BRIGGS, Guy Alfred
| Service Number: | 180 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1914, An original member of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Devonport, Tasmania, Australia, 13 August 1894 |
| Home Town: | Longford, Northern Midlands, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Longford State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Nurseryman |
| Died: | Killed in action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 28 April 1915, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Longford War Memorial, Tasmanian Amateur Athletics Association |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Corporal, 180, 12th Infantry Battalion, An original member of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Corporal, 180, 12th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Corporal, 180, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Hobart |
Help us honour Guy Alfred Briggs's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
It was reported that Corporal Guy Briggs had been in the employ of Mr. Frank Walker at Launceston since his boyhood, and was respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Harriers' Club. Frank Walker was for many years the best-known horticulturist and florist in Tasmania, and established many nurseries.
Guy’s two brothers also enlisted, 1047 Sergeant Leonard Briggs M.M. 26th Battalion AIF and Lieutenant Edgar Charles Briggs 12th Battalion AIF. His father 1072 Pte. Alfred Henry Briggs also enlisted at the age of 50 and served in Egypt with the 1st Australian Remount Unit.
The only information regarding Guy’s death, officially three days after the Anzac landing, came from his battalion commander Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest H. Smith, who wrote a letter to Brigg’s parents which was published in the Launceston Examiner later in 1915.
“Before writing to you re your son's death I made full enquiry. You will, if am sure, understand the difficulty we have had in obtaining reliable information. When we first landed, all the different units were mixed up, and it was not until after five days that we were able to sort out the different battalions. There were 40,000 troops fighting together at this time. The information I sent you was obtained from some of the 12th men. Guy was in the trenches on Monday afternoon, at 5 p.m. He was with a small number of the 12th, when he was shot in the head and carried out of the trenches, where he died shortly afterwards. He was attended to by the A.M. Corps. His belongings should have been sent to the divisional headquarters, but at the time of his death we were all fighting for our lives, and I am afraid in lots of cases it was impossible to collect and forward effects. You may rest assured I am making every effort to obtain full information about all the 12th men, …..I can assure you that my one aim and my duty is to give all the information about our brave fellows, who so nobly died for the country, and to those who have been left behind to mourn their loss.”
Click images to start slideshow.