Pte
John Briggs
Information about birth
|
Date of birth: 31/07/1894 |
|
Place of birth: Ludford, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
|
Profession: Day laborer |
Army information
|
Country: England, United Kingdom |
|
Force: British Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Private |
|
Service number: 50635 |
|
Units: — Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), 1st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 31/07/1917 |
|
Place of death: Westhoek, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
|
Age: 23 |
Memorial
|
Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 41G |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal — 16/12/1920 |
|
Victory Medal Medal — 16/12/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
John Briggs was born on 31 July 1894 in Ludford, Lincolnshire. He was the second son of Mary and George Hicks. According to the 1911 Census, John worked as a farm labourer. Six year later, he served with the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), part of the 24th brigade, of the 8th Division.
On 31 July 1917, John’s Birthday and the opening day of the Battle of Passchendaele, the 8th Division launched an attack on the Bellewaerde Ridge. The 24th Brigade was on the right flank and moved through the hamlet of Hooghe, Chateau Wood towards the hamlet of Westhoek. The 1st Sherwood Foresters had to consolidate the final objective, which was dubbed the Black Line. Once Jacob Trench and the Bellewaerde Ridge had been taken by the Worcesters and Northants, the 1st Sherwood moved towards the Westhoek Ridge. But from the moment the men skirted the ridge, they were fired upon by machine-guns from the cross roads near Westhoek and from Hanebeek Wood and Glencorse Wood. The Battalion was pulled back, behind the ridge and consolidated positions at Jabber Trench.
John Briggs was killed during the attack on Westhoek. He had just turned twenty-three. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
On 31 July 1917, John’s Birthday and the opening day of the Battle of Passchendaele, the 8th Division launched an attack on the Bellewaerde Ridge. The 24th Brigade was on the right flank and moved through the hamlet of Hooghe, Chateau Wood towards the hamlet of Westhoek. The 1st Sherwood Foresters had to consolidate the final objective, which was dubbed the Black Line. Once Jacob Trench and the Bellewaerde Ridge had been taken by the Worcesters and Northants, the 1st Sherwood moved towards the Westhoek Ridge. But from the moment the men skirted the ridge, they were fired upon by machine-guns from the cross roads near Westhoek and from Hanebeek Wood and Glencorse Wood. The Battalion was pulled back, behind the ridge and consolidated positions at Jabber Trench.
John Briggs was killed during the attack on Westhoek. He had just turned twenty-three. John has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Sources 6
|
"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 26-27. Sources used |
|
"The 1st and 2nd Battalions the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) in the Great War", Wylly H., Aldershot, Gale & Polden, s.d., pg. 46-49. Sources used |
|
Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
|
CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/929107/briggs,-john/ Sources used |
|
The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
|
War Diary Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment), 1st Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |