Captain Kenneth Begg
Captain Kenneth Begg served two periods with Cathay Pacific, from December 1947 to February 1949 and again from September 1950 until October 1951. At no time did the management honour him with a command. I know not why, the loss was undoubtedly theirs as he was a dedicated competent pilot and loyal to a failing. |
Melbourne Hotel
My first recollection of Ken comes from a $US 200 bet. The terms were to walk without pants from the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel lounge to his digs in the nearby Melbourne Hotel He slipped off his daks, tossed them over a chandelier and joined the throng of humanity in the area that never sleeps. Not a soul, including the police, gave a second glance at the tall European enjoying a walk in his smalls.
Ken, born a Sydney-sider, was 22 years of age at the time of this next memory. The morning of 17 August 1949 found him cruising at 7,000 feet in Norseman XY-ABB, Sky Freighters entire fleet.
U Sway Tin had assigned him four 44-gallon drums of aviation fuel for Meiktila then under siege. His co-pilot cum engineer was Don Laskey. They also carried one passenger, a Mr. A.C. Aboo of Indian extraction.
My first recollection of Ken comes from a $US 200 bet. The terms were to walk without pants from the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel lounge to his digs in the nearby Melbourne Hotel He slipped off his daks, tossed them over a chandelier and joined the throng of humanity in the area that never sleeps. Not a soul, including the police, gave a second glance at the tall European enjoying a walk in his smalls.
Ken, born a Sydney-sider, was 22 years of age at the time of this next memory. The morning of 17 August 1949 found him cruising at 7,000 feet in Norseman XY-ABB, Sky Freighters entire fleet.
U Sway Tin had assigned him four 44-gallon drums of aviation fuel for Meiktila then under siege. His co-pilot cum engineer was Don Laskey. They also carried one passenger, a Mr. A.C. Aboo of Indian extraction.
Norseman XY-ABB
Norseman XY - ABB
With not a cloud in the sky the visibility was only limited by the horizon. The Irrawaddy River snaked its way to port and Mt. Popa showed the position of Meiktila. Ken confirmed this by noting Taungdwingy was about ten miles ahead.
Without warning his engine spluttered and lost power. To maintain flying speed Ken eased the Norseman into a gradual descent. He ordered Laskey and Aboo to jettison the fuel drums. The weight of the drums defied their efforts, and now dangerously low Ken prepared for an emergency landing. He made a copybook touch down, and later when he checked the run he found he had skipped across two deep ditches hidden by the long grass, but a dented wheel spat was the extent of the damage.
Ken transmitted a SOS prior to landing that had been acknowledged. They decided to sit tight and wait for rescue. About thirty minutes later a motley group of rough uniformed men
joyfully told them they were guests of the local Karen leader. While the men sorted out their next move two planes buzzed them. They became irritated with the continuous buzzing and began to blaze away. They stopped when Ken told the men they were unarmed civil aircraft merely answering a SOS.
Finally, a truck arrived that took them to Prome. They were interrogated briefly and then escorted to a small house in a compound surrounded by larger buildings that billeted Karen officers.
The Karen area commander Bo Kun Zaw, a humorous individual, dropped by to say Hello! He apologised for the inconvenience caused and they were soon friends. He assured them he would send them on their way once he had a clearance from his superiors, but he was a little uncertain of the current location of Central Democratic Front Headquarters. It was somewhere in the upper reaches but with Burma not a big country it shouldn’t be long.
Now thoroughly bored, Ken suggested a hunting trip to Bo Kun Zaw who thought it a splendid idea, and soon they were trekking through the neighbourhood stalking deer. Ken bagged a large stag, but the others had fisherman’s luck - wet tails and no fish.
Putting them on parole, Bo allowed them to work on the Norseman. It had been dragged under a nearby copse that afforded natural camouflage. They soon had the engine purring like a kitten. Their engine failure had stemmed from watercontaminated fuel and a dirty carburettor.
Early on 2 September 1949 Bo Kun Zaw bid them farewell. The Karens arranged their return to Rangoon first by truck, then a bus and finally trishaws.
When Government troops overran Prome Bo Kun Zaw burnt Ken’s plane. This saddened me for that Norseman came to our aid following the Bassein shoot down.
Without warning his engine spluttered and lost power. To maintain flying speed Ken eased the Norseman into a gradual descent. He ordered Laskey and Aboo to jettison the fuel drums. The weight of the drums defied their efforts, and now dangerously low Ken prepared for an emergency landing. He made a copybook touch down, and later when he checked the run he found he had skipped across two deep ditches hidden by the long grass, but a dented wheel spat was the extent of the damage.
Ken transmitted a SOS prior to landing that had been acknowledged. They decided to sit tight and wait for rescue. About thirty minutes later a motley group of rough uniformed men
joyfully told them they were guests of the local Karen leader. While the men sorted out their next move two planes buzzed them. They became irritated with the continuous buzzing and began to blaze away. They stopped when Ken told the men they were unarmed civil aircraft merely answering a SOS.
Finally, a truck arrived that took them to Prome. They were interrogated briefly and then escorted to a small house in a compound surrounded by larger buildings that billeted Karen officers.
The Karen area commander Bo Kun Zaw, a humorous individual, dropped by to say Hello! He apologised for the inconvenience caused and they were soon friends. He assured them he would send them on their way once he had a clearance from his superiors, but he was a little uncertain of the current location of Central Democratic Front Headquarters. It was somewhere in the upper reaches but with Burma not a big country it shouldn’t be long.
Now thoroughly bored, Ken suggested a hunting trip to Bo Kun Zaw who thought it a splendid idea, and soon they were trekking through the neighbourhood stalking deer. Ken bagged a large stag, but the others had fisherman’s luck - wet tails and no fish.
Putting them on parole, Bo allowed them to work on the Norseman. It had been dragged under a nearby copse that afforded natural camouflage. They soon had the engine purring like a kitten. Their engine failure had stemmed from watercontaminated fuel and a dirty carburettor.
Early on 2 September 1949 Bo Kun Zaw bid them farewell. The Karens arranged their return to Rangoon first by truck, then a bus and finally trishaws.
When Government troops overran Prome Bo Kun Zaw burnt Ken’s plane. This saddened me for that Norseman came to our aid following the Bassein shoot down.