| Alfie Briggs | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 February 1888 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died |
18 March 1950 (aged 62) Scotland |
Alfred Ernest Briggs (4 February 1888 – 18 March 1950) was a Scottish professional football wing half who played in the Scottish League for Heart of Midlothian.[1][2] He later scouted for Partick Thistle.[3]
Career[]
Briggs began his career with junior club Clydebank Juniors and in 1912 represented Scotland at that level.[4] He was signed by Heart of Midlothian manager John McCartney immediately afterwards.[5] He made 70 appearances for the club between 1912 and 1917 and was forced to retire from his wartime injuries.[1][6] He later returned to play in Peter Nellies' testimonial match in April 1921.[7]
Personal life[]
After the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Briggs enlisted as a corporal in McCrae's Battalion of the Royal Scots.[3][8] He was badly wounded near La Boisselle on the first day of the Somme, being "hit by four machine gun bullets; one in his leg, another in his left foot and through his arm, another in his right ankle, coming out above the knee and another winging his forehead, knocking him out".[3] He sought refuge in a shell hole and was returned to an advanced dressing station near Bécourt,[5] where he was expected to die, but made a recovery before being returned to Britain.[3]
Prior to becoming a professional footballer, Briggs worked as a machine builder for the Singer Corporation in Clydebank.[2] Briggs later returned to work after the war as a boilermaker.[2] At the time of his death in 1950, he still had two German bullets lodged in his back.[3]
Honours[]
Heart of Midlothian
- Rosebery Charity Cup: 1912–13[9]
Career statistics[]
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 1912–13[1] | Scottish League First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 1913–14[1] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1914–15[1] | 38 | 0 | — | 6[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 44 | 0 | |||
| 1915–16[1] | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1917–18[1] | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 70 | 0 | ||
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Alfred Ernest Briggs – Hearts Career – from 23 Oct 1912 to 25 Apr 1921". http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/players/briggsalfredernest.html. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Purdie, Tom (30 August 2014) (in en). Hearts: The Supreme Sacrifice to Hearts at War. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445633343. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yilmBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT81&lpg=PT81&dq=alfie+briggs+hearts&source=bl&ots=ESjvua2R64&sig=9JZhv3ZQHZ_ZhTPQ1cgsBJXeKyY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrrID0iZ7PAhVGJMAKHVxrBjgQ6AEIQzAJ#v=onepage&q=alfie%2520briggs%2520hearts&f=false.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Hearts of courage – The legendary McCrae's Own". http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/community/stories/remembrance/sport-remembers-hearts-of-courage-the-legendary-mccrae-s-own/. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Scotland Junior International Results and Lineups". http://www.scottish-football-historical-archive.co.nf/scotlandjuniorinternationals.xlsx. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Alexander, Jack (in en). McCrae's Battalion: The Story of the 16th Royal Scots. Random House. ISBN 9781845968212. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GhEQfztozFQC&pg=PT61&lpg=PT61&dq=alfie+briggs+advanced+dressing+station&source=bl&ots=rJBHK3loxH&sig=hWyhLiSGtLxudF_zyoLno-cZBMs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikjqX2x9nQAhWLIsAKHYmUC5gQ6AEIHzAB#v=onepage&q=alfie%20briggs%20advanced%20dressing%20station&f=false. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ↑ McCarthy, David (10 January 2015). "The story of the Hearts players who served their country during the Great War" (in en). scotlandnow. http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/heroic-story-hearts-players-supporters-4928140. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ↑ "1921-04-25 Mon Hearts 0 Bradford City 1". http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/games/192104251.html. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ↑ "The Heart of Midlothian FC Players' Roll of Honour". Archived on 8 November 2016. Error: If you specify
|archivedate=, you must also specify|archiveurl=. http://www.scotlandswar.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_Hearts_Roll_1.pdf. Retrieved 20 September 2016. - ↑ "1913-05-10 Sat Hearts 0 Hibernian 2". http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/games/191305101.html. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
The original article can be found at Alfie Briggs and the edit history here.