Samuel was born on 21 September 1914 in Mile End Old Town, London to Joseph, a tailor, and Annie Louise nee Eardensohn and Samuel was one of ten children. Before he joined the Merchant Navy he worked as a lady’s tailor machinist.

Samuel was onboard the S.S. Empire Jaguar which was travelling from Cardiff to Philadelphia with a cargo of ballast and thirty-seven crew. At 01.32 hours on 9 December 1940 the ship, a straggler from convoy OB-252 was torpedoed and sunk by U-103 296 miles from Slyne Head off the coast of Galway, Ireland. There were no survivors.