from:34 Leicester Ave, Canning Town, Essex.
My Father Fredrick Charles Briggs was a career man in the Royal Navy enlisting at the age of 15. He married his elementary school sweetheart Edith May Nash on 13th Feb 1936. Just after my birth my Father was lent to the New Zealand Navy by the British Royal Navy to help train their personnel. This was the year of the crisis with Hitler making threatening noises. My mother & I were supposed to join my Father in New Zealand , But they had to wait till I was old enough to travel according to regulations. Then war broke out so all travel of dependents was cancelled. At the start of the war my father was given the choice of staying and fighting with the New Zealand navy or returning to England and rejoining his ship. He chose England, with hopes of seeing us again.
Several days out in in the Pacific, the ship my father was returning on I believe it was the Arangartan was sunk. My father was on deck when the first torpedo hit. His friend who he shared a cabin with was asleep down below. Dad went below to check on his friend when the second torpedo hit.
There was no memory till my father came to several days later aboard a German Raider. The Germans had everyone laid out on the deck, taking rank name and service, As they were separating military personal from civilians, There was many nurses and civilian engineers aboard the ship all returning to England. While they were traveling they were allowed to travel in civilian clothes. When it came to my Father they was asked if anyone knew him as he was still out cold. His friend said yes he is a civilian engineer, But someone else piped up no he is not I have seen him in uniform. That was the end of that. Later they put the civilians ashore on an island. My mother was notified that he was missing in action presumed dead, He spent 18months aboard that German Raider, We did not know he was alive My father became friends with the Captain which is a whole other story.
My Mother in the meantime had her money stopped which is a long story. The New Zealand government refused to give her dad's service pay as he was returning to England. The British government also refused as he had not arrived back, 14 months this went on when England decided to give her a widow's pension.
A couple of months later after she received her first pension she was notified by the Red Cross that dad was alive aboard a German Raider and was being returned to Germany to a prison camp.
His story of early days in Camp would fill a book he was in charge of smuggling radio parts in from local German farmer on a potato cart in trade for Red Cross parcels, he was going to be shot for, but a bombing raid saved him. The escape tunnel they dug and was caught coming out of. Dad kept a log on all activities but two of his logs were stolen when he was repatriated.
On his return he had multiple health issues which had been neglected, He had lost the lining of his stomach, Because of his injury when the ship was hit he wore a steel padded cradle around his middle and a padded head helmet to relieve pressure on his spine which finally cost him his life at the age of 53.One of his seven brother swas also killed in action in Nov 1942 on the HMS Avenger returning from a Russian convoy, Others fought in Europe, Burma and Italy.
I grew up watching London burning every night. I wish to you thank you Dad & my uncles for keeping us free
