Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: First Radio Officer W. I. Briggs, Merchant Navy, who was taken P.O.W. after his ship the Indus was sent to the bottom by the German raider Thor in July 1942

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45; Korea 1950-53 (W. I. Briggs); U.N. Korea 1950-54, mounted as worn, good very fine and better (5) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to Merchant Seamen and D.E.M.S. Gunners.

View
Collection

Wilfred Ioris Briggs, who was born in Fulham, London in February 1907, commenced his wartime career aboard the S.S. Clan MacNaughton, followed by appointments in the M.V. Mary Kingsley and the Johilla, which ships took him to India and West Africa in 1940-42.

He next joined the M.V. Indus, at Ceylon, in early 1942, and was similarly employed on the occasion of her loss to the guns of the German raider Thor on 20 July of that year - a fellow Radio Officer was killed at his post, one of 22 fatalities.

In common with other men of the Merchant Navy, Briggs was eventually interned at Marlag and Milag Nord in Germany. Repatriated in May 1945, he was present in operations off Korea, came ashore in July 1956 and died in May 1959; sold with a file of research.