Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1953 - 1954 - 1955

---

Letters in Diary of J.A. Heath-Caldwell RN. – aged 23

---

21^{st January 1954}

Sub/Lt S.W.F.Hendrikse R.N.N.

Bloemendall

Hooge Duin en Daaishe Weg 16

Dear Holiday,

Many thanks, old boy, for that crest. It was a bloody nice Christmas present indeed, I was very fond of it the first time I saw it after you had bought it in Derry. Will you thank Charlie, for sending up that picture of the group of "bloody Dutchmen." The parcel that you have forwarded to my address in Holland, have I sent up again to our ship, because I knew that all of you liked that stuff so much.

My departure to the better part of this world will be the end of next month or the beginning of February. I have had my leave now and am in a training-camp for the time being, drilling young sailors who just joined the Navy and behave myself as a very dangerous man, what you have to do to these boys, but in myself I must laugh about all their mistakes and things they do against the discipline, because I did the same with much pleasure during my own training at the Naval College.

But I look like a very dangerous man, and that is after all what I have to do. Oh, poor boys. But never mind, it is only for a short time and then we go off to the East. Bloody good-oh. During this Christmas leave I have seen a lot of friends who have been in England, nearly all of them had the best time of their life in the Royal Navy. And really, nobody of you appreciate that enough, that you are a member of that Navy. I have heard now of friends of mine who staid in Holland, what they had to do on our ships, and then I see again how lucky we were, having the chance to come to England.

And the most important of all is, that we have learned to appreciate another country and their people, because we have to be one and only one in the future.

Are you still on H.M.S.Loch Tralaig or already on an Air-Base somewhere. I do not know therefor I send this letter to your home. What about James, already flying? Were the exercises with the Dutchmen successful and what did they make of it.

When I come to England next time, I have your address and I’ll look you up.

If you come in Holland next time and you want any help addresses for sailing boats or anything else, go to my parents, they will always help friends of mine. So don’t be shy and look them up. They will appreciate it very much.

There are some troubles with traveller cheques for my mess-bill, but that is alright now and I’ll send it up to the Tralaig. So don’t you worry about that.

All my best wishes to everybody I know in merry old England and especially you.

Your friend Hans.

---

Adelborsten Roei-en Zeilvereniging

Dear Holiday,

I hope that you can read and understand this ill-treatment of the English language, James should say your grammar is a bit poor for the rest is it also rubbish.

The journey to Holland was allright, two times gale, lot of people sea-sick like hell, especially from good old England to the Hook. Nobody can blame these poor people with a Navy of tugs!

We sail now the third of January, engine troubles or something like that and I have now my 17 days leave. Go on board the 17th of December and get a few days later my Christmas leave, so all together a month. Bloody good-oh.

Next week a few days to Paris, just for fun and the nice girls (well, that is nearly the same) and then up to the East.

Will stay there for about 2 years, with leave in Melbourne or Sydney, but in New-Guinea is nothing to do at all. They are hunting there a little, chase around in jeeps with 4 wheels when you are lucky otherwise they have 3 of these bloody things and make patrol sweeps through the jungle against infiltration of Indonesia. That is about all, so not very much.

We are with 4 subs on this survey-vessel, two of us are going to a shore-base on that bloody island when we are there.

I hope it is not me, because that ship has every luxury you can think of.

There are coming another 20 bloody Dutchmen to England, I think in January. And they told me in the Hague, that probably one or two of them will come to our training-flotilla. Poor you, but I am quite sure they’ll have an as nice time as I have had with you.

I am tremendous thankful that I have got the opportunity to be in the first Navy of the world for about 3 months.

The promised fotos you’ll find here, I hope they are allright and if you want to have more of them, write to my address.

Don’t forget the other ones from James, ask him to send them up as soon as they are ready.

Well, old boy, that is all for now, best wishes to everybody, Captain number one, Chief, Pilot, Charles and his beauty, Lt Isle, James and the two midshipmen and tell Cris that I just discovered some more civilisation (not much of course) outside England. Sorry Columbus.

All the best, Hans

P.S. Ask Crispin please to send up my ‘Cruel Sea.’

---

Thursday 21 October 1954
Evening News (London)

Puss on TV
George, a 22 year old tortoiseshell cat, believed to be one of the oldest cats in the country, will appear on TV Children's Hour on Sunday with Richard (three) and Charles (five) the sons of Colonel E.H.Tattersall. The cat is still an ardent hunter and stalks off to the woods near the Tattersalls' home at Capel, near Dorking, Surrey, to slay his quota of field mice every day.

Orginally the cat belonged to Mrs.Ada Broadwood (ne Heath), who is 94. She is the great-aunt of Colonel Tattersall's wife, Monica, now 31 who has had the cat since she was eight.

---

Shields Daily News

Monday 25 October 1954

Admiral Dies

Admiral Sir Herbert Leopold Heath, who commanded the cruiser line at the Battle of Jutland, has died at his Petworth (Sussex) home, it is announced today. He was92, and was the last surviving flag officer who flew his flag at Jutland

---

Thursday 28 October 1954
West Sussex Gazette

Ebernoe
Sir Herbert L.Heath: Last Juitland Admiral Dies
Admiral Sir Herbert Leopold Heath (92), who was senior admiral of the cruiser line at the battle of Jutland and who was a survivor of the collision between the Victoria and the Camperdown, died after a short illness on Friday. He lived at Ebernoe House. A torpedo expert, Sir Herbert was a midshipman in the screw frigate Shah when in 1877 the torpedo was first used in action against the Peruvian rebel ship Huascar.

After being among the first naval officers to qualify in the use of the new weapon Admiral Heath was loaned to the Victoria government in Australia. It was while in the Commonwealth that he met and married his wife, Miss Elizabeth Simson, who died in 1951, shortly after their diamond wedding anniversary.

In 1893 he was serving on H.M.S.Victoria when she was rammed and sunk with heavy loss of life by H.M.S.Camperdown. Comdr. (late Lord) Jellicoe was another survivor of the same ship. After further service as a Commander and a Captain, mainly in the Mediterranean with an occasional tour of duty at the Admiralty, he became Naval Attache in Berlin in 1909 when the Imperial German Navy was rapidly expanding. He attained flag rank in 1911 and was Admiral-Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard until 1915 when he went to sea commanding the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet. He led his ships through the Battle of Jutland and was the last of the admirals who took part in that battle to survive.

---

Friday 29 October 1954
Hampshire Telegraph

Jutland Flag Draped Admiral's Coffin
Covering the coffin at the funeral service of Admiral Sir Herbert Leopold Heath at Ebernoe, near Petworth, Wednesday, was the Union Jack which flew from his warship, Minotaur, when he was senior admiral of the cruiser line at the Battle of Jutland.
Admiral Heath, of Ebernoe House, died at a Hindhead nursing home, on Friday after a short illness. He was 92.

Among the mourners were representatives of the Admiralty and the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.

The coffin was borne from the church by eight seamen from H.M.S.Vernon, Portsmouth. Resting on top of the Union Jack was the admiral's hat, sword and medals. Last Post and Reveille were sounded by a bugler from the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, and a piping party was provided by H.M.S.Vernon.

The service was conducted by the Rev.W.H.Shawcross (Petworth Rural Dean and Vicar of Ebernoe) and Canon F.H.Campion (former Rector of Tillington).
Admiral Heath was the last surviving flag officer of the Battle of Jutland. During World War I he served as Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, in the Grand Fleet, and as Second Sea Lord at the Admiralty.

The Mourners
Family mourners included Captain and Mrs.R.DeSalis (son-in-law and daughter), Miss R.Heath (daughter), Mrs.H.Broadwood (sister), General and Mrs.G.W.Heath, Mr.and Mrs.E.Wood, Mr.and Mrs.M.Holland, Colonel and Mrs.L.R.Hall, Mrs.F.Heath, Mr and Mrs.Leopold Heath (nephews and nieces), Mr.John Wood, Miss K.Wood, Mrs.O.Jackson, Mr.A.Holland (great nephews and nieces), Captain and Mrs.R.H.Daces Olivier, Commander and Mrs.Woodhouse, Miss Joan Loring, Sir Richard and Lady Crofton, Mrs.Neville Temperley (cousins), Captain and Mrs.Antony DeSalis, Rear Admiral and Mrs.F.N.Attwood. Lieut.Commander and Mrs.H.P.Westmacott, Miss Jesser Coope, Mrs.C.Hardman-Jones and Commander and Mrs.E.C.Bindloss.
Other mourners included Rear-Admiral B.Bryant (also represenint the Admiralty), - - - continues - - - long list

---

Dora Ann Jones with horse in Dorset. 1954'ish

---

Wednesday 29 December 1954
Manchester Evening News

Admiral Sir Herbert Leopold Heath of Petworth, Sussex, who commanded the cruiser line at the Battle of Jutland, left (£78,779 net) . . .