A SPECTACULAR BOER WAR & GREAT WAR V.C. ACTION Q.S.A.- K.S.A. 1914 Star & Bar Trio with Plaque.

A Casualty group of six.
To:
5081 Pte & 9181 Cpl H. BRIGGS, 1st ESSEX Regt
& 2nd LINCOLNSHIRE Regt.

KILLED-IN-ACTION 9th May 1915.

[THE MEDALS]
QUEENS SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL.
5081. Pte H. BRIGGS. 1st ESSEX REGt.

Cape Colony
Orange Free State
Johannesburg
Diamond Hill
Belfast

KINGS SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL.
5081. Pte H. BRIGGS. ESSEX REGt
South Africa 1901 - South Africa 1902.

1914 Star & Bar:
9181 Pte H. BRIGGS 2/LINC. R.
War & Victory
9181 L.Cpl H. BRIGGS LINC. R.



INTER-COMPANY RIFLE MEETING "WINNERS" MEDAL.
Lce Corpl H. BRIGGS.
H Company (Essex Regt)


[BIOGRAPHY] "Harry Briggs" 1881-1915.
Harry Briggs was born in Gainsborough, Lincoln in 1880. He was the son of Henry Simpson Briggs & Sarah Briggs. In 1881 they were living at 21 Church Street, Gainsborough, but by 1891 the family had moved to the area of St George Hanover Square in London (4 North Audley St) Father Henry Briggs was a tea dealer & had become a London coffee house keeper. The family was clearly doing very well in business as there were eight members. Stepson James Row 17, was assisting in the coffee house and servant Alice Lacy 20, also lived at the property. Harry, then 10, was at school with his twin sister Florence 10, & Annie,11. The eldest daughter Lilian 14 was a dressmakers apprentice.

Harry originally joined the Essex Regiment on 14th March 1898 at Warley, Essex aged 18. He served in South Africa & India. While with the Essex Regt, Harry was a member of the inter-company rifle team ('H' Coy) and was a member of the winning team in about 1913. For this he received the handsome silver medal included in his group.

[THE GREAT WAR]
When war broke out in 1914 the Essex Regt was in Bermuda but returned to the U.K. with an arrival on 20th October 1914. On returning to England. Harry joined the 2nd Lincolnshire Regt and he sailed for France two weeks later on 4th November 1914.

Sgt CHARLES RICHARD SHARPE V.C. 2/LINCS REGT


[HARRY BRIGGS WAS KILLED IN THIS VICTORIA CROSS ACTION AT "ROUGES BANCS" AUBERS RIDGE]
Harry only had a brief period of six months in France before being killed in action on 9th May 1915 while taking part in a trench blocking raid at Rouges Banks.

It was here that his fellow Corporal, Charles Richard Sharpe V.C. won his medal. Cpl. Sharpe had been in charge of the trench blocking party and was the first man to reach the enemy line. He had then single handedly cleared a 50 yard section of the enemy trench with grenades after the rest of the men in his party (including Harry Briggs) had been killed.

The British Army lost 4,330 men during this action on 9th May 1915.





A HIGHLY DESIRABLE BOER WAR - GREAT WAR, VICTORIA CROSS ACTION CASUALTY & PLAQUE GROUPING.


WITH A MASS OF RARELY SURVIVING FULL SERVICE PAPERS.

BOER WAR MEDALS GVF. WW1 MEDALS "MINT" ON ORIGINAL RIBBONS.

£1550