Taunton revealed as final resting place of WWII hero

Ground-breaking new research has confirmed that Brigadier Alfred Ernest Snow, the officer in charge of Force 135 that freed the Channel Islands from the Nazis, is commemorated within the Gardens of Remembrance at Taunton Deane Crematorium. The research solves an ongoing mystery about what happened to one of Britain’s key wartime commanders.

Brigadier Snow played a central role in one of the last acts of liberation in Europe at the end of the Second World War. As commander of Force 135, the British and Commonwealth formation tasked with freeing Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and Alderney.

He helped oversee the German surrender in May 1945 after nearly five years of occupation of the British islands, and was later appointed Military Governor by King George VI. Yet despite that history, his later years and final resting place had remained unknown, as the highly decorated military leader retired from public life after the war.

Kev South, from the British Channel Islands WWII Remembrance Campaign, told the Somerset County Gazette that Brigadier Snow commanded a force of around 6,000 people, but "disappeared" after the end of the war, secretly retiring to a Somerset village.

Kev said: "He's incredibly important... in the Channel Islands because he's literally 'Mr Liberation'. There isn't really anybody in British military history like him."

Brigadier Snow is celebrated as a key figure in liberating the only part of Britain that was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. (Image: British Channel Islands WWII Remembrance Campaign)

The research breakthrough came after the British Channel Islands WWII Remembrance Campaign began tracing his later life in Somerset, where he retired to Winsford, in the Exmoor National Park.

Initial enquiries to St Mary Magdalene Church in the village confirmed he was not buried in the churchyard, prompting a deeper search through probate and local records.

These showed that Snow had requested cremation, leading researchers to Taunton Deane Crematorium. Documentation confirmed his cremation service took place on October 3 1983, aged 85, and that his ashes were scattered in a specific area of the Gardens of Remembrance.

Because the spot is part of a communal garden rather than a marked grave, there is no individual memorial. Even so, campaigners say the discovery firmly anchors the legacy of a national figure in Somerset set, linking the story of the Channel Islands’ liberation to a familiar local space.

Kev South said: “For many years there has been uncertainty surrounding his final resting place. We are delighted not only to have confirmed that his ashes were laid to rest within the Gardens of Remembrance at Taunton Deane Crematorium, but also to have identified the specific area where he was laid to rest.

“It is remarkable that a man entrusted with overseeing one of Britain's final acts of liberation in the Second World War rests today in a communal remembrance garden in Somerset. We hope this discovery helps ensure his service and contribution to British history receive the recognition they deserve."

News of the finding has reached Taunton MP Gideon Amos, who posted on X saying: "A way must be found for this remarkable hero to be properly remembered!"

The Remembrance Campaign is now looking at ways to mark Brigadier Snow’s contribution more visibly and to raise awareness of the role Force 135 played in restoring freedom to the Channel Islands. It has also thanked local church wardens, Somerset Council, Taunton Crematorium and others who helped piece together the story.

Kev South says that, like many residents in the Channel Islands, he comes from a family who were forced to live under Nazi rule and were liberated by Brigadier Snow's forces. He's looking forward to coming to Somerset to visit the site, and hopes to put up a blue plaque on the Brigadier's former home in Winsford.

He said: "It could mean quite a few visitors for Somerset. You could be having people come from all around the world - and certainly people from the Channel Islands."