Charles John Briggs: Difference between revisions
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[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] {{SIR}} '''Charles John Briggs''', K.C.B., Royal Navy (15 July, 1858 – 16 July, 1951) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]]. | [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] {{SIR}} '''Charles John Briggs''', K.C.B., Royal Navy (15 July, 1858 – 16 July, 1951) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]]. | ||
Though then only in his mid-fifties, he would be ushered out of active service just a month before the outbreak of the [[Great War]]. | |||
==Life & Career== | ==Life & Career== | ||
Briggs was | Briggs was born in Brentfort. | ||
In July, 1871, Briggs was thirteenth-ranked of twenty candidates who passed the entrance examinations, but who were not amongst the thirty-five taken in. He was told he was welcome to try again in the coming November testing cycle.<ref>"Naval Intelligence." ''The Times'' (London, England), Tuesday, Jul 04, 1871; pg. 12; Issue 27106.</ref> He succeeded, and entered {{UK-1Britannia}} with her [[:Category:H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship) Entrants of January, 1872|January 1872 intake term]]. | |||
Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on 27 February, 1879.{{Gaz|24686|1793|28 February, 1879}} | |||
He was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 1 January, 1892. | He was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 1 January, 1892.{{Gaz|26239|3|1 January, 1892}} | ||
Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 22 June, 1897, | Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 22 June, 1897,{{Gaz|26865|3443|22 June, 1897}} and was thanked for his role in revising the Torpedo Drill Book and Torpedo Manual, Vol III during an appointment at {{UK-Vernon}} that stretched from February, 1896 until January of 1898.<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20.}} f. 98.</ref> | ||
He was appointed in command of the {{UK-1Revenge|f=t}} on 7 January, 1898.<ref>"Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Saturday, 8 January, 1898. Issue '''35408''', col C, p. 10.</ref> | He was appointed in command of the {{UK-1Revenge|f=t}} on 7 January, 1898.<ref>"Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Saturday, 8 January, 1898. Issue '''35408''', col C, p. 10.</ref> | ||
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==Flag Rank== | ==Flag Rank== | ||
Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 1 May, 1907, vice [[Alexander William Chisholm-Batten|Chisholm-Batten]]. | Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 1 May, 1907, vice [[Alexander William Chisholm-Batten|Chisholm-Batten]].{{Gaz|28018|2992|3 May, 1907}} | ||
Briggs relieved Rear-Admiral [[Stanley Cecil James Colville|The Honourable Stanley C. J. Colville]] as Rear-Admiral in the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]] on 4 January, 1909. | Briggs relieved Rear-Admiral [[Stanley Cecil James Colville|The Honourable Stanley C. J. Colville]] as Rear-Admiral in the First Division of the [[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Home Fleet]] on 4 January, 1909. He struck his flag on 5 January, 1910. On 20 December he was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, and [[Third Sea Lord|Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy]]. Presumably referring to British shell development before the war, historian Arthur J. Marder decries Briggs tenure as Controller thus: "It is a mystery how this incompetent officer could have been appointed to so exacting a post."<ref>Marder. '''I'''. p. 418.</ref> Marder was apparently unaware that it was the [[First Sea Lord]] who was responsible for the Naval Ordnance Department at the time. | ||
On the authority of Marder, Briggs was apparently called "the old sheep farmer" by Battenberg and Fisher, successive First Sea Lords.<ref>Marder. '''I'''. p. 418.</ref> In 1911 Fisher informed [[Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill|Winston S. Churchill]], the new First Lord of the Admiralty, that Briggs and his D.N.O., [[Archibald Gordon Henry Wilson Moore|Gordon Moore]], were "Slugs who want you to perpetuate Battleships of the <u>Tortoise</u> type[,] all armour and no speed and d—d costly as compared with a <u>far cheaper, far faster</u> and <u>63 per cent more powerful ship!!</u>"<ref>Churchill. ''Winston S. Churchill. Companion Volume II. Part 2''. p. 1349.</ref> [[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest Troubridge]] however considered Briggs "clever" | On the authority of Marder, Briggs was apparently called "the old sheep farmer" by Battenberg and Fisher, successive First Sea Lords.<ref>Marder. '''I'''. p. 418.</ref> In 1911 Fisher informed [[Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill|Winston S. Churchill]], the new First Lord of the Admiralty, that Briggs and his D.N.O., [[Archibald Gordon Henry Wilson Moore|A. Gordon H. W. Moore]], were "Slugs who want you to perpetuate Battleships of the <u>Tortoise</u> type[,] all armour and no speed and d—d costly as compared with a <u>far cheaper, far faster</u> and <u>63 per cent more powerful ship!!</u>"<ref>Churchill. ''Winston S. Churchill. Companion Volume II. Part 2''. p. 1349.</ref> The [[Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty]], [[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]] however considered Briggs "clever."<ref>Troubridge to Battenberg. Letter of 12 November, 1911. MB1/T9/47. Battenberg MSS. University of Southampton.</ref> | ||
At Portsmouth on 1 July, 1912, he hoisted his flag in the battleship {{UK-Venerable}} as Acting Vice-Admiral Commanding the Fourth Squadron. The following day he transferred his flag to {{UK- | At Portsmouth on 1 July, 1912, he hoisted his flag in the battleship {{UK-Venerable}} as Acting Vice-Admiral Commanding the Fourth Squadron. The following day he transferred his flag to {{UK-1Exmouth}}.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Tuesday, 2 July, 1912. Issue '''39940''', col D, p. 6.</ref> He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 13 July, vice [[Louis Alexander Mountbatten, First Marquess of Milford Haven|Battenberg]].{{Gaz|28627|5182|16 July, 1912}} He transferred his flag to {{UK-Dreadnought}} on 14 December, 1912, striking it on 1 July, 1914 as war clouds loomed. He was placed on Half Pay and not called upon again before retirement three years hence.<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. f. 654.</ref> | ||
On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 3 June, 1913. | On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 3 June, 1913.{{GazSup|28724|3903|3 June, 1913}} | ||
Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 10 January, 1916, vice [[Paul Warner Bush|Bush]], | Briggs was promoted to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 10 January, 1916, vice [[Paul Warner Bush|Bush]],{{Gaz|29439|626|14 January, 1916}} and was placed on the Retired List on 2 July, 1917,{{Gaz|30161|6549|3 July, 1917}} after almost thirty two and a half years of naval service.<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. f. 654.</ref> | ||
Briggs died of prostate-related illness.<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/38}}. Inserted Note.</ref> | |||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
{{refbegin}} | {{refbegin}} | ||
*"Admiral Sir Charless Briggs" (Obituaries). ''The Times''. Friday, 20 July, 1951. Issue '''52058''', col D, p. 8. | *"Admiral Sir Charless Briggs" (Obituaries). ''The Times''. Friday, 20 July, 1951. Issue '''52058''', col D, p. 8. | ||
*{{MarderFDSFI}} | |||
{{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||
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*{{TNA|ADM 196/38.|D7600902}} | *{{TNA|ADM 196/38.|D7600902}} | ||
*{{TNA|ADM 196/20.|D7590343}} | *{{TNA|ADM 196/20.|D7590343}} | ||
{{refend}} | |||
==See Also== | |||
{{refbegin}} | |||
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Briggs_(Royal_Navy_officer)}} | |||
{{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||
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<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}} | <div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}} | ||
{{TabNaval}} | {{TabNaval}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Reginald Charles Prothero|Reginald C. Prothero]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Revenge (1892)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Revenge'']]'''<br>7 Jan, 1898<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Fowler King-Hall|George F. King-Hall]]'''}} | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Reginald Charles Prothero|Reginald C. Prothero]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Revenge (1892)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Revenge'']]'''<br>7 Jan, 1898{{NLOct98|p. 290}}<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref> – 16 Feb, 1900<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Fowler King-Hall|George F. King-Hall]]'''}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Head of War Division]]'''<br>6 Mar, 1900 – 11 Dec, 1901<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA| | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Head of War Division]]'''<br>6 Mar, 1900<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref> – 11 Dec, 1901<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Herbert Leopold Heath|Herbert L. Heath]]'''}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Henry Bradwardine Jackson|Henry B. Jackson]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Vulcan (1889)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Vulcan'']]'''<br>12 Dec, 1901<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/38.}} f. 168.</ref> – 18 Dec, 1903<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/38.}} f. 168.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Herbert Leopold Heath|Herbert L. Heath]]'''}} | |||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick Samuel Inglefield|Frederick S. Inglefield]]'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Head of Mobilisation Division]]'''<br>11 Feb, 1904<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20.}} f. 654.</ref> – 23 Dec, 1904<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20.}} f. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Langdale Ottley|Charles L. Ottley]]'''}} | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick Samuel Inglefield|Frederick S. Inglefield]]'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Head of Mobilisation Division]]'''<br>11 Feb, 1904<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20.}} f. 654.</ref> – 23 Dec, 1904<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20.}} f. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Langdale Ottley|Charles L. Ottley]]'''}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Henry Bradwardine Jackson|Henry B. Jackson]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Vernon (Torpedo Training School)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Vernon'']]'''<br>24 Dec, 1904{{ | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Henry Bradwardine Jackson|Henry B. Jackson]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Vernon (Torpedo Training School)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Vernon'']]'''<br>24 Dec, 1904<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref> – 9 May, 1907<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Douglas Austin Gamble|Douglas A. Gamble]]'''}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[John Rushworth Jellicoe, First Earl Jellicoe|Sir John R. Jellicoe]]'''|'''[[Third Sea Lord|Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy]]'''<br>20 Dec, 1910|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Archibald Gordon Henry Wilson Moore|A. Gordon H. W. Moore]]'''<br><small>as '''Third Sea Lord'''</small>}} | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[Home Fleet (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral in the First Division, Home Fleet]]'''<br>early 1909 – 5 Jan, 1910<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). ''The Times''. Thursday, 6 January, 1911. Issue '''39162''', col D, p. 4.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, First Baronet|Frederick C. D. Sturdee]]'''}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral Commanding, Fourth Battle Squadron]]'''<br>1 Jul, 1912<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/38}}. f. 168.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Douglas Austin Gamble|Sir Douglas A. Gamble]]'''}} | {{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[John Rushworth Jellicoe, First Earl Jellicoe|Sir John R. Jellicoe]]'''|'''[[Third Sea Lord|Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy]]'''<br>20 Dec, 1910<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref> – 11 Jun, 1912<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Archibald Gordon Henry Wilson Moore|A. Gordon H. W. Moore]]'''<br><small>as '''Third Sea Lord'''</small>}} | ||
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[Fourth Battle Squadron (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral Commanding, Fourth Battle Squadron]]'''<br>1 Jul, 1912<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/38}}. f. 168.</ref> – 1 Jul, 1914<ref>Briggs Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/20}}. p. 654.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Douglas Austin Gamble|Sir Douglas A. Gamble]]'''}} | |||
{{TabEnd}} | {{TabEnd}} | ||
</div name=fredbot:appts> | </div name=fredbot:appts> | ||
Line 65: | Line 81: | ||
{{CatPerson|UK|1858|1951}} | {{CatPerson|UK|1858|1951}} | ||
{{CatBritannia|January, 1872}} | {{CatBritannia|January, 1872}} | ||
{{ | {{CatAdm|UK}} | ||
{{CatRN}} |
Latest revision as of 18:22, 7 January 2024
Admiral SIR Charles John Briggs, K.C.B., Royal Navy (15 July, 1858 – 16 July, 1951) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
Though then only in his mid-fifties, he would be ushered out of active service just a month before the outbreak of the Great War.
Life & Career
Briggs was born in Brentfort.
In July, 1871, Briggs was thirteenth-ranked of twenty candidates who passed the entrance examinations, but who were not amongst the thirty-five taken in. He was told he was welcome to try again in the coming November testing cycle.[1] He succeeded, and entered Britannia with her January 1872 intake term.
Briggs was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 27 February, 1879.[2]
He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1892.[3]
Briggs was promoted to the rank of Captain on 22 June, 1897,[4] and was thanked for his role in revising the Torpedo Drill Book and Torpedo Manual, Vol III during an appointment at Vernon that stretched from February, 1896 until January of 1898.[5]
He was appointed in command of the battleship Revenge on 7 January, 1898.[6]
Briggs was appointed in command of H.M.S. Vernon on 24 December, 1904, a post he would retain for three years.[7]
Flag Rank
Briggs was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 May, 1907, vice Chisholm-Batten.[8]
Briggs relieved Rear-Admiral The Honourable Stanley C. J. Colville as Rear-Admiral in the First Division of the Home Fleet on 4 January, 1909. He struck his flag on 5 January, 1910. On 20 December he was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, and Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy. Presumably referring to British shell development before the war, historian Arthur J. Marder decries Briggs tenure as Controller thus: "It is a mystery how this incompetent officer could have been appointed to so exacting a post."[9] Marder was apparently unaware that it was the First Sea Lord who was responsible for the Naval Ordnance Department at the time.
On the authority of Marder, Briggs was apparently called "the old sheep farmer" by Battenberg and Fisher, successive First Sea Lords.[10] In 1911 Fisher informed Winston S. Churchill, the new First Lord of the Admiralty, that Briggs and his D.N.O., A. Gordon H. W. Moore, were "Slugs who want you to perpetuate Battleships of the Tortoise type[,] all armour and no speed and d—d costly as compared with a far cheaper, far faster and 63 per cent more powerful ship!!"[11] The Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Ernest C. T. Troubridge however considered Briggs "clever."[12]
At Portsmouth on 1 July, 1912, he hoisted his flag in the battleship Venerable as Acting Vice-Admiral Commanding the Fourth Squadron. The following day he transferred his flag to Exmouth.[13] He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 13 July, vice Battenberg.[14] He transferred his flag to Dreadnought on 14 December, 1912, striking it on 1 July, 1914 as war clouds loomed. He was placed on Half Pay and not called upon again before retirement three years hence.[15]
On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 3 June, 1913.[16]
Briggs was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 10 January, 1916, vice Bush,[17] and was placed on the Retired List on 2 July, 1917,[18] after almost thirty two and a half years of naval service.[19]
Briggs died of prostate-related illness.[20]
Bibliography
- "Admiral Sir Charless Briggs" (Obituaries). The Times. Friday, 20 July, 1951. Issue 52058, col D, p. 8.
- Marder, Arthur J. (1961). From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904-1919: The Road to War, 1904-1914. Volume I. London: Oxford University Press.
Service Records
- The National Archives. ADM 196/87.
- The National Archives. ADM 196/38.
- The National Archives. ADM 196/20.
See Also
Naval Appointments | ||
Preceded by The Hon. Stanley C. J. Colville |
Rear-Admiral, Nore Division, Home Fleet 1909 |
Succeeded by F. C. Doveton Sturdee |
Rear-Admiral in the First Division, Home Fleet 1909 – 1910 |
Footnotes
- ↑ "Naval Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Tuesday, Jul 04, 1871; pg. 12; Issue 27106.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 24686. p. 1793. 28 February, 1879.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26239. p. 3. 1 January, 1892.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26865. p. 3443. 22 June, 1897.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 98.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 8 January, 1898. Issue 35408, col C, p. 10.
- ↑ Blond. Technology and Tradition. p. 167.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28018. p. 2992. 3 May, 1907.
- ↑ Marder. I. p. 418.
- ↑ Marder. I. p. 418.
- ↑ Churchill. Winston S. Churchill. Companion Volume II. Part 2. p. 1349.
- ↑ Troubridge to Battenberg. Letter of 12 November, 1911. MB1/T9/47. Battenberg MSS. University of Southampton.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 2 July, 1912. Issue 39940, col D, p. 6.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28627. p. 5182. 16 July, 1912.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 654.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28724. p. 3903. 3 June, 1913.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29439. p. 626. 14 January, 1916.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30161. p. 6549. 3 July, 1917.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. Inserted Note.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1898). p. 290.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 168.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 168.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. f. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 6 January, 1911. Issue 39162, col D, p. 4.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 168.
- ↑ Briggs Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/20. p. 654.