Briggs, Nassau: Service no. 406681

CVWM Page

Source: Reported to be the last Commonwealth soldier to die during Word War 1 (Broken Link)

Digitized Service Record is under Briggs, Nassan Service no. 466681.

Find-A-Grave

Family Search

Notes: Some confusion regarding his actual first name. Several different spellings in the service record.

“The last of Canada’s First World War dead was 40-year-old Nassau Briggs, a labourer during peacetime who served as a sergeant with the Canadian Infantry’s 18th Battalion and is buried in Hamilton, Ont. Briggs’s death, on Aug. 31, 1921 of complications resulting from having been gassed, came almost three years after Armistice Day 1918, but as it coincided with the ratification of the peace treaty between Britain and Hungary — the last between Britain and its wartime antagonists — it is considered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to be the last death of a Canadian during the Great War. Nov. 11, 1918, in essence, was a truce, a temporary suspension of hostilities. The war didn’t end until its combatants agreed it was over and signed on the dotted line.”

Source: Grave matters article. (Broken Link)

Last serviceman to die in war from the First World War is buried in Hamilton

Photo surfaces of final ‘war dead’ Canadian from First World War – a sergeant buried in Hamilton

Summary of Service[i] for Sergeant Nassau Briggs, reg. no. 406681.

Date	Event	Remarks
June 12, 1881	Born	Born at Leeds, Yorkshire, England.
March 22, 1915	Enlists	Enlists with the 36th Battalion at Hamilton, Ontario. He is a 33-year old labourer and is married to Florence Briggs, residing at 35 Ardvollien[ii] Street, Hamilton. He has no prior military experience.
April 1915	Assigns Pay	$20.00 per month to his wife Mrs. Florrie Briggs.
May 1915	Separation Allowance	$20.00 per month to his wife Mrs. Florrie Briggs.
August 28, 1915	Arrives England
November 1, 1915	Transferred	Transferred to 18th Battalion.
November 2, 1915	Taken On Strength	T.O.S. in the field with the 18th Battalion. At this time the Battalion had been in active operations since September 25, 1915. The War Diary relates on this date as it was in the front line in Flanders, Belgium:   “Battalion relived 19th Bn. In trenches and at Vierstraat – “B” + “D” Coys in Trenches.”
December 21, 1915	Admitted	Admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance. Carbuncle.
December 30, 1915	Admitted	To a Casualty Clearing Station.
January 8, 1916	Discharged	Discharged to duty and rejoined unit.
February 19, 1916	Admitted	Admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance.
February 20, 1916	Admitted	Divisional Rest Station at Goderwaerovelde.
February 27, 1916	Discharged
March 7, 1916	Admitted	Admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance.
March 8, 1916	Admitted	Divisional Rest Station at Goderwaerovelde.
March 13, 1916	Admitted	Nor. Med. Divisional Casualty Clearing Station.
March 15, 1916	Discharged	Discharged for duty.
March 31, 1916	Admitted	No. 14 General Hospital, Wimereaux, France.
April 16, 1916	Admitted	Admitted No. 5 Convalescent Depot, Wimereaux, France.
April 26, 1916	Discharged	Discharged to Base Depot.
May 4, 1916	Proceeds to Unit
May 5, 1916	Arrives	Arrives with 18th Battalion “In the Field”.
December 29, 1916	Leave	Granted 10 days leave.
November 18, 1917	Admitted	Admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance for impetigo.
November 27, 1917	Discharged	Discharged to duty.
December 8, 1917	Granted Leave	14 days leave to England.
October 14, 1918	Admitted	No. 4 Canadian Field Ambulance the to Casualty Clearing Station. Inflamed glands.
October 21, 1918	Admitted	Admitted to No. 18 General Hospital.
October 23, 1918	Invalided to England	Invalided to England, sick.
October 21, 1918	Taken On Strength	T.O.S. with the Western Ontario Regimental Depot at Witley, England.
November 20, 1918	On Command	On Command with No. 1 C.C.D.
March 31, 1919	Ceases on Command
April 1, 1919	Taken On Strength	T.O.S. “P Cadre”.
March 9, 1919	Admitted	Admitted for synovitis of the knee at 1st C.C.D.
March 24, 1919	Discharged
June 9, 1919	Appointed	Appointed Acting/Corporal with pay.
June 29, 1919	Medical Exam	Medical exam in preparation for return to Canada.
June 30, 1919	Dental Exam	Dental exam in preparation for return to Canada.
August 9, 1919	Appointed	Appointed Acting/Sergeant with pay.
September 9, 1919	Taken On Strength	T.O.S. “R. Wing” at Witley.
September 20, 1919	Struck Off Strength	S.O.S. to Canada.
October 6, 1919	Discharged	Discharged at No. 2 Military District, Toronto, Ontario. Eligible for War Service Badge, Class A.
October 20, 1920	Change of Address	Change of address for Mrs. N. Briggs to 315 Mary Street, Hamilton, Ontario.
August 31, 1921	Dies	Dies due to service. Buried at Hamilton Cemetery. He is officially the last Canadian soldier of the Great War to die according to the standards invoked by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission.
April 26, 1926	Scroll Despatched	Scroll no. 2135 despatched to Mrs. F. Biggs.
January 20, 1927	Plaque Despatched	Plaque no. 2890 despatched to Mrs. F. Biggs.

[i] The Summary of Service for this soldier is meant as just that, a summary of his service. It is not intended to be an exhaustive biographical relation of his life or his war service. Some information may be deliberately suppressed by the author out of sensitivity to the soldier. Readers are encouraged to reference the actual service records available at the Library and Archives Canada in PDF format if they wish to learn more about this soldier. Such additional information (i.e. hyperlinks etc.) are for informational purpose only and no claim to verification or accuracy is made by the author of this summary.

[ii] No reference to this street found.