'A soldier through and through': Veteran fell 650ft to his death on Armistice Day during charity hike
22 November 2023, 17:58 | Updated: 22 November 2023, 18:01
The former soldier turned personal trainer and mountain leader fell around 200 meters in Eryri (Snowdonia) on 11 November, at the same time of the two-minutes Remembrance Day silence.
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William Onion, 33, was walking with five others on a charity hike in the Crib Goch trail in Eryri, north-west Wales on the mountian, Yr Wydffa, before the rocks beneath him gave way.
Paramedics found his body and pronounced him as dead at 11:20 am
Pathologist Dr Mark Atkinson cited his death to multiple injuries.
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The assistant coroner, Ms Riley, has adjourned the inquest to a further date pending the completion of more investigations.
In a tribute, Mr Onion's father, Alastair, said: "He passed at 11am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, a soldier through and through, a son that no man could have been prouder of.
"I have no words to convey how devastated we are. William fell from Snowdon mountain. He was doing what he loved, he was with friends, that much we are thankful for.
"He was happy, loved and someone that whomever met him, thought the world of him. William we will miss you always."
The family added: "William had a real lust for life and his bright personality impacted anybody who met him, his positivity shone through in his work and the many charity events he arranged."
They have since started a fundriaser to raise money for his funeral costs.
The funeral will be held on 23 November 2023.
Mr Onion had previously served in Afghanistan and had climed Mount Everest.
He was raised in Ballymena, Northern Irelend, but later resided in Bournemouth, Dorset.
