William Albert Snook was born on 8th December 1885, in the Wiltshire village of Mere, The was the second of nine children to Frank and Louisa Snook. Frank was an agricultural labourer, and when he finished his schooling, this is a trade into which his son followed.
William wanted a life of adventure, however, and, on 25th June 1901, he joined the Royal Navy. Given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, he was sent to the training ship HMS Boscawen to start learning the skills he would need.
Boy Snook spent the next year at Boscawen, during which time he was promoted to Boy 1st Class. Over the next year, he spent time on three ships – the cruiser HMS Minotaur, and the battleships HMS Agincourt and Hannibal.
While assigned to Hannibal, William came of age. Now formally inducted in the Royal Navy, he was given the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His papers show that he was 4ft 11.5ins (1.51m), and had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
William had enlisted for a period of twelve years, and during this time he would go on to serve on a further eleven ships, returning to HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in between assignments. His annual review consistently showed a very good character and a superior ability in his role. In March 1905 he was promoted to Able Seaman, and in July 1913, William received a further rise in rank, taking the role of Leading Seaman.
In March 1915, William was moved to HMS Princess Irene, an ocean liner requisitioned on the outbreak of war and converted to a minelayer. On the morning of 27th May 1915, she was moored in the Medway Estuary and was being loaded with mines in preparation for a mission. At 11:14am, a faulty primer on board set off a series of explosions, and she blew apart and sank. More than 250 crew – including Leading Seaman Snook – were killed. He was 29 years of age.
The body of William Albert Snook was brought ashore and laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent. He was buried alongside some of the other crew whose bodies had been rescued and identified.
Leading Seaman Snook’s headstone states that he was assigned to, and killed during the sinking of, HMS Bulwark. This is incorrect, and he was with Princess Irene.
