From the Oct. 6, 2008 BBC.
Back on September 5th, I wrote about the attempt to recover the HMS Hood's bell being called off. Then I came across this story of the Hood's last survivor dying almost four years ago. And, there were only three survivors. Officially, 1415 died May 24, 1941, in the horrendous explosion after being hit by the guns of the German battleship Bismarck.
Ted Briggs survived until age 85, when he died October 4th. He was just 18 at the ship's destruction and eventually became the head of the Hood Association.
"I was not a hero. I was a survivor," he said.
He was standing on the compass platform, near the bridge that fateful day. He served on the Hood from 1939 to 1941, Afterwards, he was assigned duty on the HMS Mercury.
From Wikipedia.
His full name was Albert Edward Pryke "Ted" Briggs and born Match 1, 1923. He first set eyes on the Hood when it was anchored off the River tees at age 12. the next day, he tried to enlist inthe Navy, but was told he was too young and would have to wait until he turned 15.
One week after his 15th birthday, he did just that. He was extremely excited to be assigned duty on the HMS Hood July 29, 1939.
Losing the Greatest Generation. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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