we had to count ten seconds or ten to fifteen seconds for the depth charge to hit the water, sink and then explode.

So all of us were there watching this, the depth charge was shot off and we saw it splash into the ocean astern of us then we all started counting to ourselves, one, two, three, four, five, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and nothing happened, but one voice from the quarter deck, from an ordinary seaman said, an I use a swear word, in a loud voice, he said, “What, no fucking bang!” and that was our demonstration of how a depth charge worked. You had to make certain that it detonated, but that was not the only time in my naval career that that sort of thing happened. 

Up in Londonderry in Northern Ireland when I was a sub-lieutenant or Anti-Submarine Control Officer in a frigate we had, I don’t quite know how, won the fleet fighting efficiency prize and as a result of that, one day we were out at sea giving a demonstration of how  squid worked, these were 22inch mortars, six barrels situated just in front of the bridge on the deck of the frigate and when they fired off, they went about 300 metres ahead of the ship and then they sank down and they were set to explode at whatever depth the ASCO (Anti-Submarine Control Officer) control set on it, and that was my job as Anti Submarine Control  Office I was in charge of the ASDIC team in a small little compartment on the bridge where we picked echoes of things and tracked them and  fired off our projectiles at them.

 Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser
Saturday 20 January 1945

Warminster Rural District.

At the monthly meeting of Warminster and Westbury Rural District Council, held at the Laverton Institute on Monday afternoon, the Medical Officer, Dr. D.F. Morgan, reported that samples of water in various villages had been taken and there was no evidence of any pollution.

Rev. Heath-Caldwell: Does that mean that the water is fit for drinking without boiling in Kingston Deverill, and that it is all right for children? - Dr. Morgan: Yes.

Staffordshire Sentinel
Monday 2 July 1945

Wedding of Miss Doreen Stuart Johnson - To United States Army Officer.

- - -- (continues) - - - Guests at the wedding included - - Mrs R. Heath, General and Mrs Heath-Caldwell, 

Wiltshire Times & Trowbridge Advertiser

Saturday 28 July 1945

Warminster - Navies' Week.

Sponsored by the Urban District Council, Warminster has this week been holding a Royal and Merchant Navies Week, with the object of raising a substantial sum as Warminster's acknowledgement of the debt owed to these two great Services for all they have done for the country during the War and for the great sacrifices the personnel of both Services have made.

Every day of the week there have been attractions of one kind and another, except that Wednesday was reserved for the Minster Fete, an annual function fixed long before the Navy Week effort was decided upon.

The week was "launched" on Saturday with a fete and accompanying attractions in the Lake Pleasure Grounds. The Rev. C.H. Heath-Caldwell R.N. (Ret.), Vicar of Brixton Deverill, formally declared the Week open, in the presence of a good gathering presided over by Mr A.B. Pickford (Vice-Chairman of the Council), deputising for the Chairman (Mr A. Dart) who was away. 

Mr Pickford explained the object of the Week and thanked the Rev. Heath-Caldwell for his presence and support.

Staffordshire Sentinel

Wednesday 19 September 1945

Death at Talke

We record with deep regret the death yesterday of Major-General Frederick Crofton Heath-Caldwell of Linley Wood, Talke, who retired in 1919 after a most distinguished Army career, which extended over 42 years.

General Heath-Caldwell, who was 87, was a son of the late Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath K.C.B. He took the additional name of Caldwell on succeeding his great-uncle, James Stamford Caldwell  of Linley Wood, Talke.

He joined the Royal Engineers in 1877, and became Captain in 1888, Major in 1895, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1903 and Colonel in 1906.

He served in the Egyptian campaign, with clasp and silver star.

For his services in the Sudan in 1885 he was mentioned in Despatches and received the Queen's Medal, with two clasps.

He was Assistant Adjutant-General, Royal Engineers Headquarters, 1906-08.

From 1908 to 1913 he was Inspector of Royal Engineers. 

The Great War - Early in the 1914-18 war General Heath-Caldwell commanded the Scottish Coast Defences. He was Director of Military Training, War Office, in 1914 and 1915; G.O.C., Portsmouth Garrison 1916-18, and in 1918 he was appointed G.O.C., South-Eastern Area, Royal Air Force.

General Heath-Caldwell became a C.B. in 1910. He was a Justice of the Peace for the County of Chester, and during his residence of over 20 years in the Talke district, he gave liberal support to many religious, social and philanthropic institutions and causes. he was President of the Kidsgrove, Talke and District Branch of the British Legion, and Vice-President of the Talke and Butt Lane Hospital Saturday Committee. 

He married in 1889, Miss Constance Helsham-Jones, daughter of Colonel H. Helsham-Jones. There were two sons, one of whom was killed in the 1914-18 war.

To the widow and surviving son the sympathy of a wide circle of friends and of General Heath-Caldwell's associates in the many good causes which he helped, will be extended.

Staffordshire Sentinel
Thursday 20 September 1945

Deaths

Heath-Caldwell. On Sept 18th, 1945, at Linley Wood, Talke, Staffs. Major-General F.C. Heath-Caldwell C.B. Funeral at Talke Parish Church, 2.30pm on Saturday, Inquiries, F. Broadhurst, Kidsgrove,  Tel...

Staffordshire Sentinel

Friday 21 September 1945

Deaths.

Heath-Caldwell - On Sept 18th 1945, at Linley Wood, Talke, Staffs. Major-General F.C. Heath-Caldwell C.B. Service at St.Saviour's Church, Talke at 2.30pm on Saturday, Sept 22nd prior to interment at Talke Parish Church. Inquiries E. Broadhurst, Kidsgrove, Tel. 244. 

Staffordshire Advertiser
Saturday 29 September 1945

General Heath-Caldwell - Funeral at Talke.

Well-known families in Staffordshire and Cheshire were represented at the funeral at Talke, near Newcastle, on Saturday, of Major-General Frederick Crofton Heath-Caldwell C.B., of Linley Wood, Talke, whose death took place on the previous Tuesday at the age of 87.

A guard-of-honour was formed at St.Saviour's Church, Talke, by scholars of St. Saviour's School. The coffin was draped with the Union Jack, and the medals which the late General had gained were carried on a velvet cushion by his grandson, Master James Heath-Caldwell.

The service was conducted by the Rector of Talke (the Rev. E. J. Davies) and the Lesson was read by the General's son, Capt. the Rev. C.H.Heath-Caldwell R.N. (Retired), Interment was in the burial ground of Talke Parish Church.

The family mourners were Mrs Heath-Caldwell (widow), Capt the Rev. C.H.Heath-Caldwell (son), Mrs C.H. Heath-Caldwell (daughter-in-law), Miss Patricia Heath-Caldwell, Miss Diana Heath-Caldwell and Miss Rosamond Heath-Caldwell (grand-daughters), Master James Heath-Caldwell (grandson), Mrs DeSalis (niece), Col. Leopold Heath (nephew), and Capt. J. Derek Poole and Mrs Poole.
Representatives of many organisations with which the late General had been associated were also amongst the large number of mourners.

Staffordshire Sentinel

Thursday 11 October 1945

Mr John Francis Maddock - Funeral at Alsager
Mourners - - - - Mrs Heath-Caldwell ----