Captain Bernard W Briggs MC MID

Bernard Walter Briggs was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire on the 6 December 1914.

He was a volunteer in the Territorial Army in 1939 when he was mobilized on 24 August 1939 and served for eight months before being granted an emergency commission as a Second Lieutenant in The Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 27 April 1940. He was promoted to the rank of War Substantive Lieutenant 27 October 1941.

Captain Briggs was a founder member of the Parachute Regiment, and served with the 1st Parachute Brigade in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was promoted to Acting Captain 12 December 1941.

This is his own personal account of ‘Operation Market-Garden’:

“When the 1st Parachute Brigade were dropped at Arnhem in September 1944, I was Staff Captain at Brigade HQ. After landing I proceeded into town by the southern most route with the Bde HQ troops in rear of 2nd Bn. On reaching the centre of the town 2nd Bn occupied the main objective, the Bridge over the Neder Rhine. It became obvious that more troops were required to keep the bridge secure and an ‘ad-hoc’ Company was formed of personnel of Bde Sigs, Ordnance and anyone who could be spared. I was ordered to command it, with Lieut John Cairns Royal Signals as 2 i/c. Captain Bernard Manley and his Ordnance personnel were ordered to proceed with me also.

A party of officers, under Major Tony Hibbert crossed the banked causeway approaching – or rather – leading to the Bridge and investigated the row of houses situated to the east of the Bridge and covering that side of its approaches.

It was found that they were excellent for our purpose, and we began our return trip. We took cover on hearing a German vehicle, which stopped, and a few minutes later an enemy patrol moved past us. [They] passed us by at about a yard distance, but failed to see us.

Shortly afterwards we occupied the houses and put them in a state of defence. The night was not very eventful. Early next morning a number of German armoured vehicles crossed the Bridge from South to North and several were destroyed by 2nd Bn. Those of the crew who got away from the vehicles were killed by fire from our position.

We were visited by Major Tatham-Warter, 2nd Bn, who later sent us a Bren gunner, Tpr. Bolton, of the 1st Airborne Recce Squadron, who fought during the following days with great calmness and literally refused to be parted from his gun. He hated the thought of anyone using it, but him, and would wake from a cat-nap at any movement and leap to it ready to fire. He was a crack shot and a fine, splendid soldier.

The shelling and mortar fire intensified during the day, and we were glad to be reinforced by Lieut Pat Barnett and the Bde HQ Def Platoon. Lt. Barnett deserves all praise for his gallantry and example to everyone, and demonstrated it by destroying a troublesome tank single-handed, with grenades. For this and many other exploits, including a bayonet charge which he led later and in which he was wounded he was awarded the Medaille Militaire Willemsworde, the Dutch V.C.

As the battle continued, our houses were set on fire as was the school building nearby, in which Major R.P.C. Lewis, 3rd Bn, and his men were fighting. Major Lewis had fought his way through the town to our assistance at the Bridge - a fine feat.

We ‘mouseholed’ from house to house as they caught fire, and tried to tear down inflammable material, like roof-laths and so on to retard the flames. We were hampered by lack of water.

During this time the 2nd Battalion, on the Bridge itself and the houses flanking it had been subject to very intense fire by guns and mortars and in a lull on the third day we tried to establish contact. We had no wireless, so we yelled ‘Whoa Mohammed’, hoping there would be some reply, but none came. We tore down wallpaper to make a 6 ft long megaphone through which we shouted words and epithets that could only be British, but on still hearing no reply we decided that we were the only troops still alive in our sector.

We were still of this opinion that evening and when our last house caught fire we had a conference and it was decided that we should try and reach the main objective, the Bridge. We did so and on our arrival found a few of the 2nd Bn still there and very cheerful under Lieut Jack Grayburn, who was wounded in two or three places. He later died of these wounds and was awarded the V.C.

The shelling was now intense, and we were surrounded by tanks. Then a party of the enemy approached the Bridge – it is thought to try and blow down a pier, but they were dispersed by Lt Barnett and the others.

During this phase we were in contact with the remnants of Bn HQ, and later when things were getting very unpleasant we were ordered to evacuate the Bridge.

The trip to HQ was a bit sticky and we were glad to find Colonel Frost and Major Gough alive and cheery, though the Colonel was wounded. This was the fourth day. When later it became impossible to continue the fight, the C.O. ordered us to make for the Rhine.

My party was to large to move undetected and early on the fifth day we were captured.

The S.S. who captured us behaved very correctly and gave the men some lager beer from a wrecked Dutch public house as there was no water.

The first night in captivity was spent in a cinema, and later we were marched to a house on the road to Zutphen on the outskirts of Arnhem.

Morale was high as we were convinced we would be released in a few hours.

However, after two days we were put into lorries and driven off towards Zutphen. We left Major Tony Deane-Drummond in a wall cupboard, which was papered over like the rest of the room, where he remained for several days before making a brilliant escape.

On the road to Zutphen, when passing through a Dutch village, Major’s Hibbert and Dennis Munford attempted an escape. Hibbert got away, but Munford was recaptured.

Their leap from the truck was seen by the crew of a lorry approaching from the opposite direction, and these men signaled to our crew and they opened fire on the remaining 23 officers with Schmeisser sub-machine guns. A total of 8 were killed or fatally wounded.

We were lined up against the wall, hands behind our heads and the Germans said we were to be shot.

Major Gough and Tim Beevers?, 1st Bn, played for time and argued with the Germans for about 20-30 minutes. Which understandably saved our lives, for a Volkswagen drew up and in it was an Intelligence Officer who ordered that we were to be taken in another truck, together with our dead to Zutphen for interrogation.

Among the fatally wounded was Anthony Cotterell, novelist and War Correspondent, who had jumped No 19 in my stick.

The bravest man there was the Dutch Doctor, who completely ignoring the Germans, did his best to soothe our wounded and as he moved them kept whispering to us “Courage, courage”, he was a fine type.

Incident.

At one time, before we went to the Bridge it became obvious that another attack was coming in. Our men were tired and ammunition was running low. Pat Barnett and I agreed that it was unlikely that we should survive it. He asked me, if he ‘bought it’, and I didn’t, to give his love to Rosemary (his wife) and I asked  him, should the position be reversed, to go and see someone in England who was rather important to me. He agreed, and picking up his rifle went to his position. The party was at its height – and no one was enjoying it except Tpr. ‘Massa’ Bolton with his Bren – when suddenly we heard blood curdling yells of ‘Whoa Mohammed!’ ‘Pongo’ Lewis had arrived, and was attacking. The feeling of relief when we realized we had another respite was incredible. Pat Barnett rose from his position, laughing and almost crying, as we all were with reaction, came to me, pulled out his cigarette case and said ‘I think this calls for a Philip Morris’. I was proud to be with him – it turned the battle into quite a social occasion!”

For his conduct at Arnhem he was awarded the Military Cross:

 Early on the night of D Day (September 17th) Captain Briggs was given command of a mixed force of Brigade HQ, Signals, Royal Engineers and Ordnance personnel, and ordered to hold an important sector EAST of ARNHEM Bridge. The position was difficult to hold as fruit trees and shrubs gave the enemy a covered line of approach.

 During the following two days the enemy repeatedly attacked this position with tanks and infantry in greatly superior numbers. They were driven back each time with heavy losses. The position was under continuous mortar fire. During the afternoon of D+2 and morning D+3 the situation was made more difficult by the enemy setting fire to the houses Captain Briggs party was occupying. In spite of this and resulting enemy infiltration he continued to hold the position until every house was burnt down. He then skilfully withdrew the remnants of his force to "A" Company's position and continued to fight with them.

 Captain Briggs skilful and inspiring leadership was an example to all and it was undoubtedly largely due to his efforts that the most important and difficult position was held for so long.

 Prisoner of War 21.9.44

 Captain Bernard Briggs remained a prisoner in Oflag VIIB, Eichstatt, Bayern, until the 29th April 1945, when he was released from his POW Camp by Allied Forces.

He left the Army in March 1946, but he was given a permanent commission in The Leicestershire Regiment in February 1947. During the Korean War, by which time he was a Major, he was Mentioned in Despatches (10th October 1952), whilst serving with the Commonwealth Division.

He later served in Kenya with the King's African Rifles, and Aden with the Aden Protectorate Levies. He retired from the Army in September 1961 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

His medals included the following:

Military Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1945’.

1939-45 Star.

Italy Star.

France and Germany Star.

Defence Medal.

War Medal 1939-45.

Korea 1950-53, 1st issue, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Major BW Briggs. MC. R. Leicesters.).

UN Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued.

Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Kenya (Major BW Briggs. M.C. R. Leicesters.).

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Arabian Peninsula (Lt.Col. BW Briggs. M.C. R. Leicesters.)

 

Bernard Briggs died in Yorkshire on the 30 November 1989.