Sir Eric Dick Caldwell (6 July 1909 – 11 July 2000) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer. Educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, Caldwell entered the Royal Navy in 1934. He survived two torpedoings in the Second World War. After a succession of clinical appointments, he joined the Admiralty Medical Board in 1961. He was appointed

Surgeon Rear-Admiral In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

in 1963 and was then finally promoted to Surgeon Vice-Admiral in 1966, when he was appointed Medical Director-General (Naval), serving until he retired in 1969. On retirement, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the

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Early life

The son of a doctor, Caldwell was born in 1909. He attended the

, graduating

MB ChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 1933. He briefly worked in a casualty ward before supporting his father's work.N. Baldock
"Eric Dick (Surgeon Vice Admiral) Caldwell"
in Leon G. Fine, Sarah J. Gillam and W. Ian McDonald (eds), ''Munk's Roll: Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of London Continued to 2004'', vol. 11 (London: Royal College of Physicians, 2006), p. 91.

Military career

On 20 September 1934, Caldwell was commissioned into the

as a Surgeon Lieutenant. He served in the

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, at Portsmouth, in the Royal Marine Infirmary and on RFA ''Maine'', before a brief spell on HMS ''Royal Oak''; he survived the latter's sinking in 1939. He was promoted to Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander in 1940. In 1941, he was posted to HMS ''Prince of Wales'', and survived that ship's torpedoing as well. He was subsequently give a succession of clinical positions during the remainder of the Second World War, culminating in his appointed as principal medical officer on HMS ''Euroclydon'' in Malta. After further training, Caldwell served at the Royal Naval Hospital Hong Kong from 1947 to 1950; he was promoted to Surgeon

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 30 June 1949. He was awarded an MD in 1950. Caldwell then had positions at HMS ''Ganges'' (1950 to 1952) and

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

(1952 to 1955). From 1956 to 1958, he was the Senior Medical Specialist at the

Royal Naval Hospital Haslar The Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, which was also known as the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, was one of Britain's leading Royal Naval Hospitals (and latterly a tri-service MOD hospital) for over 250 years. Built in the 1740s, it w ...

."Obituaries"
'' Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh'', vol. 30 (2000), p. 362. He was promoted to Surgeon

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 31 December 1957. In 1958, he became Senior Medical Specialist to the Royal Navy families in Malta. He was appointed to the Admiralty Medical Board in 1961. He was promoted to

on 24 October 1963 and was also appointed an Honorary Physician to the Queen. From 1963 to 1966, he was Medical Officer in charge of the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth."Caldwell, Surg. Vice-Adm. Sir (Eric) Dick", ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It has been published annually in the form of a hardback book since 1849, and has been published online since 1999. It has also been published on CD-ROM. It lists, and gives information on, people from around ...

'' (online ed.,

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, 2023). Retrieved 19 December 2023. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in 1965. Caldwell was then finally promoted to Surgeon Vice-Admiral on 24 October 1966, and appointed Medical Director-General (Naval) in 1966, serving until he retired on 11 August 1969.
Supplement to The London Gazette
', 7 March 1969 (issue 44805), p. 2629. On retirement, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the

(KBE). He had, by that time, been elected a

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

in 1962 and a

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

in 1968.

Later life

Caldwell finally worked as Executive Director of the Medical Council on Alcoholism from 1970 to 1979. He died on 11 July 2000. His wife Margery Lee Abbott had predeceased him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Dick 1909 births 2000 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath