Keith Logan "Grid" Caldwell, MC, DFC, MiD, Croix de guerre, was a New Zealand fighter ace of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I who also rose to the rank of Air Commodore in World War II. Military Cross The Military Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army, and formerly also to officers of the armies of other Commonwealth countries, for distinguished and meritorious services in battle. ... UK DFC medal The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations... Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... A flying ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire French Empire Italy Russian Empire Kingdom of Serbia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Nikolay II Nikolay Yudenich Radomir Putnik Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Franklin Roosevelt Joseph Stalin Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000...

Early life

Born in Wellington 16 October 1895, the son of David Robert Caldwell and his wife Mary Dunlop nee McKerrow, Caldwell moved with his family to Auckland as a child, where his father started a manufacturing and importing company. He was educated at Kings College and Wanganui Collegiate School. A tall slim man, noted for his grey eyes, Caldwell was also sporting minded, enjoying success at golf and tennis. After leaving school, on the eve of war, he worked as a bank clerk. Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke in Māori) is the capital of New Zealand, the countrys second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Auckland Metropolitan Area, or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... There are a number of institutions known as Kings College: Kings College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge Kings College London, a college of the University of London Kings College School, a school originally founded to feed the London university college. ... Introduction The Wanganui Collegiate School is an independent, coeducational, mixed day and boarding secondary school. ...

World War I

On the outbreak of war in 1914 Caldwell joined the territorial army, but when he attempted to enlist in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force destined for Gallipoli he was declined. He paid £100 to join the first class at the New Zealand Flying School in October 1915, where he learned to fly on the Walsh Brothers Flying Boats. He referred to aircraft as "grids", (or bicycles), a habit which earned him his nickname. A quick learner, he passed his flight tests in December 1915. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire French Empire Italy Russian Empire Kingdom of Serbia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Nikolay II Nikolay Yudenich Radomir Putnik Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar... The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military expedition sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain in World War I. Upon the outbreak of war, New Zealand immediately offered to provide two brigades — one of infantry and one of mounted troops — a total of 8... Satellite image of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding area Gallipoli, called Gelibolu in modern Turkish, (Greek: Καλλίπολις), is a town in northwestern Turkey. ...

Caldwell sailed for England in January 1916, being commissioned by the RFC in April. On 29 July 1916 he was posted to No. 8 Squadron RFC flying BE2Cs and Ds on observation duty. On 18 September 1916, flying a BE2D, he and his observer shot down a Roland CII. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... No. ... The Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2 (Blériot Experimental) was the first military aircraft put into service by Britain. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

No. 60 Squadron RFC

In November he transferred to 60 squadron flying Nieuport 17 fighters. In February 1917 he was promoted to Captain. By September when the unit converted to SE5As Caldwell had scored further victories, all against Albatros. He received the Military Cross on 17 September, by which time he had added his first victory in an SE5A. The citation read; "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when leading offensive patrols. On one occasion he led a patrol of five machines against twelve hostile aircraft, all of which he drove down out of control. He has personally destroyed five hostile machines, and has had over fifty contests in the air, in all of which he has displayed splendid skill and fearlessness, and has set an excellent example to his squadron." The Nieuport 17 was a biplane fighter aircraft manufactured by Nieuport, and prominent during the World War I era. ... The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. ... Look up Albatros on Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the article on the bird, see albatross The name Albatros may refer to— the sailing vessel Albatros which sank on May 3, 1961, due to a white squall and prompted the U.S. Sailing School Vessels Act of 1982. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ...

In October 1917 he was posted back to England as an instructor.

No. 74 Squadron RAF

In March 1918 he was promoted to major and given command of 74 “Tiger” squadron equipped with SE5]As, which he took to France on 30 March. The squadron claimed 200 aircraft in the remaining eight months of the war. Caldwell fought his last combat on 30 October 1918, claiming his 9th Fokker D.VII. Altogether he is credited with 24 or 25 German aircraft destroyed, depending on the source. Virtually all of his victims were scouts. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1918, the citation being "A fine fighting airman of courage and determination. On 4th September, when on offensive patrol, he, in company with another machine, attacked four Fokker biplanes; one of these was driven down by this officer. He has accounted for five enemy machines." No. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in leap years). ... Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII The D.VII was a late World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz at the Fokker company. ... UK DFC medal The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations...

Although never shot down, he once survived a mid air collision, nursing his crippled aircraft to ground level before climbing out of the cockpit and jumping clear as it crashed. Caldwell fought inconclusive dogfights with German Aces Werner Voss and Herman Becker. A natural pilot with excellent eyesight and a talent for finding enemy aircraft, Caldwell's weakness was that as a poor shot, he frequently was unable to destroy the aircraft he engaged - a flaw that stopped him joining the first rank of Allied aces in which he moved. He knew James McCudden, flew with Albert Ball in 60 Squadron, flew with and commanded Mick Mannock in 74 squadron. Werner Voss (April 13, 1897–September 23, 1917) was a World War I German fighter pilot and ace. ... McCuddens grave. ... Albert Ball, standing in front of his Nieuport 11. ... Major Edward Corringham Mick Mannock (VC, DSO and 2 bars, MC and bar) (24 May 1887–26 July 1918) was an English First World War flying ace and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. ...

A common story is that, while an instructor, Caldwell disciplined Mannock for “showboating” in a DH2 – and then chose the talented pilot for his squadron. This appears chronologically implausible, although Caldwell obviously admired Mannock and may have hand picked him. Caldwell also criticised Mannock for shooting two German airmen who had crash landed behind Allied lines. He wrote: "The Hun crashed but not badly, and most people would have been content with this – but not Mick Mannock. He dived half a dozen times at the machine, spraying bullets at the pilot and observer, who were still showing signs of life . . . On being questioned as to his wild behaviour after we had landed, he heatedly replied, 'the swines are better dead – no prisoners for me!'".

Post War life

Transferred to the Unemployed List of the RAF on 17 July 1919, Caldwell returned to New Zealand in August 1919. After a year working for his father he bought a farm at Glen Murray in the Waikato. On 16 May 1923 he married Dorothy Helen Gordon, (the sister of ace Frederick Gordon), and had two daughters and two sons. July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Glen Murray (born October 27, 1957) is a politician who was formerly the mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Caldwell maintained his interest in aviation, being a founding member and first club captain of the Auckland Aero Club, and commanding the part time territorial division of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force (renamed the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1934) from 1930 to 1937 . Formed after World War I, as a mostly part time organisation, manned by New Zealand pilots who had served in the war. ... The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the air force arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ...

World War II

During the Second World War he served in the RNZAF, as station commander at Woodbourne near Blenheim and later Wigram at Christchurch, before being posted to India in 1944 and England in 1945, where he was promoted to acting Air Commodore, achieving full rank in 1946. Caldwell was awarded a bar to his DFC, and in addition to his MC was twice mentioned in dispatches and received the Croix de Guerre from Belgium. He was made a Commander of the British Empire. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Franklin Roosevelt Joseph Stalin Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000... Woodbourne is a census-designated place located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. ... Blenheim may refer to a number of towns and cities in different countries: Blenheim, a city in New Zealand. ... Wigram is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. ... Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the third largest urban area in the country. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross...

Later Life

Caldwell retired from the RNZAF in 1956. After the war he farmed in the South Auckland area, retiring to live in Auckland in 1970. He died of cancer at Auckland on 28 November 1980. November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

External links

• New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum, Wanaka.
• Biography
• Dictionary of New Zealand Biography