In Memoriam Fred Spencer, RFA.

Fred and his sister were orphaned at a young age, their Salvation Army parents struck down by illnesses contracted ministering to the poor in the city of Birmingham. Brother and sister were looked after in different but related households, the only alternative to the dreaded workhouse.

Fred joined the Royal Field Artillery, and arrived in France in the spring of 1915. He lasted until the preparatory phases of the Third Battle of Ypres, otherwise known as the Battle of Passchendaele. At the start of June 1917 he was wounded in action, and taken to one of the field hospitals at Lijssenthoek, just outside Poperinge. He succumbed to his injuries on June 3rd.

His sister's grand daughter visited his grave on the 22nd March 2014, the first member of the family to do so, as a bespoke trip with Single Step Tours. We discovered that his sister had paid some money to include an epitaph on his grave stone - "Peace after Pain". Only the two siblings could possibly appreciate the truth of that statement.

 97 years after his death, Fred's photo and details on the Visitors Centre database are now there for eternity. Lest We Forget.