Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1952

Diary of Lt. J.A. Heath-Caldwell RN – aged 21

January 1952

All through the last summer our diving experts were thinking of ways and means of raising the HMS Affray. In the end they decided that the salvage operation could not be undertaken for the following reasons.

A Financial considerations – special gear required.

B Interruption of the Royal Navy’s diving training programme

C Difficulties encountered by divers working in a 3-5 knot current, thus necessitating work only at periods of slack time.

D In my opinion lack of drive on the Senior Naval Officers part – drive against the Treasury, the Sea Lords and dive to find new ways and means.

E The depth of the Submarine – 258ft.

28^{th October 1952}

H.M.S. Loch Tralaig

I received a ‘buzz’ today from the Main Signals Office at H.M.S. "Sea Eagle" that a signal had arrived concerning my relief and my next appointment. I find these ‘buzzes,’ which affect my life most intimately, are thoroughly irritating – to say the least.

29th October 1952

H.M.S. Loch Tralaig – Received my appointment to H.M.S. Merlin – as Sub-Lieutenant of the ship. This was a little perplexing at first but I now assume that I am the Sub of the Gunroom there – or Senior Sub. This is not to my taste at all – however, that’s that.

In December, just before the Ship’s Company’s main leave period we sailed round the North of Scotland to Rosyth. The trip was not a pleasure cruise by any means because we ran into a NW gale as soon as we left the River Foyle, and after that we only had a period of comparative peace when we were in the shelter of the Outer Hebrides.

In the Pentland’s Firth the North Westerly gale continued to blow with the result that I had a bucket within easy reach of the binnacle on the bridge whenever I was on watch.

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I should have asked for transport. When I explained that it was not at all unusual, when joining ships or stations, to get official transport more especially on Sunday. I was informed that official transport had been available and that was that.

Having come from the most efficient ship in Plymouth Command (officially anyway) which worked with a well organised flotilla my first impressions of the R.N. Air Station Donibistle naturally were impressions of inefficiency and ‘slap-happiness.’ One officers name for the station was ‘Sleepy Hollow" – which was most appropriate, I thought, both physically and metaphorically, another name was ‘Happy Valley – due partly to the nature of the runways on the aerodrome itself which appear to be in a shallow valley. I was however glad to see that the ratings appeared to be fairly clean and happy as well which was one up to the station.

The Sub-Lieutenant of the Station, who I was relieving, painted a very grim picture of the life on the station. He intimated that his job was too small to be a really worth while employment for an executive junior Lieutenant or Sub-Lieutenant. He said further that it was difficult adjusting ones life to the life of a shore based naval flying officer – messing with other officers who appeared to be aviators first and naval seafaring officers second. Lastly, the impression I received of the general standard of the Midshipmen and acting Sub-Lieutenants, from the predecessor, was definitely not a good impression.

My impressions of the officers undergoing the course at the Pre-Flight Training School were mainly as follow:-

That they were definitely not the ‘cream’ of the nations manhood that they are always made out to be in the press. If they are then I am sorry for the English people.

Not withstanding my first conclusion, I think that those officers must be above average in most cases.

That the particular group of observers and pilots that I was first aquainted with were split up into cliques which were each subjected to the strong personalities of one or another of those in the cliques. These stronger personalities exerted an influence which I thought was not on the whole for the good of the group or the Royal Navy.

That there was, except for the personalities referred to above, a scarcity of strong characters or forceful characters. This conclusion may be wrong because it is written some time after these officers have left the Gunroom and, in any case, I was only living with them for four weeks.

My own impressions about my own job are as follows.

That I have never had such an opportunity for mental and physical recreation before.

That I like trying to teach people what I know is right – but I don’t like trying to teach things I consider to be wrong or badly preformed.

That my experience here will broaden my outlook in a great many ways. I had wanted to see the air question from every side and now having seen it form the trials and training carrier side; the A.C.R. the A.D.R. and the B.P.R. and Ops Room side; the Joint A/S School side, a very little from the Coastal Command side, I feel that I have a fairly good superficial and general idea of the air side – however a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing. I hope that this stage is only an opening stage. It is true to say that if one is eventually to know a lot about everything, and one must initially start with no knowledge about anything at all.

That if there is definitely a shortage of executive officers in the Royal Navy then my job could be dispensed with – my duties being carried out possibly by an officer on the staff of the P.F.T. who could instruct on flying matters as well as on mess matters.

This conclusion is reached observing that the size of the Gunroom is only 20 officers; that other officers on the staff of the P.F.T. have relatively little to do. Further I feel that I am ill fitted to instruct my fellow officers about mess life because I have never been in a normal mess which had time to devote itself to mess dinners and other mess functions.

As a Midshipman the routine of the Trials and Training carrier prevented the enjoyment of normal and unrelaxed mess lift – I dined once. As a Sub-Lieutenant I attended perhaps a dozen mess dinners and functions at H.M.S. Excellent, H.M.S. Vernon and H.M.S. Daedalus. Life in an A/S Frigate was crammed with variety and the life was hard – some of us did not even have mess undress – and we never dined once.

PRE-FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOL

Amended Forecast of Events. Nos.27 & 28 Courses.

Mon. 11th February – No. 27 Pilot’s Course join.

5 Act. S/Lt (A) R.N.V.R.

11 Mid. (A) R.N.V.R.

2 Mid. R.N.

25th Feb – 27th Feb – A Class Hand Tools Instruction at Caledonia

28th Feb – 1st March – B Class Hand Tools Instruction at Caledonia

Wed. 12th March – Commence Half Term examinations

P.M. Friday 14th March – Long week-end, subject to satisfactory progress

30th March – 14th April – Easter Leave Period

(inclusive)

Mon 5th May – Commence Final Examination

Wed. 7th May – End of Course Dinner

P.M. Friday 9th May – No.27 Course Leave Donibristle

P.M. Tuesday 13th May - No.27 Course join Syerston

Mon 19th May – Nos.28 and 29 Pilots Course join. (total approx. 19 officers)

Note on back- If the above points are observed there will be less friction or misunderstanding with higher authorities. It is emphasised however, that officers will be able to carry out then duties efficiently only if they make themselves conversant with the camp’s routine orders – daily and otherwise – and keep their fingers on the camps pulse.