Varyl Begg
| Sir Varyl Begg | |
|---|---|
Rear Admiral Varyl Begg in 1957
|
|
| Born |
1 October 1908 Kensington, London |
| Died | 13 July 1995 (aged 86) Headbourne Worthy, Hampshire |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1926–73 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands held |
First Sea Lord Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth British Far East Command HMS Triumph HMS Cossack |
| Battles/wars | Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Mentioned in Despatches (2) Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malaysia) |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Cargill Begg GCB, DSO, DSC, KStJ (1 October 1908 – 13 July 1995) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Second World War as gunnery officer in a cruiser taking part in the North Atlantic convoys, the Norwegian campaign and the occupation of Iceland and then as gunnery officer in a battleship operating in the Mediterranean Fleet during the Battle of Cape Matapan. After that he commanded a destroyer during the Korean War and was Commander-in-Chief of Far East Command during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in the late 1960s. In that role he vehemently opposed plans to introduce large new aircraft carriers and instead managed to persuade the British Government to develop the design for three small "through-deck cruisers".
Born the son of Francis Cargill Begg and Muriel Clare Begg (née Robinson), Begg was educated at St Andrew's School, Eastbourne and Malvern College, before joining the navy as a special entry cadet in September 1926. Promoted to midshipman on 1 September 1927, he was posted to the cruiser HMS Durban on the China Station in October 1927 and then to the battleship HMS Marlborough in the Atlantic Fleet in April 1929. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 1 November 1929 and to lieutenant on 1 December 1930, he joined the cruiser HMS Shropshire in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1931 before training as a gunnery specialist at the shore establishment HMS Excellent in 1934. After qualifying in gunnery, he was then made second gunnery officer of the battleship HMS Nelson, flagship of the Home Fleet, in December 1934 before returning to HMS Excellent in 1936. He was appointed flotilla gunnery officer in the destroyer HMS Cossack in November 1937 and, having been promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 December 1938, he became gunnery officer of the 6-inch (152 mm) gun cruiser HMS Glasgow in June 1939.
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