had added his first victory in an S.E.5. The citation, published in The London Gazette, read: In October 1917 he was posted back to England as an instructor. No. 74 Squadron RAF In February 1918 Caldwell was elevated to the rank of major and appointed commander of No. 74 Squadron, which was equipped with the S.E.5. He took the squadron to France the following month, and, based at Clairmarais, it flew its first sortie on 12 April. Caldwell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in December, 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." Although never shot down, he once survived a mid air collision with another pilot of No. 74 Squadron, Sydney Carlin, 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 flying aces Werner Voss and Hermann 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 ranks of top Allied aces in which he moved. One of the squadron's flight commanders was flying ace Mick Mannock, and Caldwell thought highly of his tactical skills when engaging opposing aircraft. He also criticised Mannock; after the Briton killed two German airmen who had crash landed behind Allied lines, 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!'". Under Caldwell's command, No. 74 Squadron claimed a creditable 140 aircraft destroyed and 85 'out of control' for a modest 15 pilots killed or prisoner. Caldwell fought his last combat on 30 October, claiming a Fokker D.VII fighter, his ninth aerial victory over this type of aircraft. Altogether he is credited with 11 aircraft destroyed, 2 shared destroyed, 1 shared captured, and 10 and 1 shared 'out