Richard Deuchar Spencer
Born 25 Sept 1914 - Died 20 Jul 1987
- Service number
- 23605 AWMM
- Also known as
- Dick AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- New Zealand Dental Corps AWMM
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Richard Deuchar AWMM
- Surname
- Spencer AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- Dick AWMM
- Service number
- 23605 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- —
- Religion
- Church of England, Christian AWMM
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 25 Sept 1914 AWMM
- Date of birth
- —
- Place of birth
- —
- Birth notes
- —
- Address before enlistment
- Unknown AWMM 8 Carlton Avenue, Palmerston North, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- Dentist/Civilian AWMM
- Next of kin
- Mrs Vera Elaine Spencer (wife), "Kaingara", Kimbolton Road, Feilding, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 27 Aug 1940 AWMM Married AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
- Campaign
- Greece AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- 23605 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- —
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW2 Unknown AWMM Dentist/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Vessel was Mauritania AWMM Lieutenant/Military AWMM 2 Division Dental Corps, Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force Base AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- WW2
27 Apr 1941 AWMM
Capture by German paratroopers on Athens side of Corinth AWMM - WW2 POW - Greece AWMM
- WW2 POW - Stalag 357 (No. 2), Thorn, modern day Toruń, Poland AWMM
- WW2 POW - Stalag XX-A, Thorn, modern day Toruń, Poland AWMM
- WW2
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
- —
- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- Hair colour, Unknown Period AWMM
fair AWMM - Eye colour, Unknown Period AWMM
blue AWMM - Wounds , Diseases, Unknown Period AWMM
Anaemia AWMM - Died of Disease, Cause of Death AWMM
Heart attack AWMM
- Hair colour, Unknown Period AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- End of War AWMM New Zealand Dental Corps AWMM
- Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Father of Richard (born 16 September 1946) and Hamish (born 23 October 1957). Both born in Whanganui. Practised dentistry in Whanganui. Retired in the early 1980s.
Captain R. D. Spencer (Stalag XX A)
Letter 1: 29 November 1942
The lad who died the other day was from Whangarei. Considering there are only about 20 NZers in this Stalag, we all felt rather sad about it. About 30 were permitted to go to the funeral and there were 4 nice wreaths. The British graves are well kept in a pretty little corner of the cemetery, as they were in Athens. I have now received a generous share of back letters. It is true to say that receiving letters is my greatest joy. We have much to be thankful for here and the weekly Red Cross parcels are magnificent. The other night the PoWs put on the best concert I have seen for 2 years. The "girls" were ravishing, their figures having been suitably reinforced with cardboard.
Letter 2: Undated
In recent months a good many men have been sitting exams; and I have had to do my share of vigilating. This week we had a visit from the Protecting Power (Swiss) and a Swiss doctor, both of whom have done much for us. I had the unique experience of extracting a tooth of the Protecting Power, have also been doing fillings, etc for Nigel Plunket, who is a grandson of Lord Plunket, former Governor of NZ. Last week I did 70 fillings, so you see a good many men pass through my hands every day and the whole morale of the prisoners is something to be proud of.
(Source: The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet (Special, June 1943, p.5)) AWMM
About death
- Death
- 20 Jul 1987 AWMM
Age 72 AWMM - Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- Died of Disease AWMM
- Death notes
- —
- Cemetery
- Aramoho Cemetery, Wanganui, New Zealand AWMM
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- Death notice: Wanganui Chronicle/Herald, 23 July 1987 AWMM
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
- —
Memorial
- Memorial name
- —
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Anson, T.V. (1960). The New Zealand dental services. Wellington, N.Z.: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs. Digital copy.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Dent.html
Sources Used - Births, Deaths and Marriages (New Zealand) Historical Records online
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz
Sources Used - Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer. Zenodo Record.
https://zenodo.org/records/3955186
Further Reference
- Anson, T.V. (1960). The New Zealand dental services. Wellington, N.Z.: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs. Digital copy.
- References
- Information kindly provided by family
Cenotaph data entry form - Cooke, P. (2001). Defending New Zealand: ramparts on the sea 1840-1950s. Wellington, N.Z.: Defence of New Zealand Study Group.
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 3 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1940 to 31st March, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 3: WW2 447 - The New Zealand Herald
Death notice: Wanganui Chronicle/Herald, 23 July 1987 - List of 2NZEF Prisoners of War. 1941-1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 2009/8.
- Great Britain Army. (1945). Germany and German occupied territories : imperial prisoners of war alphabetical list : section 4. London, U.K.: Government Printer.
- Mason, W.W. (1954) Prisoners of war. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society. Prisoners of War Enquiry Office. (1941–1944). The New Zealand prisoner of war pamphlet: Official pamphlet of the Prisoners of War Enquiry Office of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society. Wellington, New Zealand.
Special, June 1943, p.5 - McClymont, W. (1959). To Greece. Wellington, N.Z.: Department Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Information kindly provided by family
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