SNOWDEN, William
No. R4/066276, Sergeant, William James SNOWDEN
Aged 41
Army Service Corps
Died after discharge on 19th October 1920
|
William James Snowden, born Q4-1879 in Burton Latimer [Kettering 3b:177] the son of George and Martha Elizabeth SNOWDEN (née RIMELL) 1881 census...At 11 Icewell Hill, Newmarket were William [1], his father George [32] a stableman born Fordham, his mother Lizzy [28] born Burton Latimer, and his sister Jessie [2] born Burton Latimer and visitors Harry and Mary Bonser. There was a brother, George, who was born and died in 1882. 1891 census...At Side Street, St Mary's Square, Newmarket were Willie [11] his parents, sisters Jessie and Lizzie [5] born Newmarket, and brother John [2] born Newmarket. His father died in June 1900 1901 census...At 3 Rectory Cottages were his widowed mother and sister and brother in law Samuel and Jessie EDGELEY and brother John. Father George died in Newmarket Q2-1900 [Newmarket 3b:288]. Sister Lizzie is a domestic nurse, a servant at the Hotel Victoria, High Street, Newmarket William is not there but one possibility is the William SNOWDEN born 1880 in Kettering (albeit placed in Lancs) who was a soldier at Shornecliffe Camp, Cheriton and Sandgate in Kent. Another possibility is service in South Africa as his Queen's South Africa medal has been found 1911 census...William James SNOWDEN [30] was a trainers clerk living at St Mary's Square, Newmarket with his widow mother Martha Elizabeth, both born Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire. Brother John [22] was unemployed. living at the Woolpack, Haverhill. He married Ellen HALLS [4-3-1886] in Newmarket in Q3-1912 and had a daughter, Queenie May (b. Qtr 4 1912 - m William John Goldsborough 1938 - d Nkt 1997)). Two nephews died in World War Two, Alfred EDGLEY see here and Leonard EDGLEY see here |
|
He was discharged from the A.S.C. on 12th May 1916, (K.R. 392 (ix) "Unfitted for the duties of the Corps"). It has so far proved impossible to positively trace his burial. He is not on CWGC or "Solider Died", probably due to discharge before the end of the war and perhaps no one informing the authorities. It seems certain that he was William SNOWDEN aged 45 died on 19th October 1920 at Suffolk District Asylum in Melton, Woodbridge , detailed as a stableman in racing stables living at Cotton End, Exning. A pension card raised on 10-12-1920 has his widow Ellen at The Avenue, Exning. There is another card card for him dying on 19th October 1920, giving his widow as Elizabeth Ellen SNOWDEN of Cotton End, Exning, with one child. His death was attributed to "paralysis of the insane", another term at the time for shell shock or what we would now call post traumatic stress. This is unlikely to satisfy the CWGC even if we could find his Army records, which we cannot. It has so far been impossible to access the records of the asylum |
