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Pvt. Lucius H. Snowten . United States Marine Corps Montford Marines from Philadelphia, PA Lucius H. Snowten was a member of the Montford Marines, the first African Americans to break the color line in that branch of the armed forces.
He served in the Marines from Jan. 21, 1944, to Feb. 14, 1946, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of private first class.
He had enlisted following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's executive order in 1941 allowing black soldiers to serve in the armed forces.
But while white soldiers trained at traditional boot camp facilities in Parris Island, S.C., and San Diego, the black Marines were separately trained at Montford Point Camp in North Carolina.
The lodging was huts made of corrugated metal on land infested with snakes and mosquitoes. They had green huts with no toilets. They had to walk up the street for the toilet. There was no running water.
On Nov. 23, 2011, President Obama signed a bill bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal on the Marines as a group for their World War II service. The medal was presented June 27 and 28, 2012, in Washington.
Lucius told relatives that becoming one of the first African American Marines was a tough challenge, and that the congressional honor was "something he never thought would happen in his lifetime."
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JW Snuggs . British Army Royal Armoured Corps JW Snuggs served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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George W Snyder . (d.23rd Sep 1944)
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T/Sgt. Morris Franklin Snyder . United States Army 7th Infantry Reg from Mulltown, PA. USA. My father, Morris Snyder was captured in France, and taken to Stalag XIIID until he was healthy enough to go to Stalag IIA by the Baltic Sea.
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A Soan . British Army A Soan served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Gnr. James Arnold Soanes . Royal Artillery 8th Battery 2nd Searchlight Regiment from Essex Jim Soanes was my grandad. He enlisted with the 19th Searchlight Militia Depot on 18th July 1939. He went to France with the BEF, as part of the 2nd Searchlight Regiment. He was evacuated from Dunkirk on the SS Canterbury. I have in my possession quite a lot of letters he wrote home. From these, I also know that he went to Sheffield as part of the operation to build a fake city.
Here is an account I wrote several years ago of the evacuation of Dunkirk from the Battalion's War Diary and extracts of personal letters.
My Grandad, James Arnold Soanes, was a Gunner with the 2nd Searchlight Regiment during the Second World War. He spent most of the war in Dorset, engaged in Home Defence, but saw brief action on the Continent as part of the British Expeditionary Force and later the British Liberation Army. His Battalion were among the last to be evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940. Below is an account of the Battery's last days in France, and how they made it home. From my Grandad's letters home, it is clear that he must have returned to England aboard the SS Canterbury, of which I am lucky enough to have a photo.
An Extract from The War Diary of The 8th Searchlight Battery of The 2nd Searchlight Regiment
- Oost-Cappel (H.3771) 23rd May 1940, 18.00
Orders received for an early move on the 24th to assist A.A. defence of Dunkerque.
- 24th May 1940, 07.15 Battery moved off for Dunkerque, but were halted on the road about H.3175, on reports that enemy were already in possession of areas South-West of the Town, The Battery then moved to a rendezvous at Lefrinckoucke. H.3083 reached at 1130 hours to await for further orders.
17.30 Battery moved to billets at H.423835 where H.Q. 2nd S/L Regt.R.A., and portions of 6th S/L Battery were also billeted. This constituted first entry into Belgium. Moeres (H.4183) 25th May 1940
The Battery, now less two troops, whilst retaining S/L equipment prepared to reform to act as infantry in defence of road bridges, etc. Unit reverted to command of 5th S/L Bde.
- 26th May 1940 In billets. Battery reorganized as Battery H.Q. and 3 troops - two troops of 5 lights each and one troop of four lights. The latter was composed of personnel and equipment of 6 S/L Bty. This reorganization was however never used.
- 26th May 1940, 20.00 Immediate embarkation at Dunkerque ordered. Battery left billets at 15 mins. notice, abandoning all equipment which could not be carried on the person. By lorries to Dunkerque and then on foot to docks. One bombing raid whilst en route to Docks, but no casualties. Battery embarked on T.S.S.Canterbury. and T.S.S.Maid of Orleans, both ships sailing during the night and arriving at Dover without mishap. One bomb dropped astern of Maid of Orleans.
On arrival in England parties were despatched to Reception Depots, thence to centres for reorganization and reforming. The party Ex-S.S.Canterbury went to Camberley, then to Plymouth and on to Norton Manor Taunton where all S/L Regiments were being congregated.
The party ex-Maid of Orleans proceeded from Dover to a reception Depot at Tweasledown near Aldershot and from there to Woolwich on the 27th. On the 29th May they were re-despatched to Arborfield near Reading, and on June 6th went on to Taunton to link up with other party of 2nd S/L Regt.R.A. Strength of Battery on arrival at Taunton on June 6th was 5 officers and 206 O.R.s.
Extracts from Personal Letters Written by L/Bdr J.A.Soanes
Monday 27th May 1940
I'm actually in England stationed for today & maybe tomorrow at Bagshot, now that does make you feel very happy indeed, so it does me. I know you're surprised & so am I, even more than you, things are pretty bad over in France, bombing, machine gunning & shelling. I'm pleased to say I came through that lot untouched, our Regiment has been properly busted up, in fact out of about 1,400 men, only about 400 are here, of course some may still be alright but that is neither here nor there.
Tuesday 28th May 1940
...I'm writing this time from Fort Austin, Plymouth & still can't reply, as were told in a day or so we'll be moving again, where to I can't say...
...let me tell you how it all started, we were sent to a small village somewhere in Belgium to rest after being in action, the rest was very welcome as for a long while we had not had any decent sleep, just an hour or two now and then, that was nearly always when we were travelling, after being there two days our ISM came in the barn & told us to grab our packs rifles, bren guns, and be ready to move in 5 minutes, after that they loaded into as few lorries as possible & off we went, not knowing what was going to happen next, on the way they gave us as much ammunition we could carry, naturally we thought we were going to have a go at infantry street fighting somewhere or other, never did we expect to come back to England., we arrived at Dunkirk at 12 o'clock midnight, what sight that was, you've heard I suppose that it has been bombed, well never would you think a town as big as that is could be in such a state, not a civilian to be seen, houses bombed to pieces, then the docks, you've heard of the oil boat set fire last week at Dunkirk, well it was still burning furiously on Sunday when we left, the smoke in the sky spread for miles & miles, all told there were three fires in the harbour, everywhere we have been in France so the Germans have followed both in the air & in tanks, & while at Dunkirk lining up to get on the boat over they came again dropping his eggs everywhere but we all came through safe & sound.
Leaving there at about 1.30 AM we arrived at Dover at 3.30 AM where we got a hot cup of tea (no sugar) a sausage roll & 2 d bar of Cadbury whole nut, then a train to Bagshot I think, then a lot of messing about & a meal or two & I wrote to you, after which I laid down fully dressed with my overcoat over me intending to sleep for an hour or so, instead of that, I must have been tired I slept from 5 o c until sometime in the middle of the night, I don't suppose I'd have woke up then if I had my blankets over me but I was cold, that must have woke me, half asleep & half awake I put my blankets over me (I still had my battle dress on) & sleep till 6.15 this morning, what a lovely sleep, I certainly felt much better today than I have for a long time, now don't think that I shan't want any sleep when I get home, will you.
From there we caught a train at 9.30 arriving here at 3.30 now I'm waiting for 9.30 when were going to get a real hot dinner, after living on bully & biscuits for two weeks or more its going to be a real treat...
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JC Soanes . British Army JC Soanes served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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ER Soar . British Army ER Soar served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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JS Sobey . British Army JS Sobey served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Pte. John Sodeau . British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment from Leyton, Essex (d.8th July 1944)
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L/Cpl. James Charles Soden . Royal Marine Commandos from Abingdon James Soden volunteered and did basic training at Eastney Barracks, Portsmouth and 7 weeks additional training at Achnacarry, Fort William, Scotland. Then to Leavesdon for transport training. Learning to drive bren gun carriers and tanks etc, under the instruction of CO Tallymash from Cheltenham & Sgt Major "Boy" Roy.
After training Jim left Avonmouth docks onto a troop carrier, a converted luxury liner called Volandam (a dutch packet). With thousands of all sorts of troops in a convoy of 30 ships escorted by the Royal Navy to South Africa to collect supplies, then through the Red Sea to Cario Egypt. Disembarking going through the desert, he was at Tobruk, El Alamein following the 8th Army to Sicily.
In Sicily he was based at Syracuse for a few months dealing with disgruntled locals and minor skirmishes. Then moved to Catania checking on the vodka and general duties for 1 month.
His unit was called back to Scotland for D Day preparations to a place called Gurrock, he said there was no landing stage for the ship to disembark us, just cliffs. We were told to climb as we were commandos. We waited and waited for D Day. Eventually got involved, swept through the Ardennes with a lot of fighting and trying to keep yourself alive.
Later to return to the UK to be demobbed in 1946 at Eastney Barracks Portsmouth.
Jim returned to a farming life in the Vale of White Horse Berkshire an still has a say in the running of the family farm today in 2020.
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PFC. Arthur Fredrick Soderberg . US Army 576th Ambulance Company Medcial Corps from Ft. Collins, Colorado Art Soderberg didn't speak much of his experience, but we have letters stating that these soldiers were not to speak of it. Arthur was a strong man who endured 9 months in Stalag 7A. We have a book which documented some of his friends (we think) with names and addresses marked on it (very small pocket size probably to hide from the Germans). We have an application for living ex prisoner of war compensation for compulsory labor and or inhumane treatment. Arthur never filled this out. I imagine there was nothing to compensate such atrocities endured. I spoke with his brother who indicated that men in this camp were routinely pistol whipped and fed saw-dust mixed with potatoes, these were the only things mentioned, along with trading Lucky Strikes for bread. Arthur was allowed to bring home the German decorative swords granted by Cornel Eisenhower.
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D Soens . British Army Royal Artillery D Soens served with the Royal Artillery British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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George Softley . British Army Royal Engineers George Softley Royal Engineers is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
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Gnr. Harold Softley . British Army 141 (M) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (d.28th May 1944 ) Harold Softley died aged 22m he was born in Jarrow in 1922, son of Robert Carr and Amelia Munro F. Softley (nee Collings) of Jarrow.
Harold is buried in Jarrow Cemetery and is commemorated on the WW2 Roll of Honour Plaque in the entrance of Jarrow Town Hall.
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J Softley . British Army J Softley served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Arthur Soilleux . Army Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry I am trying to retrieve any military records of Arthur Soilleux, my Grandad. I believe went to Dunkirk and was captured as a POW there. Any information is a help, thank you.
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Eng3. Phillip Solberg . Merchant Navy SS Svend Foyn (d.21st March 1943) Third Engineer Officer Phillip Solberg was the Husband of Inga Mathilde Solberg.
He was 57 when he died and is buried in the Tonsberg New Cemetery in Norway.
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L/Cpl. Sydney "Syd" Sole . British Army Leicestershire Regiment from Leicester My Grandfather, Sydney Sole never liked to talk about the War much but we did get a few facts. He was a fly weight boxer in the army. He joined the Leicestershire Regiment on the 20th of June 1940 but was transferred to the Welch Regiment on the 7th of April. He served first in Egypt and Eritriea then went to invade Sicily and fought up Italy into Yugoslavia. I would love to have contact from anyone who knows more.
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Sgt. Oscar Solis . United States Army 44th Combat Engineers from USA My wife's grandfather was a POW in Stalag IVB from January 1945 until liberation. His name was Sgt. Oscar Solis and he was a combat engineer with the 44th Combat Engineers. He was captured near Wiltz, Luxembourg around 19th December 1944 at the onset of the Battle of the Bulge. He passed away in 1996.
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Sgt. Leslie Donald Sollars . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 7 Sqdn. from Cheltenham (d.28th March 1942) Leslie Sollars was a childhood friend of Mrs Joan Olley, a relative by marriage. He was flying in a Stirling RG9305 MG-V as wireless operator/airgunner when he was killed.
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FW Solley . British Army FW Solley served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Joseph William Sollitt . Auxiliary Fire Service from Dewsbury My Grandfather, Joe Sollitt served with the Auxiliary Fire Service.
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WR Sollitt . British Army WR Sollitt served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Charles John "Mike" Solly . Royal Air Force 207 Squadron (d.22nd June 1944) Charles Solly was a pilot with 207 Squadron.
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ER Solly . British Army Royal Armoured Corps ER Solly served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Ernest Orlando "Solly" Solomon . British Army 1st Btn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry from St Austell Near as Dammit!
We were going to the middle east now that the war in Europe had finished. I was not looking forward to it one bit. I knew that I was going to be miserable all the way because the sea did not agree with me at all. I suffered enough coming across the English channel on the boat from Ostend to last me a lifetime. We had a great welcome in Southampton docks, flags and bunting everywhere, a band playing and the salvation army were there with tea and buns, a right old do.
I had a wonderful fourteen days leave but it was a job to get used to it after sleeping rough. The leave went quickly and I was soon back in the army again, training for the middle east. Not happy traveling all that way by sea. The next thing we heard was that the Atom bombs had been dropped, nobody had a clue what was going to happen next. We were sent home for another leave which was great, but before long we had orders to go to Palestine.
We boarded a 24,000 ton liner called the ‘Strathmore’ it had an Indian crew and they kept a very clean ship. I thought I may just be alright on this one. No such luck, I was feeling bad all the way to Port Said. I could hardly go below decks, the chaps used to bring food up to me. The ships bread was really something and monstrous helpings of peaches and cream kept me going.
I was really pleased to be back on terra firma, but the ordeal right after that was shocking. We tramped across the desert late at night for miles, pitching our tents in the dark in this god forsaken place, with not even a cup of tea on hand, we just had to put up with it until morning. We went through this for a week and even then the ordeal was not over. We travelled on the train to Haifa. We did have a meal at El Basasan that wasn't too bad. It was a very trying journey, the train travelled at 20 miles per hour and the heat made it almost unbearable. The remainder to Acre was done by truck.
It wasn't a bad camp, we had wooden huts to live in for six months that we were going to be staying here. We were doing demonstrations with live ammo for the middle of infantry school. When the six months were up we would be doing security work.
The time came for us to start the demos. I was in charge of three ‘Wasp’ flame thrower tanks. They carried 100 gallons of flame liquid and 2 gas bottles, besides the normal petrol for the engines. When it was pressured up it was a very dangerous fire bomb! If you were the crew you could hear it singing.
I had five men, six if you include me, two on each Wasp, three drivers and three operators. We had done several demos together and had managed very well with no casualties.
The last demo did not go to plan right from the start. I told my driver ‘Johnson’ that I had a bad feeling but he just laughed. I was a man short and Sergeant Major ‘Buggie’ Row from Lostwithiel volunteered to help us out so I told him what needed to be done. He had to use the mortar and fire out smoke bombs.
The day came for our performance, we were parked under some olive trees under a bit of a hill out in the desert. At exactly 11am 25 pounders would open up firing smoke shells over our heads, between us and the target which was an old Matilda tank. The first salvo hit the olive trees hanging just over our heads breaking off branches and dropping debris on top of us. The next salvo was no better, one of the shells dropped between his spread eagled legs. He was lucky, that smoke canister only missed him by 2 inches! We could not see anything for smoke but could still hear the mortar being fired so Sergeant Major was not hurt. I shouted to the rain man to get the artillery to life the barrage, he got scared and moved out of the way.
Time to go. I sent a flare up into the sky, time to move, the wasp had already been pressured up so away we go across the desert at about 40 miles an hour, banging and clattering towards the target. Near the target we put 20 gallons along the ground and started to run through it to make it more spectacular.
Then the wasp engine stopped!! Johnson tried frantically to start it but it was no good! We were stuck in the middle of flames five feet high and on top of that fuel had leaked onto the floor. Our boots and the bottoms of our overalls were on fire. We had a company of solders walking up behind us firing live ammo some bullets whizzing past us, some hitting the wasp. I had told them before that we were not the target but it did no good. We had a choice of burning to a cinder or jumping out and risk getting shot.
“Bale out!” I shouted to Johnson “Over the front!” He did not need telling twice. We both landed on our faces in the burning desert, bullets were thudding around us but we managed to crawl a few feet with the smoke choking us.
The wasp was well alight, the 40 gallon tank exploded and it flew up into the air. The good lord saved us, the flare in the bin of the wasp went off, it flew up into the air with a loud hiss. The shooting stopped immediately because that was the signal for ‘demo over’ We weren't in very good order, both Johnson and myself had lost the hair on our heads, eyelashes and eyebrows. Our overalls were burnt like cardboard, touch it and pieces would fall off. Our boots were burnt beyond repair and our socks. My beret was burnt to a cinder but I managed to salvage my badge. Johnson had three inches shot off the rim of his steel helmet and he wouldn't part with it after that. The chaps poured water over us from their flasks and that helped. The wasp was still burning and would be for some time, still clouds of smoke around.
We were very lucky, if that flare had not gone up I don't know what would have happened. We would o had it! It was near as dammit!
I had not ordered anything else but an ambulance came bumping through the smoke, we thought it was Sir John Mills like it was in the film ‘Ice cold in Alex’ We laughed but we may have needed it!
A fortnight later I was on C.O. orders. I thought “here goes, I am going to get torn off a strip for losing a Wasp!” But the brass congratulated us on a splendid demo.
The demonstrations with wasps were never used again as they were too dangerous.
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EW Solomon . British Army EW Solomon served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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FW Solomon . British Army FW Solomon served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Lt. Sidney Solomon . US Army Air Force navigator 452nd Bomb Group from New York, USA Lt. Solomon and Tech Sgt. Powell were the only suvivors of a terrible accident near Cambridge, UK in Oct. 1944. My friend Matt Ransom was the tail gunner on this flight and was one of the crew that lost his life. At the time of the accident Lt. Solomon was based at Deopham Green, near Cambridge, England. The last report that we had on Lt. Solomon was that he was living in Penbroke Pines, FL and we are trying to get more information on the accident. We know that he attended the 452nd reunion in Charleseton, SC some years ago and I would believe that someone from that reunion could shed some light on the whereabouts of Sidney Solomon the Navigator of that flight. Tech. Sgt. Powell is deceased. We also tried to find a book that he wrote, however, it is out of print.
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