Albert Edward Pryke Briggs was born in Redcar, England back in 1923. When he was 12 he saw the HMS Hood anchored off the River Tees. He volunteered to join the Royal Navy the next day. he was told he couldn’t join until he was 15, just one week after turning 15 he joined the Royal Navy. He was trained on the HMS Ganges for 16 months before being transferred to the HMS Hood.
Of course, you know his ship was dispatched to intercept the German battleship Bismark in the Denmark Straits. He was assigned to the HMS Hilary which was used to assist the landing for the D-Day invasion. He served in the Royal Navy until 1973. His total service was 35 years. He was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant and died in 2008 at 85.
What you may not know about Albert is that he was one of only three men to survive the sinking of the Hood. He joined the HMS Hood Association as one of its youngest member being elected as its first President. I would tell you about all of his awards and medals, but that will take another blog, one of these days.
Until tomorrow give someone the free gift of a smile
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