Harold Edward George Snell

Harold Edward George Snell
Harold Edward George Snell with his automobile
Birth name	Harold Edward George Snell
Born	(1892-01-31)31 January 1892 Victoria
Died	16 April 1949(1949-04-16) (aged 57) Brisbane, Queensland
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army

Ormond Harold Edward George Snell (31 January 1892 - 16 April 1949), best known as Harold Snell, was a soldier, miner, primary producer, carpenter, builder and businessman in the Northern Territory of Australia. He build many historic buildings in Darwin.

Snell was born in Glenisla, Victoria on 31 January 1892, the son of Harold Snell, a grazier of Mooralla. His grandfather Richard Snell (1842-1915) and grandmother Elizabeth Ann Snell, were sheep farmers at Mooralla in the Shire of Dundas. Harold Snell Junior remained on the property until his mother died, when he went to Hamilton, Victoria to train as a carpenter. Snell moved to Darwin in 1912, to work for the Commonwealth Government building houses for public servants at Myilly Point.

After completing work on the Myilly Point houses, Snell took up a mining lease at Maranboy, eight kilometres from where the community of Barunga is today, after the discovery of tin in the region in 1913. He partnered with Pearce and Marshall in the Star of the East tin mine, one of the better known mines in the Northern Territory at the time. After his war service, Snell returned to tin mining at Maranboy later having shares in many mines including Pine Creek Enterprise Gold, Golden Dyke Gold Mine, Eleanor Vendor, Fletcher Gully Gold Mine and Eleanor Gold Mine. All were financially unrewarding for Snell.

Snell enlisted in Brisbane on 29 November 1915 as a Sapper, serving in the 6th and 4th Regiment of the Australian Imperial Force. He embarked on 31 March 1916. He served in Egypt and France. He was granted leave in the United Kingdom from March to June 1919 where he took on training and ship carpentry for Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow. Whilst in the United Kingdom he met and married Ivy Mary Allen on 9 August 1919. Snell and his new wife and child returned to Australia on board the HT Konigin Luise on the 18 December 1919, disembarking on 2 February 1920.

After the war, Snell returned to the Northern Territory and continuied to work on the Maranboy lease. After his wife fell ill, Snell relinquished the partnership with Pearce in 1922 and returned to Darwin. He then bought plant and building equipment, forming a new business relationship with builder James Markey.