During the 2nd WW the ship was adopted by Beckenham, Kent. As the sister of Lt Cmdr P Vian (Later Admiral) – Marian Vian had a school in Beckenham named after her. Reg Morrison passed the 11 plus whilst attending in 1942. A plaque marking the adoption was put up in the town hall. This building was demolished in 1991 to make way for a supermarket. The area is now under the London Borough of Bromley.

HMS Cossack F03

Ships Company

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Pay Book Number: P/SSX 22490
Rank: Able Seaman

Remarks: Able Seaman. (LTO) P/SSX 22490. (Survivor discharged to HMS Victory taking passage in HMS Rodney) Lived in Brighton. Known to be a ‘Buzz-wallah’

Rank: Sub Lt.

Remarks: Sub Lt. September 1938 to March 1940?

Pay Book Number: P/JX 178947
Rank: Able Seaman
Relation: Wife Carole

Remarks: Able Seaman. P/JX 178947. 30 April 1940.
CPO’s Messman. (At BISMARCK action) (Wounded 23.10.41 – picked up by CARNATION and discharged to military hospital at Gibraltar and HMS Cormorant). Wife Carol.
Died of a tumour 13 August 2004. Cremated 2 September 2004. Wife Carole

Pay Book Number: P/JX153831
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Relation: Son of Clara Popple of Radford, Notts.

Remarks: Ordinary Seaman. P/JX153831. Onboard at January 1939. (Killed in the collision with SS Borthwick 7.11.39) Age 18. Son of Clara Popple of Radford, Notts. Buried in Seafield Cemetery Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rank: Ordinary Seaman

Remarks: Ordinary Seaman. October 1939 to March 1940? Aged 19 at the ALTMARK incident. Educated at St Joseph’s College Dumfries and lived at Crathie Avenue. Before joining the Navy in 1939 he was employed with Messrs Macknights Motors Ltd Dumfries and a member of the local cycling club. Died 1997

Remarks: Was serving onboard at Altmark incident. Rank and speciality not known

Rank: Stoker

Remarks: Stoker. October 1939 to March 1940?

Rank: Lt.
Relation: (Son of Admiral Sir Dudley Pound)

Remarks: Lt. (Son of Admiral Sir Dudley Pound) September 1938 to March 1940?

Rank: Petty Officer

Remarks: Petty Officer. January 1939 to March 1940?

Pay Book Number: P/JX 171834
Rank: Boy Seaman

Remarks: Boy Seaman. P/JX 171834. (Survivor discharged to HMS Victory taking transit in HMS Rodney)

Hidden Gems

The HMS Cossack 1938-1941 was accepted on 10 June 1938 and dented, whilst coming alongside the jetty in Portsmouth on 12 June 1938.

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1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

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1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

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1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

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1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

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1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

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1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

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