Year by Year
Discover the history of the HMS Cossack from 1944 to 1960.
You can search the ‘year’ and ‘month’ to find a specific date and also ‘click’ on the date itself to reveal any images and moments from that date.
31 March 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Hong Kong. I am so distressed to hear about Varyl and Duppy. I realy did think they were quietly and happly settled at Leckford for his retirement. But why, even if she is leaving him, does he leave Leckford? I always understood that he had the cottage there rent-free from Speedon Lewis………..Jinny and Judy ‘s visit to the Palace sounds to have been a success and I am glad you has a day out at the Ideal Home Exhibition. It sounded great fun and I remember the day Rosemary and I had there a couple of years ago when we brought the fridge and the Hoover, and I had grown up ideas about a washing machine!”
By kind permission of Peter Begg
17 April 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Hong Kong. Really life is hectic and I pine for life at sea….All in all it will be another month before we are on the move again. In the meantime, apart from the social whilrl, which itself is a burden, I have plenty to do organising the training of the local defence flotilla and liaising with the Army and RAF in local defence schemes. As usual there is a good deal of inertia to be overcome amongst the shore based staff who are apt to work strictly office hours and to naturally slightly resentful of the newcomer who wants to stir everthing up! On the other hand you will know that I am not prepared just to be a stooge and accept things without questioning them. So a good deal of “smoothing down” has to be carried out! However its great fun.
By kind permission of Peter Begg
10 May 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. ” Hong Kong. The papers make gloomy reading, but the world is in a mess and I fear neither a Conservative, a Labour nor a Communist government can alter the hard economic facts of the times: so there doesn’t seem to much point in worrying over circumstances which we can’t influence… . Here the social life continus quite unpreturbed by the fact that several hundred thousand citizens sitting on the otherside of an artificial border fiteen miles away might elect at anytime to step across!. My immediate home – the ship- is emerging from her repair period.
By kind permission of Peter Begg.
18 May 1951
Wikipedia – On 18 may 1951 COSSACK intercepted the cargo ship Nacy Moller off Hainan.China. The ship was carring a cargo of rubber bound for a Chineses port in contravention of a United Nations embargo. Nancy Moller was escorted back to Hong Kong. On 12 May 1951 Nancy Moller departed from Singapore bound for Whampoa, China. She was carring a cargo of 3,500 long tons (3,556 tons) of rubber destined for China in contravention of an export ban. On 18 May she was intercepted by HMS Cossack off Hainan island, China and escorted back to Singapore. The interception was carried our under Regulation 53 of the Emergency Powers Act ( Defence) Act 1939, which gave the British Government powers to requistion any ship on the British or Colonial register and order the ship to proceed as directed.. An agreement had been made between the British government and the governments of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore to limit exports of rubber to China to 2,500 long tons ( 2,540 tons) per month from 9 April 1951. The embargo was part of a United Nations embargo against China, which was supplying arms to Kim II-s Sung’s forces in the Korean War. Nancy Moller reached Singapore on 23 May. Her cargo was stated to be worth S$2,000,000 ( then £1,000,000). Her cargo had been covered by an export licence that had been issued before the embargo came into force.
22 May 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg “Hong Kong. We have been much upset in our programme by being sent off last Thursday night to intercept a ship called Nancy Moller which was carring rubber from Singapore to Hong Kong and tried to bolt to Communist China…. As I told R the one good thing of this jaunt is that we returned all our HK hospitality at no expense! – because last Saturday we had a cocktail party for nearly 200 people organised and we weren’t even there! And now there is no time to lay it on again. I could not be more delighted!”
By kind permission of Peter Begg
28 May 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “At sea. In many was it seems strange to be back or nearly back in thes northern waters. Although it is only two months today since we left it seems in many ways another life – as indeed it is! -and readjusting oneself to it takes a little doing. Today is also another anniversary as I have been in the ship nine months – half time! Which is quite a milestone, although apart from the family separation aspect I can still think of my job or any place which I would rather have or to be serving in.”
By kind permission of Peter Begg
17 June 1951
Extract from a letter sent home by Captain Begg. “Sasebo. We’ve had a busy time up the coast this last run and I was senior boy with a fleet which consisted of a cruiser, three destroyers ( self and two Americans) three frigates (Australian, New Zealand and British) two minesweepers and five motor launches. (South Korean)! – definately a United Nations party. I rather thnk I shall switch back to take over the blockading force again in a few days time. so you can see I am busy”
By kind permission of Peter Begg
