David Briggs (headmaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Briggs
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Briggs with his daughter Anne Atkins at his 100th birthday
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| Born |
John Davidson Briggs
7 November 1917 Norwich, England
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| Died | 16 March 2020 (aged 102) |
| Education | Marlborough College, Kings College Cambridge |
| Occupation | Educator, headmaster |
| Known for | Choral scholar |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Mary Lormer (married 1940) |
| Children | 4 including Andrew Briggs and Anne Atkins |
| Parent(s) | George Wallace Briggs, Constance Barrow |
David Briggs (born John Davidson Briggs, 7 November 1917 – 16 March 2020) was an English teacher and headmaster. He was in charge of King's College School, Cambridge.
Contents
About David Briggs
Early Life and School
David Briggs was born in Norwich, England, on 7 November 1917. His father was George Wallace Briggs, a church leader.
David loved music from a young age. He sang in the famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge from 1927 to 1931. He was a chorister, which is a young singer in a church choir. Later, from 1936 to 1939, he returned as a choral scholar. This meant he got a scholarship to study at King's College, Cambridge because of his singing talent.
He went to Marlborough College for high school. Then, he studied old languages (classics) and history at King's College, Cambridge.
A Voice on the Radio
David Briggs sang in the very first Christmas Eve carol service broadcast from King’s College Chapel in 1928. He kept singing in church choirs his whole life.
In 2013, he was interviewed on BBC Radio 2 about Christmas carols. This meant his broadcasting career lasted an amazing 85 years! He was interviewed again in 2015, when he was 98 years old. He believed he was the last person alive from that first 1928 choir.
Family Life
In 1940, David married Catherine Mary Lormer. She was a mathematics teacher from Australia. Some of her students became very famous mathematicians! One was Sir Andrew Wiles, who solved a very old math problem called Fermat's Last Theorem. Another was Sir Timothy Gowers, a top professor at Cambridge.
David and Mary had four children: Johnny, Andrew, Catherine, and Anne Atkins. Andrew became a professor at Oxford, and Anne is a writer and broadcaster.
Serving During Wartime
During World War II, David Briggs was a conscientious objector. This means he believed it was wrong to fight in a war. He first worked in the army's pay office, but he didn't like it.
His father helped him transfer to the Royal Army Medical Corps. This group helps wounded soldiers. However, the army then said everyone in the Medical Corps had to carry weapons. David refused because he wouldn't use them. He almost faced a court-martial, which is like a trial in the army. But the rule was found to be against the Geneva Convention, which are rules for how wars should be fought.
So, David continued as a corporal. He couldn't get promoted or receive awards because he was a conscientious objector. He was part of the Normandy landings in France. He helped set up a field hospital near Bayeux. There, he even started a choir with about 25 doctors and nurses! They performed in different parts of Normandy.
In 2014, David shared his wartime stories in a radio interview for the BBC's D-Day anniversary.
A Career in Education
After the war, from 1946, David taught old languages at Bryanston School in Dorset. He and his wife, Mary, worked together to build a Greek Theatre at the school. The students helped with the building work! This theatre led to a popular Greek summer school held there every year.
In 1959, David Briggs became the Headmaster of King's College School in Cambridge. He stayed in this role until he retired in 1977. During his time, he made the school co-educational, meaning both boys and girls could attend.
The school has a building named after him and his wife, Mary. It's called the Briggs Building and has classrooms for science, languages, math, and a library.
Later Years
After retiring, David became good friends with famous conductor Sir David Willcocks and church historian Owen Chadwick.
David and Mary later moved to live with their daughter Anne and her family. David celebrated his 100th birthday with a big party, inviting a hundred friends and former students. He passed away on 16 March 2020, at the age of 102.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic rules, only a few people could attend his funeral. His grandson, Ben Atkins, created a special virtual choir. Family, friends, and former singers performed a song written by David's daughter Anne, with music arranged by Ben.
