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Items on this page submitted by Captain J.W.F. Briggs RN
Commanding Officer of HMS Ulster 1967-69
Note: On promotion to Commander, he was appointed CO of HMS Tartar where
he relieved Captain Cameron Rusby RN!
Click on images to enlarge, once enlarged in
most cases you can zoom in to make image bigger and text readable
July 1969 |
July 1969 |
March 1969 |
Ulster - Amsterdam 1969 |
February 1969 |
Lt Cdr Briggs instructing Sir Bernard miles in use of compass.
Lt Cdr Briggs was Senior Officer of four frigates, quite rare
and big responsibility for a 2½, although he had been appointed
Commander at the time. |
Jackstay transfer with HMS Murray (CO Lt. Cdr Andrew Marx) of
the late Alexandra HARBUD, (God Mother of Captain Briggs
daughter) during 2nd Frigate Squadron Families day, Sandown Bay Area |
March 1969 |
Booklet explaining Ulster's role as a training ship |
Inside front cover |
Inside back cover |
Back cover |
Cutting from magazine showing last Type 15 (Ulster) to be
scrapped.
(see 'Death of a lady' on site ) |
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Click
HERE
for HMS Ulster poem
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Click
HERE
for Ulster three WWII actions
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Click
HERE
for letter from LRO(T) Ulster to CY OF Tartar explaining
Commander Briggs idiosyncrasies |
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Captain Briggs
& Patsy Ridgeway
Just after I posted Captain Briggs material on the website, I
was contacted by a Patsy Ridge who was doing her ancestor
research.
A nice partial ending to Patsy Ridgeway's research of the 3
pilots (Babington, Briggs and Sippein) on the Friedrichshafen
raid, Babington became Air Marshall, but on retirement dropped
the "Babington", retired to his roots and became Sir John
Tremayne Tremayne, High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1954! She has
not been able to ascertain if he married or had children, so
finding Capt Briggs was a real bonus!
As a family, she feels those 3 pilots are forgotten heroes.
Although their bravery was recognised at the time with several
awards (Sippe was given the Legion D'Honneur, DSO, OBE and Croix
de Guerre), their names have since disappeared into the mists of
time. She and her family are determined that, 100 years on, they
will once again be acknowledged as the courageous pioneers of
aviation warfare.
Captain Briggs father was Edward Featherstone Briggs, and
Patsy’s grandfather was Sydney Vincent Sippe, who bombed the
Zeppelin factories in 1914. The three pilots, Babington, Sippe
and Briggs (who was shot down and became a prisoner of war, then
escaped back to England) were highly decorated for their
endeavours, then lost in the mists of time!
I believe that two of the pilots started their flying careers
with the Royal Naval Air Service. |
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Some comments
from 1968-69 crew:
Shipmate Mick Inshaw sent me two dits below after the Navy News
item from Captain Briggs and I forgot to post them.
Yes he was known as Basher Briggs. I remember once we were of
Sandown Isle of Wight; I was EM of the sea boats crew.
He stopped the ship ordered the sea boat away and we had to get
him a bucket of sand and an ice cream all duly returned to ship.
He then refused to pick us up, and sailed off to Pompey leaving
us to make our own way back, good fun had by all.
Did you also see the letter from Captain Briggs he was my
captain. I remember the incident very well. He was a great chap
used to have all empty cans taken to the bridge, he would then
throw them over the side and shoot at them with two German luger
pistols he owned.
Shipmate Paul Schorn comments on subject.
Thanks for that will go get Navy News this morning. Yes ''
Basher'' Briggs was my first Captain on Ulster, Mad as a hatter,
used to stop the ship and fire at sea gulls with his shot gun,
or any other thing he saw floating on ocean, used to come to
work each day, when in Dockyard, on his beat up old LD Lambretta,
wearing greatcoat and Leather helmet. BUT, he never used a Pilot
or Tug when coming into Portsmouth, always did it himself, very
good when he was on the bridge.
When he left we had another chap, schoolie I think, he lasted a
couple of days after Caisson Incident, then we got 'Gentleman
Jim' Weatherall, now Rear Admiral. Will read article with
interest, Paul
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Clipping sent in by Dick Moon 1968-69 Commission |
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This
page last updated on
October 29th, 2013 |
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