SNARE, John Maurice


No.22586750, Fusilier, John Maurice SNARE
Aged 19


Royal Fusiliers
Missing, Died of Wounds in Captivity, on Saturday, 25th November 1952


John Maurice Snare was born on 7th June 1933 in Brandon (Thetford Q2-1933 4B:420), son of Cedric Victor and Caroline Louisa SNARE (née WOOLSEY).
His elder sister married William BENTLEY.

In the 1939 register, at The Gardens, Mark Lane, Santon Downham were his father Cedric [21-6-1900] a warrener for the Forestry Commission; his mother Caroline L [3-1-1897] an agricultural worker. There are 2 closed records. Thee location of John has not been found.


click here for more information



"D" Company, Royal Fusiliers as part of Operation Pimlico went out with about 40 men on 24th November 1952 at 6 pm on a prisoner snatch. Hope of a surprise was gone when they had to shoot one Chinese soldier and another managed to run away. This resulted in a gun fight and them eventually being surrounded. All their NCOs had been killed or wounded. After the battle many volunteered to go and recover the dead, but the Chinese were doing likewise, which resulted in another fight and 6 more dead. All told the Fusiliers lost 22 men killed or missing and 41 wounded.

It took many years and arguments with "the authorities" before a tablet was added to the war memorial with John's details recorded on it.


faintly written in pencil on this log it appears to say "D o W as a P o W"





photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission




photo from asiawargraves.com

John Snare is commemorated on the Pusan Memorial
and also in a glazed frame in Santon Downham, Church of St.Mary the Virgin

click here to go to the Veterans UK website for full cemetery/memorial details
The CWGC warrant only covers the two world wars

this is the only United Nations managed cemetery in the world.

BACK