Page 1 of 2
Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:18 pm
by Captain Seafort
A couple of days old, but worth a mention I think.
Last veteran of Hood sinking dies
The last remaining survivor of the sinking of WWII battle cruiser HMS Hood in May 1941 has died at the age of 85, his naval association has said.
Ted Briggs, from Hampshire, was one of just three survivors out of more than 1,400 crew after an exchange of fire with the German battleship Bismarck.
When asked about the sinking he said: "I was not a hero, I just survived."
Mr Briggs once said a sighting of HMS Hood as a boy had inspired him to join the Royal Navy as a signalman.
The teenager was assigned to HMS Hood, the Royal Navy's flagship, in 1939.
When Bismarck was spotted in the Denmark Strait in May 1941, HMS Hood was sent in pursuit.
During the Battle of Denmark Strait it was bombarded with shells, one of which caused a huge explosion that ripped through the ship, sinking it in less than three minutes.
In 2001, the wreck of HMS Hood was found 3,000m below the surface of the sea between Greenland and Iceland.
Mr Briggs, who was 18 at the time of the sinking, said he had survived because he was caught in an underwater air pocket.
After a short period of leave following the loss of the ship, Mr Briggs was assigned to another vessel to continue his naval career.
He served for another 30 years before retiring, later becoming president of HMS Hood Association and an MBE.
Mr Briggs died at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth on Saturday, his friend and the chairman of HMS Hood Association, Peter Heys, said.
Mr Heys described him as a "perfect gentleman".
He added: "He was a humorous man but he did not like to be reminded of the sinking as he had to be pulled out of the freezing water."
Mr Briggs is survived by his wife Clare.
Midshipman William Dundas, who died in 1965, and able seaman Bob Tilburn, who died in 1995, were the other survivors of the sinking.
One very lucky bloke, and quite remarkable in his longevity, having been in the middle of that big of a bang.
RIP
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 6:23 pm
by Reliant121
RIP.
He died just over the harbour from me. Useless fact of the moment.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 7:21 pm
by Mikey
I don't know if I could have served another three decades after surviving that sort of thing. RIP.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:01 pm
by Tsukiyumi
RIP
As he said, he wasn't exactly a hero, but he was certainly remarkable.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 2:27 am
by Sonic Glitch
RIP.
The story of the Hood vs. the Bismarck is one that's always facinated me. I echo Mikey, I don't know if I'd be able to go on three more decades after experiencing the loss of all but two others on my ship.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 2:53 am
by RK_Striker_JK_5
Thank you for your service, sir.
I'd call him a hero.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:21 am
by Bryan Moore
I remember this guy from so many History Channel documentaries. Sad. Any special burial honors?
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:16 am
by Teaos
Yeah I saw him in a few doco's. RIP.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:18 pm
by Sionnach Glic
Aye, he took part in a few documentaries (only natural). The destruction of the Bismarck has always been a battle that fascinated me.
I'd also call him a hero.
Sure, he may not have played a major part in the destruction of the Bismarck, and he may not have done some particularly notable deed that got him plastered with medals. But at the end of the day, he was a regular guy who went out and stood up to the greatest tyranny the world has ever known. He put his life on the line to try to save his fellow countrymen from also falling under that tyranny, and he very nearly paid the ultimate price for that. That, to me, is what makes a person a hero.
RIP.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:38 pm
by Mikey
Indeed - he may not have been the "jump on a grenade" type of hero, but he did two important things: he served his country in a very real, tangible way, by serving in the front lines of battle; and he continued to serve, after witnessing the obliteration of his post and colleagues.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:10 pm
by Sionnach Glic
Exactly my point.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:18 pm
by thelordharry
RIP.
You know, this got me to thinking off on a slight tangent. I began to wonder if there were any people left alive in the UK who served during the first world war. A bit of simple maths told me that as an absolute minimum you would have probably had to have been 16 years old to serve, the war finished in 1918 so a birth day of around 1902 would be the youngest possible age. It's 2008 now so I thought, that would make the youngest survivor at least 106. Not a lot of chance of that I thought...until I looked it up....look at this guy, Henry Allingham. He's 112!!! Well, it amazed me anyway and it's not just TNG era humans that live that long
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Allingham
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:23 pm
by Captain Seafort
Allingham isn't the only one - there are six members of the 1914-18 British armed forces (three of whom were still in training when the war ended) still alive. What remarkable is that these six comprise half of all living people who served in any country's armed forces during the war.
Alfred Anderson, the last of the Old Contemptibles, only died three years ago
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:36 am
by Teaos
Wow you Brits are long lived.
Re: Ted Briggs has died
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:03 pm
by Mikey
They're too damned stubborn to die.
Or perhaps the complete absence of any sort of spice or seasoning in the diet leads to longevity.
