Tom Triggs was born on 10 February 1884, the son of Captain Tom Bowden Triggs & Mrs Annie Louisa Triggs (née Thomas).  He joined the Royal Navy in 1898.  He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant and, in 1904, was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS THAMES ‘Additional for Training’.

He was promoted Lieutenant having achieved four ‘Firsts’ in his Lieutenants Examinations and, in 1905, he was appointed to HMS THAMES ‘for Submarines’ and subsequently ‘for Command of Submarines’.

He returned to the Surface Fleet for his ‘Big Ship’ time in 1907 with an appointment to the Cruiser HMS ARGYLL.  He was next appointed to HMS THAMES ‘for Submarine C3 in Command’ .  Then, in 1913, he was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS ONYX at Devonport ‘in Command and for Command of the First Submarine Flotilla’.  He was promoted Lieutenant Commander in 1912.  In 1916 he was appointed to HMS THAMES ‘in Command’.

Tom Triggs had been promoted Commander and was serving in the cruiser HMS HIGHFLYER when, on 6 December 1917, he was killed as the result of an explosion onboard the French ammunition ship SS Mont Blanc in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which destroyed much of the city.  HMS HIGHFLYER had launched a whaleboat before the explosion to investigate a fire onboard Mont Blanc; the ship exploded before they reached her, killing nine of the ten men in the boat.  Triggs was killed in the explosion having volunteered to take the boat to try to reduce the casualties likely to result from the burning munitions ship and was entirely aware of the grave jeopardy this entailed.  He was awarded (Posthumously) the Albert Medal in Gold ‘for gallantry in saving life at sea’ – see London Gazette dated 23 March 1918.

Tom Triggs was the husband of Ann Triggs (née Jameson). He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval War Memorial on Panel No. 20.