Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The son of William James and Adeline Grace Snow, of Warracknabeal, Victoria, Australia.

He only arrived in France with the 14th Battalion three weeks before he was killed. He was one of the members of a raiding party of about 90 men of A Company 14th Battalion which forced its way into the German trenches at Armentieres on the night of 2 July 1916. Snow was one of four stretcher bearers allocated to the raiding party. In all seven men from the Battalion died as a result of the raid, but many of the survivors were wounded to some extent. They found the wire uncut, and came under heavy fire while breaching the wire, but did reach the German line.

Snow was badly wounded in the buttock and shoulder but was somehow carried back to the Australian lines but died in a Casualty Clearing Station three days later.

The following report appeared in the Dimboola Banner dated 21 July 1916.

‘The intimation that Private C. W. Snow, of Warracknabeal, had been dangerously wounded in France was followed by the sad news conveyed by the Defence authorities, through the Rev. F. W. Coupe, that the young soldier had succumbed on July 5 in the Second Casualty Hospital in France to the injuries he had received.

The deceased, who was 23 years of age, was the only surviving son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Snow, of Warracknabeal. The young soldier was a bandsman with the Australian Forces, and also acted as stretcher-bearer, and it is assumed that the gunshot wounds which caused his death were received when attending to wounded comrades on the battlefield. Before enlisting he worked as a carpenter in Warracknabeal, and he was well known to the people of the town. He was a young man of excellent character, and commanded the esteem and goodwill of everybody….”