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Rifleman William Snow
In Memory of

Rifleman

11th Battalion, Rifle Brigade 1894 - 1916
.....................................................................................
William Snow

William Snow has been a major inspiration in my life for quite a few years and

for a number of reasons. To begin with, he is my great Uncle. Secondly, he
was a soldier during the Great War. He succumbed to injuries following
S/310, 11th Bn., Rifle Brigade who died on 01 September 1916 Age 22
the Battle of Delville Wood on 1st September 1916. Those military
historians will know this particular battle saw the first action of the
South African military during the war. Thirdly, he has provided the
Son of Jessie Louisa and the late Henry Snow, of Smethwick, Staffs.
inspiration for my novel, ‘The Spirit of Christmas 1940’. So over the
next three months I would like to tell his story how I came to know
him, how he lived and died and his part in a story which will hopefully

immortalise him true to the inscription on his grave stone.
Remembered with Honour
.....................................................................................
La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
.....................................................................................

ow does one tell the story of someone he didn’t know? in order to be fair and respectful to his memory. Secondly,
Considering I was born 49 years after his death during the artistic side of writing the novella must also be respectful.
Hthe Somme Campaign, this was never going to be easy, Hopefully I have done that.
but I found a way.
But where did all of this start? Until my final tour of Northern
My issue is, where to start. Just for this article alone, I have Ireland back in 2003, I didn’t even know William Snow existed.
pondered long and hard on how to tell such a story. A story It was my sister that came across him after building our family
which demands respect from the start, after all we are talking tree. She discovered a name related to our family who is buried
about one man who gave his life alongside so many others in La Neuville British War Cemetery, Corbie, France. As I was
during one of the bloodiest wars in history. My great uncle was a serving soldier, she asked if I could look into his history and
a hero. That part must be told and told as accurately as possible find a little more about him.

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