Ted Briggs

Infobox Military Person


name= Albert Edward Pryke Briggs
born= birth date|df=yes|1923|3|1
died= death date|df=yes|2008|10|4
nickname= Ted Briggs
placeofbirth=Redcar, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
placeofdeath=Portsmouth, England
allegiance=flagicon|UK United Kingdom
branch=
serviceyears= 1938 – 1973
rank= Lieutenant
unit= HMS "Hood"
commands=
battles= Second World War
*Battle of the Atlantic
*Battle of the Denmark Strait
Korean War
awards= Member of the Order of the British Empire
relations=
laterwork= President of the HMS Hood Association|HMS "Hood" Association

Albert Edward Pryke "Ted" Briggs MBE (1 March, 1923 – 4 October, 2008 [ [http://www.hmshood.com/crew/biography/tedbriggs_bio.htm Biography of Ted Briggs for the HMS "Hood" Assoication] ] ), was a British seaman and the last survivor of the destruction of the battlecruiser HMS "Hood". He remained in the Royal Navy after the Second World War and was later commissioned.

Biography

Born on 1 March 1923 in Redcar, Briggs first saw "Hood" at anchor off the River Tees when he was 12, and volunteered to join the Royal Navy the following day. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/07/military Obituary—Ted Briggs—Last survivor of the sinking of HMS Hood] , Dan van der Vat, "The Guardian", 7 October 2008. Retrieved on 7 October 2008.] He was told he would have to wait until he was 15, so it was on 7 March 1938, one week after his 15th birthday, that he finally joined the navy. Briggs was trained at HMS "Ganges" for 16 months. After his training he was delighted to be assigned to HMS "Hood" which he joined on 29 July 1939. He initially served as an officers' messenger.

Soon after the Second World War began and "Hood" was assigned to patrol and escort duty in the North Atlantic and also served as part of Force H in the Mediterranean Sea.

In May 1941 "Hood" was dispatched with HMS "Prince of Wales" to intercept the German battleship "Bismarck" in the Denmark Straits. "Hood", with Ted Briggs aboard, encountered "Bismarck" and engaged her at long range. "Bismarck" returned fire and within minutes sent a volley of 15 inch (381 mm) shells crashing into "Hood"'s bowels, setting off a massive explosion in her magazine, and breaking her in half. The Battle of the Denmark Strait and the loss of the "Hood" were perceived by the British public as one of the greatest disasters to befall the Royal Navy during the war. "Prince of Wales" survived, only to be sunk by Japanese bombers in December 1941.

Ted Briggs, on the compass platform near the bridge, recalls a huge sheet of flame followed by "Hood" listing rapidly. When the list reached 30 degrees Briggs realised that "she was not coming back". [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkx-uCtjM5w interview with Ted Briggs] ] Briggs states that no order was given to abandon ship and that he found himself in the water about convert|50|yd from "Hood" as her B-Turret went under after he made it only half way down the ladder leading to the bridge. He also could remember how the compass master had stood on the platform "tall and fearless" as the water pulled him down. Briggs himself attempted to swim away from the vessel but was pulled under by her as she started toward the ocean bottom. Briggs remembers struggling, giving up hope, and then miraculously being propelled to the surface. This was probably the result of air escaping from the ship, possibly the bridge windows collapsing and releasing trapped air. After spending three hours in the water and near dead from hypothermia, he was rescued by HMS "Electra".

Briggs was one of only three men aboard to survive the tragedy (1,415 were confirmed lost).

After the loss of "Hood" he was assigned to HMS "Mercury" and also participated in the inquiry into the loss of "Hood". He was then transferred to HMS "Royal Arthur" and then to the requisitioned merchantman HMS "Hilary". "Hilary" served as a Combined Operations Headquarters ship, at Salerno and had the same role during the D-Day landings. Later he served aboard HMS "Mercury" as a Fleetwork Instructor. Briggs was promoted first to Leading Signalman in March 1942 and then Yeoman of Signals in March 1943.

Briggs remained in the Royal Navy after the end of the war, became an officer, and served until 1973 in a variety of capacities (see #Military service).

Briggs retired on 2 February 1973 with the rank of lieutenant, settled in the south of England and worked in Fareham as a furnished lettings manager [ The Times (Obituaries), 2008-10-07, page 59. ] . In the year he retired, at the Queen's Birthday Honours he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). [LondonGazette|issue=45984|supp=yes|startpage=6477|date=22 May 1973|accessdate=2008-10-07] In 1975 Briggs joined the HMS "Hood" Association as one of its youngest members and was elected as its first President. In 1995 Briggs again served as president of the organization.

Briggs has regularly told his story as a guest-speaker, lecturer, and subject of historical television and radio documentaries. In July 2001 Briggs visited the wreck site and released a plaque which commemorates the lost crew of the "Hood". He was co-author of a book on the subject "Flagship "Hood": The Fate of Britain's Mightiest Warship".

Death

Ted Briggs died in the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, on 4 October 2008 at the age of 85. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7653681.stm Last veteran of Hood sinking dies] ] He is survived by his wife Clare.

Military service

*October 1945 - HMS "Brissenden" - Palestine patrols
*April 1948 - HMS "Mercury" as Fleetwork Instructor
*February 1949 - HMS "Maidstone" - Second Submarine Squadron
*October 1949- HMS "Mercury" - Cryptographic Instructor
*February 1950 - HMS "Ceylon" - Korean War
*July 1952 - HMS "Mercury" - Signal Instructors Course
*January 1953 - rated as Chief Yeoman of Signals served at CinC Eastlant Comm Centre
*November 1953 - HMS "Indefatigable" and HMS "Theseus" Training Squadron as Training Chief Yeoman
*December 1955 - Commissioned officer. HMS "Mercury" - Commissioned Communication Officer Course
*July 1956 - promoted to Commissioned Communication Officer
*September 1956 - HMS "Ceylon" as a Signals Officer - Suez Canal operation
*May 1958 - HMS "Mercury"
*January 1959 - HMS "Sea Eagle" (Londonderry) as Assistant Base Communications Officer
*December 1960 - HMS "Mercury" - New Entry Training Officer
*April 1961 - promoted to Lieutenant
*February 1963 - Assigned to HMS "Loch Killisport" as Communications Officer - 3rd Frigate Squadron
*June 1964 - Whitehall Wireless Station as Rating Control Officer
*October 1966 - HMS "Ganges" as Communications Officer
*June 1969 - HMS "Drake" (Devonport) as Officer in Charge of the Signal Training Centre
*January 1971 - HMS "Excellent" (Whale Island) as Officer in Charge of the Leading Rates Leadership School

References

External links

* [http://www.hmshood.com HMS "Hood" Association]