Charles John Briggs

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Admiral SIR Charles John Briggs, K.C.B., Royal Navy (15 July, 1858 – 16 July, 1951) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Briggs was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 27 February, 1879.[1]

He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1892.[2]

Briggs was promoted to the rank of Captain on 22 June, 1897.[3]

He was appointed in command of H.M.S. Revenge on 7 January, 1898.[4]

Briggs was appointed in command of H.M.S. Vernon on 24 December, 1904, a post he would retain for three years.[5]

Flag Rank

Briggs was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 May, 1907, vice Chisholm-Batten.[6]

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.

On the authority of Marder, Briggs was apparently called "the old sheep farmer" by Battenberg and Fisher, successive First Sea Lords.[7] In 1911 Fisher informed Winston S. Churchill, the new First Lord of the Admiralty, that Briggs and his D.N.O., Gordon 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!!"[8]

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.[9] He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 13 July, vice Battenberg.[10]

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.[11]

Briggs was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 10 January, 1916, vice Bush,[12] and was placed on the Retired List on 2 July, 1917.[13]

Footnotes

  1. London Gazette: no. 24686. p. 1793. 28 February, 1879.
  2. London Gazette: no. 26239. p. 3. 1 January, 1892.
  3. London Gazette: no. 26865. p. 3443. 22 June, 1897.
  4. "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 8 January, 1898. Issue 35408, col C, pg. 10.
  5. Blond. Technology and Tradition. p. 167.
  6. London Gazette: no. 28018. p. 2992. 3 May, 1907.
  7. Marder. I. p. 418.
  8. Churchill. Winston S. Churchill. Companion Volume II. Part 2. p. 1349.
  9. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Tuesday, 2 July, 1912. Issue 39940, col D, pg. 6.
  10. London Gazette: no. 28627. p. 5182. 16 July, 1912.
  11. London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28724. p. 3903. 3 June, 1913.
  12. London Gazette: no. 29439. p. 626. 14 January, 1916.
  13. London Gazette: no. 30161. p. 6549. 3 July, 1917.

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir Charless Briggs" (Obituaries). The Times. Friday, 20 July, 1951. Issue 52058, col D, pg. 8.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Sir John R. Jellicoe
Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy
1910 – 1912
Succeeded by
A. Gordon H. W. Moore
Preceded by
New Command
Vice-Admiral Commanding,
Fourth Battle Squadron

1912 – 1914
Succeeded by
Sir Douglas A. Gamble