Briggs family group
Menin Gate Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas (Henry) Briggs was born April 5th 1889, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, one of 6 children, 4 boys 1 girls and 1 deceased (gender unknown), born to William Briggs 1862 Dayton, Houghton-le-Spring and Jane Willis Henderson 1861 Shotton, County Durham. Thomas’s father was employed all his life as a coal miner moving from Walker to West Street, Stanley and finally in 1911 residing at 7 Front Street, East Stanley where Thomas was also employed as a coal miner-hewer.
Thomas Briggs married Ruth Ann Childs, September 27th 1913, at St Thomas Parish Church, Harelaw, Annfield Plain setting up home in East Stanley, the following year Ruth gave birth to a son, Reginald at Catchgate, Durham. His mother never saw this grandchild as she had died in 1912.
Thomas enlisted, August 1914 in Stanley and was assigned as Private 1829 Durham Light Infantry, 8th Battalion, 50th Northumberland Division. They moved to Boldon Colliery in early August, then Ravensworth Park and the battalion was in Newcastle upon Tyne by October. Mobilised they landed at Boulogne April 17th 1915 as after the failure of British attacks at Neuve Chapelle the Germans’ were preparing to attack Ypres. The newly arrived battalions of the regiment without any “nursery”, period were deployed as needed in the northern sector on the salient. Thomas had his first experience of battle April 19th 1915 and the battle intensified in the coming days as the Germans attacked Ypres, April 22nd. Private 1829 Thomas Briggs Durham Light Infantry was killed in action only 7 days after his arrival in France, April 26th 1915. He has no known grave, his sacrifice is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing which commemorates 54,394 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died on the Ypres salient whose bodies have never been found, up to a cut-off point of August 15th 1917. Thomas was 29 years old.
His widow Jane received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the 14/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Unfortunately, in early 1917 she had to bear the pain of losing their only son Reginald who died aged 2 years.
Jane remarried August 3rd 1918 to Robert Lock Stephenson of Lamesley, at St Thomas Parish Church, Harelaw, Annfield Plain. They went on to have 5 children, Nora 1919-2010, Reginald William 1921-1996, Richard Henry 1923-1997, Rose 1925-2006 and Margaret Jane 1927-2012. Rose Ann Stephenson died in 1958, her husband Robert in 1973.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Briggs is remembered at Stanley on S135.04
His name is in the Durham Light Infantry Book of Remembrance D47.013
