Albert BRIGGS

16/1040, Private, b. 1898, Clayton d. Sat. 1st July 1916 (aged 22).

Again, the ‘ 16/ ’ prefix to Albert’s army number and the date of his death give a clue as to how he died – Albert was another of the 1st Bradford Pals who went over the top on that fateful July day.

He had quit his job as a warehouseman and enlisted at the same time as all the others of his battalion in September 1914, leaving his family and friends back in Bradford.

His parents Timothy and Frances Briggs lived at 16, Gaythorne Terrace, Clayton while Albert himself lived on Lavinia Terrace. He was closely associated with Clayton Parish Church and was a regular member of the Parish Church Mutual Improvement Society, as well as being a Sunday school teacher. In addition to these he was also a regular player for the Clayton Association Football Club.

Like Ben Balme, Albert’s body was never recovered but unlike Ben, he was posted as missing in action until the end of the war. The means by which this statement was determined was by whether any remaining soldiers in his company (‘B’ Company) had seen him fall or get hit. If he was seen to be hit and never returned he was pronounced ‘missing in action, presumed killed’ but if he hadn’t been seen and never returned he was pronounced ‘missing in action’. Again, he is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.