Post-war Career
After the War Begg joined the cruiser HMS Phoebe as operations officer for the destroyers in the Mediterranean Fleet. Promoted to captain on 30 June 1947, he was given command of the gunnery school at Chatham in 1948 and of the destroyer HMS Cossack as captain of the 8th destroyer flotilla in August 1950. The Cossack took part in the Korean War being involved in the pre-invasion shelling and blockade of Inchon and Begg was mentioned in dispatches and appointed to the Distinguished Service Order on 3 October 1952.
Begg was given command of the shore establishment HMS Excellent in April 1952 and officiated as the Officer Commanding the Naval Contingent at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. He went on to command the aircraft carrier HMS Triumph in December 1954. Having attended the Imperial Defence College, he was appointed Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 7 July 1956. Promoted to rear-admiral on 7 January 1957, he became Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in February 1957 and went on to be Flag Officer, Second-in-Command, Far East Fleet in December 1958. Appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1959 New Year Honours and promoted to vice-admiral on 21 May 1960, he became Vice Chief of the Naval Staff in January 1961. He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1962 New Year Honours. Promoted full admiral on 8 March 1963, on appointment as Commander-in-Chief of Far East Command and British military adviser to the South East Asia Treaty Organization, at a time of when President Sukarno of Indonesia was stepping up pressure on Malaysia. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1965 Birthday Honours, he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in August 1965.
Begg was appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, following the sudden resignation of his predecessor Sir David Luce, in March 1966. Begg strongly believed that the future of the Navy depended as much on surface-to-air missiles as on naval air power and he vehemently opposed plans to introduce large new aircraft carriers. Instead he managed to persuade the Government to develop the design for three small "through-deck cruisers". He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 12 August 1968 on his retirement. He became a Knight of the Order of St John in March 1969.
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