Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1954

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.’

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