HMS Speedy - Crew
Frederick Charles Cossey
 
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Fred Cossey HMS Speedy
 Fred Cossey, November 1942
Canteen Manager C/NX 2518


My father passed away in March 1998 and as he was spending time in hospital the family took to writing letters which was the only way to communicate. He had throat cancer.
 
Finding it difficult to write about day to day occurrences I went onto the internet and started just by sending images of the earth from space and various articles I thought he might find interesting. We had never as a family or as father to son talked about his time during the war. When I eventually typed in the HMS Speedy into Google everything started.  Dad started writing regularly and his comment to me in January 1998 was 'Chris, you've started me off on something now and given me a new purpose in life, Bless You'    I now wish we had started earlier.
 
Dad jotted notes down and disputes various dates that are on his service record.
 
His first ship was HMS Towy about 1941 and his second was HMS Oakham Castle these are I think a corvette and a frigate but not sure which is which.
 
He joined Speedy in April 1942 on Convoy PQ14. That returned to England after being damaged by pack ice. The ship was then readied for Malta on the 12th June 1942 ( Harpoon)? His notes mention a tanker called Kentucky that was sunk.
 
A convoy called Pedestal met in the Med mid August 1942 and escorted into Malta. His notes read: St Maria Convoy Maltese name.
 
Dad was invalided back home just before May 1943 via Gibraltar. His notes said that he was flown from Lagua on Malta in a Liberator Bomber called St Anthony. His comments are that he was scared stiff and almost pissed himself. ( His comments) The landing strip on Gibraltar was very short and planes had to be careful not to overrun.
 
One of the final comments he made was that he should have checked the dates more carefully years ago.
 
His final ship was HMS Peacock and he was on there for four days. 

Chris Cossey


"Oerlikon Deck HMS Speedy Sept"

     

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This site was last updated 17 Januar 2012