 After qualifying in gunnery, he was then made second gunnery officer of the battleship , flagship of the Home Fleet, in December 1934 before returning to HMS "Excellent" in 1936.He was appointed flotilla gunnery officer in the destroyer in November 1937 and, having been promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 December 1938, he became gunnery officer of the gun cruiser in June 1939.It was on board the "Glasgow" that Begg first saw action in the Second World War