SERVING THE CAUSE
Eric George Sneesby - 32nd Battalion

For most of his life, Eric George Sneesby made it his mission to serve others. Whether it was packing their groceries and selling fresh produce or ensuring they had the right uniform and ammunition, he always made sure the customer got what they wanted. This dedication to delivering what he promised saw him rewarded in both his military and civilian career and had his life not been cut so tragically short one can only imagine what other great things he would have gone on to achieve.

Born Eric George Cross in Dungog in 1893, Eric was the first child of 22 year-old Bermuda Cross, also of Dungog. Although his father isn't listed on his birth certificate, one can assume it was Walter Sneesby of Newcastle , for in 1894 Bermuda and Walter were married. The following year the couple welcomed their second child, a boy, Harold. However, he sadly passed away in 1896. The couple had their third child, Annie, in 1897.

Settling in Mayfield, Eric attended school at the Junction Public School where his name is still displayed on the school's honour board. Then, at the age of 14, Eric began to work as a grocery packer for D Mitchell and Company, a local merchants. Clearly enjoying his role, Eric stayed with the company for the following nine years before war was declared and Eric, like so many of his fellow countrymen, decided to enlist, joining the Australian Imperial Force on July 21, 1915 and being sent to camp at Liverpool as part of the 30 th battalion.

On what must have been his final leave before departure, Eric returned home where his employer held a celebration in his honour, presenting him with a gold watch, which is engraved with the message “Presented to Eric Sneesby by D Mitchell and Coy Ltd as a token of 9 years faithful service when leaving to enlist for the Great War. Newcastle 25/8/15 .” This event was detailed in the Newcastle Herald and Miner's Advocate;

“At the Newcastle warehouse of Messrs D. Mitchell and Company, Limited, on Saturday morning, Private Eric Sneesby was the recipient of two presentations prior to his departure to the front. On behalf of the firm, Mr S.J Mitchell presented Private Sneesby with a gold watch, inscribed, and in doing so referred to the excellent way in which he had discharged his duties during the years of service with his firm. On behalf of his fellow employees Mr A. Pidgeon handed to Private Sneesby a gold albert chain, with an Australian emblem medal attached and spoke of the good feeling which had existed between him and the employees. Private Sneesby, in responding, paid a tribute to the excellent manner in which he had been treated by the firm and spoke of the good times he had spent with his fellow employees.”

The company as a whole were clearly very supportive of the war effort as the following excerpt from the Newcastle Herald in October 1915 shows;

“In connection with the march of the "Coo-ees" for active service from Gilgandra to Sydney, Messrs D Mitchell and Co Ltd of Sydney and Newcastle , supplied the men with a quantity of Good Shot Baking Powder for their bread, damper, and scones. The gift was appreciated, and made good use of.”

Eric departed Australia on the 9 th of September, travelling onboard the transport ship Beltana . The 30 th battalion arrived at Suez on December 11, 1915 before going to camp at Tel-El-Kebir and undertaking operations in the Sinai Desert . After six months in the dessert the battalion embarked for France on board the troop transport ship Hororata , arriving in Marseilles on June 23 rd and taking a train to billets in northern France .

After undertaking operations near Bois Grenier in early July, Sneesby took part in the allied attack on Fromelles before falling ill with tonsillitis, which saw him hospitalised. Following his recovery Sneesby took leave in the United Kingdom through December and into January 1917. Upon returning to the front he was promoted to Sergeant and then Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant.

He then was then with the battalion as they saw action at Bapaume, Beaumetz, Senlis, Croquet Farm, Polygon Wood, Passchendale, Morlancourt and Amiens. After this extensive period of service Sneesby took leave once again, returning to the United Kingdom before rejoining his battalion in time for operations around the Hindenburg Line.

In late 1918 Sneesby was recommended for a Meritorious Service Medal for his unfailing work during 1918, keeping up the moral of the troops and running the quartermasters department (with special mention to his work as part of the hot-food convoy) but was awarded a Mentioned in Despatches instead. Eric had obviously been putting the skills he learnt with D Mitchell and Company to good use.

In mid July 1919 Sneesby returned to Australia onboard the troop transport ship Port Melbourne , arriving in Melbourne in August before being discharged in Sydney on the 13 th of October 1919 .

Following his discharge Eric returned to work for D Mitchell and Company, becoming a sales manager and developing quite a name for himself as a business man in the Newcastle area. Unfortunately his life was tragically cut short in 1931, when Eric, aged 37, was killed in a car accident when returning from a holiday in Werner's Bay. The news made the front page of the Newcastle Herald and Miner's Advocate and was reported as such;

Swerving into an embankment on the Warner's Bay road early yesterday morning, a motor car overturned, killing a well-known Newcastle businessman who was pinned underneath and injuring his companion.

The man who lost his life was Eric George Cross Sneesby, 37, of Carrington Street Mayfield, a prominent figure in commercial circles as sales manager for Messrs D Mitchell and Co. Ltd. With the exception of the four year interval caused by his service at the war he had been in service of the firm since he was 14 years of age. It is thought Sneesby was suffocated by the pressure of the car.

His companion, the driver of the car, was Eric Sylvester McTaggart, 39, of 14 Barkley Street Mayfield, a commercial traveller employed by the same firm. McTaggart was admitted to Newcastle hospital, where he was conveyed by Lake Macquarie Ambulance, suffering a fracture of the right arm, a dislocation of the elbow and shock.

The accident happened sometime after midnight . A motor bus bound from Speers Point to Newcastle passed the scene of the accident, a sharp bend on the Charlestown side of Mr W.W Tennant's poultry farm about 12:15am . The driver could not have avoided seeing the effect of the accident had it occurred before that time, as the car, after crashing into the bank, rebounded onto the roadway and finished wheels up in the middle of the road.

There it lay until about 2am , with the survivor and the body of Mr Sneesby pinned underneath. McTaggart underwent a terrible ordeal as suffering intense pain, and with the body of his friend beside him, he waited for the relief which seemed so long in coming. Two miners, Henry James Holmes and Ernest James Eckford, who were driving along the road in a sulky, were the first persons to reach the scene of the accident. Hearing McTaggart's weak cries for help they levered up the car and extricated him and the body of Mr Sneesby.

Some time elapsed before the two miners were able to communicate with the ambulance by telephone, but eventually McTaggart was taken to the hospital and the body of his companion to the morgue.

Lest we forget.

Research notes:

1) Bermuda and Walter had a fourth child, Jean, who was born in 1909.

2) Eric's paternal cousin Walter Sneesby (4306) also served in the AIF as a member of the 13th infantry battalion.

3) D Mitchell and Company was establish in 1899 and ran until 1949 when it merged with several other businesses to become Grocery and General Merchants Limited. This was then taken over by Peter's Ice Cream ( Victoria ) in 1961.

4) Eric was never married and is buried in a family plot at Sandgate Cemetery , Newcastle , with his mother (d. 1949), father (d. 1953) and his sister, Jean (d. 1960). Harold Sneesby is also buried in Sandgate but in a separate grave.

5) Eric's other sister Annie married Arthur F Nicolle in 1927. She passed in 1953.

6) The notice of Eric's death made the front page of the Maitland Daily and was also featured in both the Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph. Eric Sylvester McTaggart survived his injuries, passing away in 1977.

Photos:

1) Sneesby family grave, Sandgate Cemetery, photo by David Barnes.

2) Honour board at Junction Primary School, photo from War Memorial register.

3) Sneesby family grave, Sandgate Cemetery, photo by David Barnes.

I would like to thank Maureen Kingston from the Dungog Historical Society, David Barnes, David Dial OAM and the members of the Hunter Valley Genealogy Forum for their help in assembling this information.