Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Stoker First Class R. Briggs, Royal Navy, who fought at Jutland aboard the battlecruiser H.M.S. New Zealand on 31 May 1916

1914-15 Star (SS.111385, R. Briggs, Sto.1., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (SS.111385 R. Briggs. Sto.1 R.N.) very fine and better (3) £120-£160

The battlecruiser H.M.S. New Zealand was launched on 1 July 1911 and was flagship of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she fired a total of 420 shells from her main guns during the battle, more than any other ship on either side.

Reginald Briggs was born in Manchester on 28 November 1892, and joined the Royal Navy as Stoker 2nd Class on 13 October 1911. Posted to the newly commissioned battlecruiser H.M.S. New Zealand on 25 January 1913, he was aboard the ship when she went on tour to the Dominions in 1913, including a visit to her namesake from 12 April-25 June 1913. Whilst there the ship was estimated to have been visited by almost half the population of New Zealand - most pertinent of whom was a Maori chieftain who presented the captain with a Maori piupiu (a warrior’s skirt) and a greenstone tiki (pendant) which were intended to ward off evil, with the injunction that they were always to be worn by the captain when the ship was in action. Their efficacy was to be proved as the ship saw action at the battles of Heligoland Bight 1914, Dogger Bank 1915 and Jutland 1916.

At Dogger Bank, command of the British squadrons fell to Rear-Admiral Moore of the New Zealand when Beatty’s Lion was badly damaged by three 12-inch shells from the Derfflinger, and as a consequence she was directly engaged in the three hour duel that resulted in the loss of the Blucher.

At Jutland, the crew of the New Zealand had the misfortune to witness the loss of the Indefatigable and the Queen Mary, passing the latter battle cruiser on the port beam at just 100 yards distance when she blew up. An officer stationed in New Zealand’s gun-control position later wrote:

‘At about 4.35 the stern of a ship projecting about 70 feet out of the water, with the propellers revolving slowly, drifted into the field of my glasses; clouds of white paper were blowing out of the after-hatch, and on her stern I read “Queen Mary”. She passed us about 100 yards on our port beam, and a moment later there was a blinding flash, a dull heavy roar, which ceased as suddenly as it began, followed by a few seconds silence, and then the patter of falling debris. All that was left of the “Queen Mary” was a great mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke about 600 to 800 feet high, which temporarily obscured our view of the enemy, but a few seconds later we drew clear.’

In spite of such harrowing scenes, the New Zealand’s crew continued to engage the enemy with numerous well-aimed salvoes, the whole under the direction of Admiral Pakenham and Captain John Green. The crew were doubtless relieved to know that the latter was wearing the piupiu and tiki as instructed. As mascots went, they did the trick, with just one enemy shell hitting the New Zealand on her after turret causing no casualties.

Briggs continued in H.M.S. New Zealand until 23 September 1916, and was invalided out of the navy in consequence of disease of the brain on 8 November 1916. 

Sold with copied Service Record.