Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1958 - 1960 - 1961

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Rev. Capt C.H.Heath-Caldwell DSO RN aged 70/71

Violet M.Heath-Caldwell aged 74/75

Patricia M.C.Heath-Caldwell aged 39/40

Diana Charlton - (Danny) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 38/39

Rosalind Attwood - (Ros) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 34/35

J.A. Heath-Caldwell (NZ) aged 29/30

D.A.Heath-Caldwell (NZ) (ne Jones) aged 24/25

Vice Admiral Alexander Palmer ADC, DSO, OBE, RN. aged 79/80

Irving Palmer OBE, RN.

Lady Genesta Hamilton (ne Heath) aged 60/61

Madeline Marion de Salis (ne Heath) aged 66/67

Rosamond Heath (Posy) aged 65/88

Rev. Frederick M.T. Palmer aged 72/73 Maitland NSW

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Wednesday 6 April 1960
Newcastle-under-Lyme Times

Peeps into the Past
by R.D.Woodall
One hundred and seventy-five years ago Josiah Spode opened the first important London showroom for the products of the Spode factory in Fore Street, Cripplegate. Josiah Spode who helped to introduce bone porcelain into Staffordshire and who made a great name for himself with his underglaze blue printing, was then at the height of his powers. Born in 1733, Josiah Spode came from a family which had long been settled at Biddulph.

When he was apprenticed to Thomas Whieldon, a well known master potter, in 1749, his wages in the first year were 2/3 a week. In those days grinders received about 7/- weekly, throwers, handlers and painters from 9/- to 12/- weekly, while women received from 5/- to 8/-. When he became a master potter himself, Spode experimented widely.
Musician - In his spare time he had time for music. He is said to have been an expert violinist while his son Josiah was a good flute player. This musical gift was inherited by his great-grandson Josiah who died in 1893. He lived at Hawkesyard Priory near Rugeley and it is said that he was an organist and his butler choirmaster at the local parish church, before he became a Roman Catholic. When in 1847 the organ case and carving by Bird, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, were thrown out of Eton College Chapel, he acquired it for Hawkesyard Priory chapel.

Opponent of Taxes. Josiah Spode II, who took over his father's business in 1797, lived at the palatial "The Mount" in Penkhull. Besides introducing felspar into the body of Spode porcelain and developing the sale of stone china, he was an ardent supporter of William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister during the early part of the long French Revolutionary Wars and in 1811 emerged as a violent opponent of a proposed tax on earthenware as a means of paying for the war against Napoleon.

In those days a variety of new taxes were introduced including taxes on hair powder, which led to most people ceasing to wear wigs, taxes on carriages, horses, plate glass, windows, dogs and even bricks. The protests of Josiah Spode and of his friend James Caldwell of Linley Wood carried weight in London and the tax was dropped. As a result Spode and Caldwell each received a hundred guineas from the Staffordshire potters to buy a piece of commemorative plate.

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11 April 1960
Letter - J.Heath-Caldwell, No.3 R.D., Stratford (Taranaki, New Zealand)
to - Captain C.H.Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England.

Dear Pop,
The Bank Manager - a new one at the bank here - has asked me to get hold of my Royal Insurance Company Insurance Certificate. This is held, I think, by Lloyds Bank at Dorchester. The insurance policy is their security on the overdraft which is to be used to buy the rest of our stock. I think that is quite in order.

I don't foresee any difficulty in paying back your mortgage in sterling. Here I am just getting estimates etc for putting in power to a pump at the end of the farm. The back of the farm - though possessing a well - it did have a petrol pump there- has nothing else. If a petrol motor was installed a reservoir would have to be installed also - that would be the best part of £70. Altogether electricity offers the best set up and will also be more convenient.

Other things are receiving attention, ie., shed, troughs, alkathene pipes, bridge, etc.
The car's tyres are now in need of a re-tread, before we have to get completely new tyres. The (retread?) tyres would make it sell better too I think. Really after its been properly polished on outside, it looks very flash.

Both H.D. and J.J. continue to thrive here. They don't get half so dirty as they used to. The house, by the way, is better than Ivan's, I think it is as good as the Ganders for whom we worked. When you see it you'll agree I think.
Hope you are all well.
With love, Jimmy

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20 April 1960
Letter 
From - J.A.Heath-Caldwell, No.3 R.D., Stratford, (Taranaki, New Zealand)
To - Captain C.H.Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England

Dear Daddy,
Thank you for your letter of the 12th April - about the mortgage.
As we have now transferred our banking to the Bank of N.S.W. Stratford, could you send the mortgage there - your proposal does suit us thank you very much.
Today Dora and I have been busy concreting the bridge here. The approaches - 5' either side - we've covered to a depth of about 8" - and re-inforced it. This has been to hold the bridge together and make it a bit stronger for the tanker upon it comes every day at about 7.am.

The next door neighbour has lent us his concrete mixer and is very helpful indeed.
On Friday we have the top dresser in again - via the neighbour's farm so that the bridge can have a fortnight's rest and the concrete can set.

At the cow shed I have nearly built the tank stand - partition is completed and it should be done completely inside very soon. Outside a certain amount of excavations have still got to be done - by a neighbour's bulldozer. This will provide a place for the tanker to come alongside the milk room - and provide a loading ramp for cattle right next door to the shed.
The 34 heifers will be with us by the end of the month - as the farmer who has got them at the moment is short of keep for his sheep - due to the rather dry season.
The pump which supplies the farm with water is a 500 gals/hour pump - that is a large one and it will be quite big enough to supply the whole farm plus the house and cow shed. Polythene pipe will be put in with a mole plough to take the water to where it is required - soon I hope.

The forage harvester should arrive any day now and is regarded as being a good model - many improvements having been incorporated in the model.

Dora's Ma has met ladies of the W.I. here and they are off to a big W.I. do here next week. Mrs.B. is off to Auckland in a week or so to visit W.I.'s at Auckland - she is certainly getting about.

There is a waiting list for the local Farm Improvement Club. These clubs - which have a membership of 25 - 50 farms - have a technical adviser who makes it his duty to keep his 20-50 farmers up to date in farming technology. This means that one does not have to rely on the somewhat biased advice of stock and station agents all the time. These blokes are all very well but they can, of course, only sell those things which their agency has in stock.

Anyway on Friday there is some sort of demonstration near here run by the local Farm Improvement club and I have been invited to attend. On the same day I'll have a look at the herd of cows out at Toko - and the heifers.
Hope you are all well
With love, Jimmy

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Sunday 8 May 1960
Letter - J.A.Heath-Caldwell, 17 Salisbury Road, Tuna, No.3 R.D., Stratford
To - Mrs.C.H.Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England

Dear Mummy,
Thank you very much indeed for the pyjamas and the sweater or windsheater which is just what we were talking about the other day. The jumper is a very good, washable kind for use on the farm - after I've worn it for best for a bit.

Here we have had a few light frosts and winter is only just round the corner. However the weather has been very pleasant throughout April during which time we didn't even get a full inch of rain. It was, as usual, a record breaking month for the weather. The dry, has, of course, not encouraged the grass to grow, but is has enabled me to get at move on with putting in 16 new water troughs on the farm. So far I've put in and connected up 8, so have got another 8 to put in place and connect up to water pipes.

Putting in the pipe is no trouble with tractor and plough but I find the most difficult part is putting in the connections - having to heat up the plastic pipe, then jam it onto brass connections like this (sketch) Invariably the hose pipe gets cold before I can push it onto the connectors and of course it is then no longer pliable. To heat the pipe up I take round with me a cylinder of acetylene and a burner and heat up a small aluminium jug of water like this . (sketch) Anyway I'm gradually getting things connected up.
Having got the water round the farm we are then going to alter the paddocks a bit to make them all a little smaller, using electric fences.

Last Sunday, when I wrote no letters to anybody, Dora and I arrived at a farm near Inglewood at 6.30am and collected our 34 heifers which had been on grazings there. It was only just getting light and we couldn't see properly to count them, however, as it got lighter we counted 34 of them. Dora then returned 14 miles to home and got Hilary and Jeremy up and I drove the heifers through Inglewood when everybody was in bed - because nothing stirred anywhere and I saw no signs whatever of human beings. I drove them through the centre of the town after a little high jinx when they decided to get loose just in the county council road depot, then in the High School grounds over a low wall and then into the back yard of a garage near the centre of the town.

Traffic started to get thicker round about 8 o'clock on the main Auckland-Wellington road between Inglewood and Stratford. Dora met us at Tariki with the children in the car - at about 9.am. with some sandwiches for me. From then on all was plain sailing as Colin Troubridge turned up. I might say that I owed most to Bell, our old sheep dog bitch who took everything in her stride and brought up the rear - I lead walking in the middle of the road.

We all got back here for lunch at 1 o'clock. The 34 heifers had fresh grass and chou-moellier. That was the main event of the last 2 weeks.
Love to all - Jimmy

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Tuesday 14 June 1960
Belfast News Letter

96 Years Ago - The Belfast Central Railway
Little did the promoters of the Belfast Central Railway in 1864 think that nearly a century later their little station in Oxford Street, which they tried so hard to make into a Central Railway Station for Belfast, should become an important station for road transport. - - -

In 1872 a new board of directors obtained powers to take over the Central Railway, and to complete the works raised a further FFFF150,000 capital. The members of this board lived in or near London and included Sir Thomas Dakin, Leadenhall Street, London, Sir Leopold Heath K.C.B., Anstie Grange, Surrey, Sir Henry M.Jackson Bt. and three other landed gentry. The Chairman was Mr.Alexander Young, 41 Coleman Street, London E.C.

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hursday 23 June 1960
Portsmouth Evening News
Reward for Brooch
A reward of £85 has been offered for a brooch valued at £850, lost in the West End of London by Lady Claud Hamilton, wife of Captain Lord Claud Hamilton Extra Equerry to the Queen.

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Tuesday 20 September 1960
Express and Echo.

R.D. & E. beat Exeter City Hospital in tennis final
In the annual knock-out tennis tournament, open to nursing staffs of the hospitals in the Exeter and Mid-Devon Group of hospitals, results were: Round one (best of three sets) Exeter City Hospital (Misses Heath-Caldwell and McArdle) beat Tiverton and District Hospital, (Miss Cooper and Mr.Compton) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.  - - - 

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19 November 1960
Letter - DAHC, Avon Maternity Hospital, Stratford, (Taranaki, New Zealand)
To - Captain and Mrs.C.H.Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England

Dear Mama and Papa,
Another wee grandson (Micheal Daniel HC) for you, a bit bigger than the last, and much darker. I'll try to get a photograph of him as soon as possible. I have sent off another box of slides to my mother - there are more of Jimmy on them so I hope she'll be able to borrow the projector and pay you a visit.

So pleased that the floods didn't affect you, we were a bit worried each time we heard the B.B.C. news. The weather here is gradually getting warmer and warmer so hope we get a good summer.

Jimmy is very pleased with his forage harvester - I've had a go on it too - a bit noisy but it does the job very well and seems to have very little to go wrong with it. The tractor is very comfortable to drive and even in my advanced state I felt no jarring.
Hilary and Jeremy are as full of life as ever, Hilary walks (inside?) with Heidi (dog) and goes off with Jim whenever he can manage with her. She seems to be very strong in mind and limb and growing steadily taller. Yesterday she picked me some flowers and sent them in with Jim - bless her. She loves flowers and I have shown her the ones which she can pick and how to pick them with long stems, when she has enough she sits down at the table and arranges them one by one in a pot - far more artistically than I can and gives them to one or other of us to put out or reach of J.J.

She's just longing to see the new baby. I don't know what his lordship will think of his new brother - knowing J.J. he'll probably just screw up his nose and look the other way - he really is a dear wee chap. Mrs.Rogers says she's never met any child so determined to go his own way.

Poor old Tito, I bet you miss him a lot, it's hard to imagine the Pound House without Tito, he seemed to be part and parcel of it. What a ripe old age he's lived to - he must have been very well cared for. Will you be getting another cat. Our Smokey is still with us - she lies mainly in the cowshed but has a bad habit of climbing telephone poles - alright in the day time when we can see that it's the cat but at night it is hard to tell the difference between her and an opossum, so if she doesn't mend her ways she's likely to get shot at. Jim shot an opossum in the middle of the night a week or so ago. The dogs had chased it up to the top of the garage doors and as it was bright moonlight he was able to get a good aim. It was quite the most moth-eaten 'possum I've seen - they usually have beautiful coats. In shooting it he also made a couple of holes in the garage but they can be patched up.

Everything is going well in the garden which is a good thing as we were very short of vegetables. Our first peas will soon be ready and so will the lettuce. I managed to get the hedges cut before I came in here - they grow with an alarming rapidity. I also managed to somehow break the lawnmower so I'll probably find a hayfield waiting when I get back. I could always put the forage harvester over it if it got too long.
Been doing lots of sewing lately - Hilary is a great morale-booster where my sewing is concerned as she adores pretty dresses and new clothes and seems to think that everything I make is just wonderful.
Our love to you all,
Dora and Jimmy

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24 December 1960
Letter - from JAHC, No.3 R.D., Stratford
to Captain C.H.Heath-Caldwell R.N., The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England

Dear Pa and Ma,
We hope this finds you recovered from the Christmas surfeits of goose, plum pudding, etc. It should be a more comfortable Christmas anyway, with the oil heating now showing its benefits.

Here we have just had a cold and dry spell - which was just like a return to winter. We haven't had any really rainy weather now for about 2-3 months and the grass stopped growing altogether at the beginning of the month. However the cows, though affected seem to have recovered their form. The calves have certainly benefited from the dry, we now have 31 - including 6 bought a week ago and 1 bull and 1 steer. The bought calves were injected with anti-black-leg serum yesterday and as they were scouring badly we guessed it could have been caused by worms as we drenched them with planothiozine so that if it is indeed caused by worms they'll not spread to the rest of the 25 which all look very well.

The race, which was completed by the bulldozer in October is proving to be just what was wanted. It was made quite wide enough for double traffic - not that it'll ever be used to that extent, and the grade is good. It does bring the back of the farm within easy range of the cow shed instead of being over the hill and far away.

We intend, over the next few years, to get many of the numerous small gulleys flattened by bulldozer - so that paddocks, that can at the moment only be grazed and which are difficult for either making hay in or cropping - without waster ground all round, can be made with easy contours.

To this end we are felling 3 groups of pine trees, now 32 years old by the rings and mature for milling and the gulleys which they are growing can then be dealt. We intend to plant poplars as breaks instead - they are more efficient really this purpose because they grow quickly and easy to grow from cuttings. The wind breaking of clumps of pine tress is not good - the (wind?) simply whistles around them and further more are shallow rooting and sour the ground and (around?) it too. Anyway I am looking forward to hearing from you that you are thinking of coming out here once more to have a look at your bit of empire. We are settled now.

About the farm. It is intended the season after next to be milking about 80 and we think that we ought to be able to stock up to about 90-100 but that any larger numbers to be carried would entail finding somewhere else to put the heifers and (fallows?). Our farm improvement club adviser wants us to go in for pigs so that we don't have all our eggs in one basket, and he wants us to do this within 2-3 years because he thinks that if we don't do it within this time all available supplies of whey from the factory will have been ear marked by other would be pig farmers.

If we do go in for pigs we shall have to build pig fattening houses for about 400 pigs per year at the min., because it will have to be worked by labour - which also means building a house. I have not yet gone into this thoroughly, but have a rough idea how we should build using existing sheds.

Anyway we hope you'll be able to see your way to getting out here some time in the not too far distant future. Come sensibly in comfort - and don't rush here and rush away again to dig spuds.
Love to all, Jim and Dora.

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Wednesday 28 December 1960
Newcastle-under-Lyme

Peeps into the Past
by R.D.Woodall
At this season, when every house is littered with Christmas cards, it is the unique which attract our attention. One of the most interesting ever sent in recent years was that sent by Ald.F.T.Brant J.P., who then lived in Lawton Avenue, Church Lawton, when he was Mayor of Newcastle in 1946

Besides containing a list of the Newcastle Charters from 1173 to 1685, it contained a list of the Honorary Freemen of Newcastle. Amongst those admitted to the roll of Freemen of Newcastle have been prominent figures like Sir Archibald MacDonald who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, James Caldwell of Linley Wood, Recorder of Newcastle; King George IV; John Evelyn Denison, Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Arthur Seale Haslem M.P. for Newcastle and Mayor from 1901 till 1903. - - -