Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.135 | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 46C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Born at Portsmouth.Husband of Lizzie Gertrude Snedden, of 87, Smithfield Bank, Brook, Chatham, Kent. Later of 44, Rose Street, Delce, Rochester, Kent.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Formidable |
Class and type: Formidable class Type: Predreadnought battleship Displacement: 14,685 tons load 15,805 tons deep Length: 411 ft (126 m) waterline 431 ft 9 in (131 m) overall Beam: 75 ft (23 m) Draught: 26 ft 9 in (8.2 m) Propulsion: Water tube boilers, 2 ? vertical triple expansion engines, 2 shafts, 15,500 ihp (11.6 MW) Speed: 18.0 knots (33 km/h) Range: 5,500 nautical miles (approx) at 10 knots (18 km/h) Complement: 780 (810 as flagship) Armament: 4 ? BL 12-inch (304.8 mm) Mk IX guns 12 ? BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) Mk VII guns 16 ? 12-pounder (5.4 kg) quick-firing guns 6 ? 3-pounder (1.4 kg) quick-firing guns 2 ? machine guns 4 ? 18 inch (450 mm) submerged torpedo tubes Armour: Belt 9 inches (229 mm) Bulkheads 9?12 inches (229?305 mm) Barbettes: 12 inches (305 mm) Gunhouses: 8?10 inches (203?254 mm) Casemates: 6 inches (152 mm) Conning tower: 14 inches (356 mm) Deck: 1?3 inches (25.4?76.2 mm) Notes: Cost ?1,097,245 |
| Action : HMS Formidable, sinking of |
Sunk about 25 miles off Portland by the German submarine U-24 whose captain was Kapitanleutnant Rudolph Schneider. He fired two torpedoes, the first hit the starboard side and the second, fired about 50 minutes later, hit the port side. Formidable was part of the 5th Battle Squadron, which consisted of eight battleships and two cruisers, which had been steaming along the south coast of England in the English Channel from the east. 547 men lost their lives, 233 survived.
HMS Formidable was steaming at 10 knots (19 km/h) at the rear of the squadron off Portland Bill just 20 nautical miles (37 km) from Start Point, when at 02:20 on 1 January 1915 a torpedo from the German U-boat U-24 struck the number one boiler port side. It was thought that she might be saved by reaching the coast, but by about 02:40 she had taken a list of 20 degrees to starboard and her commanding officer, Captain Noel Loxley gave the order to abandon ship. Darkness and worsening weather made it difficult to get the men and boats over the side; some small boats being thrown into the water upside down. At about 03:05, Formidable was struck by a second torpedo on the starboard side. Amidst a 30-foot swell the pinnaces and launch along with other boats (one of which capsized soon after) were launched, and the two light cruisers came alongside and managed to pick up 80 men in the deteriorating weather. By 04:45, she seemed in imminent danger of capsizing, and a few minutes later she rolled over onto many of the men in the water and sank quickly. Captain Loxley remained on the bridge along with his Fox terrier Bruce, calmly overseeing the evacuation of the ship. SEE LOXLEY De Vere- His brother The total loss of life of HMS Formidable was 35 officers (including Captain Loxley) and 512 men out of a total complement of 780.
Detail :
341095 Chief Armourer William John Snedden, Royal Navy. Killed aboard HMS Formidable 1st January, 1915.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | King's Navy No. 2901 E.C. | East Kent |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th September 1909 | 18th October 1909 | 15th November 1909 |
In the 1921 Book, he is listed SNEDDEN, W.J. Armourer under the King's Navy Lodge. There is no W.J. Snedden listed in the registers, but there is John Snedden, who is the only person with that name. The contribution register shows that he was a member until 1914 after which date he is noted "Died date unknown." In 1909, at the time of his initiation he is listed as a 35 year old Armourer aboard HMS Vernon. The service records of Chief Armourer William John Snedden, correspond with his joining freemasonry, particularly the reference to HMS Vernon.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley