Caldwell uncovered: Remembering the legacy of a New Zealand hero

The highly-decorated Air Commodore Keith ‘Grid’ Caldwell is regarded as the most celebrated New Zealand airman of the First World War, with his exploits touched upon in a number of airmen’s memoirs and historical accounts. Despite being an eminent candidate for a book, authors struggled to find enough comprehensive material beyond his wartime experiences.

While completing his 2017 book Fearless, which detailed the histories of New Zealand’s First World War aviators, Dr Claasen realised that Caldwell’s achievements warranted a biography.

“I already had enough sources to make a start from what I had collected for Fearless and supplemented it with materials from the Whanganui Collegiate School archive, the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Archives New Zealand and MOTAT,” he says. “Further investigations at British institutions, including The National Archives, the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, filled out the operational materials to determine where and what he was doing throughout the war.”

Dr Claasen aimed to present a well-rounded story of Caldwell’s life and says this was only made possible with the assistance of Caldwell’s family.

“His grandchildren were incredibly helpful and provided previously uncovered materials, including a collection of letters, old passports, financial records and photograph albums. One of the real delights occurred late in the writing process, when Caldwell’s granddaughter Deborah Stovell delivered a box that contained over two dozen letters written by Caldwell to his mother in the war that had never been seen before.”

The book highlights pivotal moments in Caldwell’s illustrious career, from his encounters with the best of the German air force, including the Red Baron’s Flying Circus and Werner Voss, to his command of the renowned 74 Squadron at the age of 22, a testament to his leadership and prowess.

“He was one of only two airmen on the entire Western Front selected to evaluate the arrival of one of the most dangerous machines in the Allied inventory, the Sopwith Camel. By his own standards, he would have said he was not the greatest marksman, though he did improve with time, and he certainly was in the top echelon of airmen,” Dr Claasen says.

“His 27 months of military air service is phenomenal when the lifespan for many was a matter of days. The slow, plodding training in New Zealand, his flying skills and a healthy dollop of luck were all factors in his survival,” he says.

The need to expand the section about Caldwell’s presence in the Second World War was a surprising revelation for Dr Claasen, who says he originally believed it would only require a chapter.

“I quickly realised the depth of Caldwell’s Second World War contributions warranted more attention. His command of Royal New Zealand Air Force Station Wigram was particularly fascinating, navigating challenges posed by the largest contingent of women in uniform in New Zealand’s military history and the difficulties arising from the interplay between military personnel and the local community.”

Delving into Caldwell’s civilian life, Dr Claasen underscores the transformative impact of the war on Caldwell’s trajectory and his eagerness to rush into uniform.

“Before the war, he was doing clerical work in a bank in Auckland, which was not to his liking. When he got his acceptance into the Walsh brothers flying school at Kohimarama, he joyously ripped off his tie and just walked off the job!”

Dr Claasen hopes this biography will revive Caldwell’s legacy for contemporary audiences.

“During his own lifetime, Caldwell was relatively well known, but in the decades that followed, his First World War generation and their achievements became less well remembered. I hope this book captures something of the man and his times and brings back to life the story of a remarkable New Zealander for a 21st century audience.”

Grid: The life and times of First World War Fighter Ace Keith Caldwell will be published by Massey University Press in August 2024. It will be available in bookstores nationwide and from the Massey University Press directly.

About the author

Dr Adam Claasen is a Senior Lecturer in History at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University. He is a Smithsonian Institute Fellowship grantee, a Fulbright Scholarship (Georgetown University) awardee and a Massey University research team medallist.

His research interests encompass the two World Wars, the New Zealand and ANZAC experience of war, war and society and military intelligence. He has authored several books, including Hitler’s Northern War: The Luftwaffe’s Ill-fated Campaign, 1940–1945, Dogfight: the Battle of Britain and Fearless: The Extraordinary Untold Story of New Zealand’s Great War Airmen.