This Newsletter Will Be Slightly Shorter Than Normal Since We Shall Be Sending out The

NEWSLETTER No. 4/2004

This newsletter will be slightly shorter than normal since we shall be sending out the booking forms for the next reunion with it, as well as a slop chit. Unfortunately, with the high cost of postage these days it is necessary to compensate for the extra weight of those by an equivalent number of pages to keep it down to normal 2nd class postage. One extra page would cost another 14p per newsletter. However, we hope that there’ll still be sufficient to keep you interested.

This may not reach you in time to read over your Xmas pud but, if not, it should be there before the New Year. Either way, I hope you have a good time whatever you do.

Peter

The Chairman’s Message

Shipmates.

As our Secretary, Peter, told you in the last newsletter, we have moved (he says that I only move to get new rubber stamps and give him the hump). No, but seriously I did not know what was ahead for us both (Pat & I). Three weeks after moving in Pat had a stroke. It was as quick as a light switch being switched off. Long story cut short, I had Pat in hospital locally, checked out and on her way in an ambulance to the General Hospital in Boston, Lincs in 2 hours (in the next N/L I’ll tell you how I did it). It is called bypassing the system and, if you are ever in a medical crisis, what I did may help.

Pat is home and improving well but I am now Captain of the Heads and the Galley and of the Cleaning Parties (Cooking, Floor Cleaning and Washing). I moaned and said to Pat, “This is a rough hand I’ve got”. She smiled, asked for tea and replied, “Yes, it’s called marriage!!!”

Have a good Christmas and a happy New Year. Regards,

George

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This is not a circular

Did you notice the cartoon character holding up the rectangular notice printed on the envelope? Our thanks go to Frank Riding for that. He drew it on the envelope of a letter he sent to the Secretary. The Sec thought it good and asked Frank for permission to use it on our envelopes.

Frank, an Associate member, didn’t serve in the Cossacks but he did serve as a Writer on Admiral Philip Vian’s staff and became a lifetime devotee.

Membership Matters

Recruiting

Trying to recruit new members can be a very hit and miss affair. We target a number of publications including “Service Pals” on Teletext, The British Legion, The Navy News, etc. but how wide an audience we reach is difficult to say. Recently George Toomey, our Chairman, decided to send an advertisement to “Yours” magazine which is aimed at the older generation. He happened to see a copy of it in a newsagents and thought it worth a try.

By the time the advertisement went into the magazine George had moved house and, despite having mail addressed to G. Toomey re-directed by Royal Mail, he received a phone call from the people who bought his old house asking him what he wanted done with the letters addressed to Mr. T. Chairman. Intrigued, George went round and collected the letters. He found that they were replies to the notice in “Yours” magazine! Dashing off to the newsagents he bought a copy of the latest issue and read what the item actually said. Please get in touch if you have served on HMS Cossack. T. Chairman, 29 Sunningdale Drive, Chapel St. Leonards …. Evidently the sub-editor had tried to reduce the size of the notice and reduced “G. Toomey, Chairman, HMS Cossack Association, 29 Suningdale ….. to that. The surprising thing was that two of the replies were from our members. On the other hand, we did get a couple of new members from it!

Membership

Four new members have joined us since the last newsletter in September. They are:

S/M C.P. Chappell Mechanician 1st Class D57 1956-57

S/M T.J.S. Wesley Stoker Mechanic D57 1955-56

S/M R.J. Card Ord./Able Seaman D57 1957-58

Mr. J.A. Simmons Associate Member Nephew of Boy 1st class G.F. Simmons killed in L03 23/10/41

We have unfortunately lost another one of our shipmates and his obituary is given below.

Our total membership is now 285 (186 Full/Life members, 93 Associate members and 6 Honorary members).

Obituary

The late Captain I.R. Bowden, RN

In the last newsletter we reported on the death of S/M Captain I.R. Bowden, RN (D57 1953-55). S/M Commander Crosbie wrote to say that he and Rodney Bowden served together in Cossack for 18 months during which time he proved to be a great asset professionally, socially and on the games field. He went on to say that as ship’s Gunnery and Cable Officers we successfully carried out bombardments and a series of moor ship in Borneo rivers - failures, if any, have been forgotten.

He also told us that Rodney Bowden also had a period as the Commander of HMY Britania and was a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order (LVO).

S/M Nigel Lester also wrote to say how sad he had been at hearing of the death. He said that in his time in Cossack he had quite a lot of dealing with Lt. Cdr. Bowden as he used to look after the radar and nav aids. One night the ship was somewhere well east of Japan when he got the Loran to finally work. It had never worked since Nigel had joined the ship so with great triumph he asked Lt.Cdr. Bowden for the ship’s position. They slightly disagreed so the Navigating Officer volunteered to check with the US ship with which they were sailing in company and the Loran was right! He accepted the result in a very gentlemanly way. “I think his position was by dead reckoning as it was late into the evening, or he had been in the Wardroom too long! Anyway we got on well together after that”.

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Help & Advice

You may remember from the last newsletter that we never actually succeeded in getting help for Carole Poole when Ron was very ill. Geoff Scarlett asked SSAFA to investigate what went wrong but, sad to say, that we ended up with what seems to be the inevitable response these days - “There was a failure in communication”. Geoff was also asked to give us a write up of how best to get help when it’s needed. We are all getting on now and who can tell who will need help next? Anyway, Geoff has written down a few words of advice and they are given below.

REGULATIONS, REGULATIONS, REGULATIONS!

also known as

HELP, HELP, HELP!

By S/M Geoff Scarlett

As with all of you I was very sad to hear that Ron Poole had passed over the bar but also extremely frustrated to learn that some of the charities close to the Royal Navy had apparently failed to give the appropriate help when required.

In particular I have great respect for the work of SSAFA – now properly known as SSAFA Forces Help following the amalgamation of the two charities a couple of years ago. When I left the Andrew some 24 years ago my first civilian job was as the Chief Accountant of SSAFA and I am now working in a voluntary capacity as the Treasurer and as a Caseworker of the Petersfield Division of SSAFA Forces Help.

Just to set the scene, outside of Central Office in London, the SSAFA Forces Help branch network in the UK consists of some 7,000 volunteers broadly aligned to the County and Local Council boundaries. They and their counterparts in the Royal British Legion in general undergo a standard training programme organised in a number of locations throughout the country.

Without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the training is the assimilation of the plethora of regulations attaining to statutory entitlement to the numerous state benefits. Briefly, going through a small publication, I counted 26 separate benefits (and I don’t expect this is the limit) most of which were further sub-divided by additonal considerations. “Regulations, Regulations, Regulations!”

So, where do we go to seek “ Help, Help, Help?”

In attempting to answer this question and in deference to most of us being of “advanced age” this article refers largely to those of us drawing their State Pension. As a SSAFA Forces Help volunteer this sector provides me with 99% of my work. But don’t discount the younger person – they often require as much help.

To my mind there should be no better start than contacting your local SSAFA Forces Help organisation; their telephone number can be found in the local telephone directory or Yellow Pages or on the Internet – www.ssafa.org.uk. Remember, the sole criterion to obtaining SSAFA/FH help, whether advisory or financial, is that the customer has served one day or more in the Armed Forces.

However, as I stated earlier, statutory entitlement poses its own problems. Indeed, SSAFA Forces Help Volunteers are exorted that, as a first step, all entitlement to state benefit is ensured. The SSAFA/FH representative may well suggest that contact is first made with the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). CAB representatives are well versed in these matters and have a stock of the multitudinous, complex and lengthy forms required to make any necessary application for benefits. Should the problem be one of state pension (now known as Pensions Credit) then contact with the Pensions Credit Helpline (0800 99 1234) is also highly advisable. In my own dealings with this organisation I have found them to be extremely efficient and helpful. As a general guide if a single “pensioner” is getting less than £105-45 per week or a couple are getting less than £160-90 per week (the guarantee pension) then something could well be amiss.

Surprise, surprise, the State does not provide everything and this is where the charitable organisations come into play. Virtually all of these charities, whether civilian or service will make considerations based on need.

For example, while out shopping I doubt whether many of you have avoided being run down by an EPV - an Electrically Propelled Vehicle - or in easier terms a “scooter”!) In general the State will not provide this form of transport and virtually all the EPV’s you see will have been financed privately or by charitable means. SSAFA/FH supports the Royal British Legion who run a “preferred provider “ scheme with The Mobility Bureau. The Army use this scheme more than the other services. The Royal Air Force has its own preferred provider and the Royal Navy charities tend to seek supply from the open market.

But outside the State provision SSAFA/FH can advise where additional finance or help is available. Indeed all the Service Charities look to SSAFA/FH to investigate and report on each prospective case. In other words, SSAFA/FH (and the Royal British Legion) have the key to unlock the massive help available through Service Charities.

The Army have one major charity – the Army Benevolent Fund. But each regiment, past and present, tends to have its own benevolent fund. The Royal Air Force also has one major charity – the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. The Royal Navy has the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust. All these funds are approachable through SSAFA/FH or the Royal British Legion.

Whatever the situation, if you perceive someone with a problem, please call on SSAFA Forces Help for advice. My own advice is that you have nothing to lose and you may have the satisfaction of helping someone in need.

You may think the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust is the only charity helping naval ex- servicemen and their dependants. But think again. Below I have listed some of the charities who can and will help if the circumstances dictate:

The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 023 9266 0296

The Royal Naval Association 020 7352 6764

Royal Naval Benevolent Society for Officers 020 7402 5231

Navy Special Fund 023 9272 4506

Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children’s Fund 023 9263 9534

Royal Marines Benevolent Fund 0800 169 6347

Women’s Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust 023 9267 9040

QARNNS Trust Fund 023 9272 7820

Royal Naval Reserve (V) Benevolent Fund 01446 771108

Sailors’ Families Society 01482 342331

Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society 020 8401 2889

Aircrew Association Charitable Fund 01243 771403

British Korean Veterans (1981) Relief Fund 020 7973 7200

British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association 020 8590 1124

Burma Star Association 020 7823 4283

Combat Stress 01372 841600

1940 Dunkirk Veterans Association 020 7973 7243

Lloyds Patriotic Fund 020 7403 8783

Normandy Veterans Association 01902 842749

Officers’ Association 020 7930 0125

South Atlantic Medal Association (1982) 01495 227577

War Widows Association of Great Britain 0870 2411 305

AND THIS LIST IS BY NO MEANS EXHAUSTIVE !!!

(but I think I am !!!

Can you help?

1.

Dave Kendall (D57 1952-54) remembers an article about Cossack during the Korean War which was published in the Illustrated London News in 1952. He is trying to get a copy of it, so far without success. Do any of you remember the article and, more importantly, do you have a copy?

A copy of the article, or any information about it would be of great help. Keith Batchelor, our Archivist, reckons that if we could find out the date of publication we could get a copy from the British Library. However, we are hoping that one of you may have a copy stowed in your ditty box. Please let the Secretary know if you can help.