Charles was born in Acton on the 19th June 1919 to Charles Thomas and Ethel May Spencer. He had two sisters Betty and May. Betty was very close to her older brother, who was very protective of her. Had he lived, Reginald would have had 3 nephews and 2 nieces. One of his nephews, my sibling Reginald Charles Peacock, was named after him. Sadly, as it was, this next generation of the family were all "introduced" to Reginald posthumously.

Reginald enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Winchester on 22nd June 1936, just three days after his 17th birthday, giving his date of birth as 19th June 1918 to avoid being rejected as underage.

He trained as a searchlight operator, gained a distinction in maths on 13th October 1938 and qualified as a "TT Painter and Decorator" on 10th October 1941.

He was posted with 22nd (Fortress) Company to Hong Kong on the 16th October 1937.

Articles in the South China Morning Post have been found showing that Reginald was a boxer, winning an army middleweight tournament in March 1938 beating Gunner Franklyn in the final, but then losing to the same boxer in the semi-finals in April 1939. Other articles about Royal Engineers football teams refer to Sapper Spencer as playing in defence. It is not completely certain that these are referring to Reginald, as the complement of the REs in Hong Kong included two Sapper Spencers. The Royal Engineers were very keen to encourage their number to participate in sports of various kinds, presumably to keep them fit, but perhaps also to keep them occupied and out of trouble.

A further article in the South China Morning Post dated 24th June 1940 and entitled "Dog Bites Reported" includes the paragraph: "Sapper Shipman of the Royal Engineers, reported to the police on Saturday, that while he was playing with the dog belonging to Sapper Spencer of the same unit, he was bitten on the nose. Sapper Shipman was treated by a Military doctor and the dog was sent to Mautaukok for observation". Whether this Sapper Spencer was Reginald, or perhaps the other Sapper Spencer is unclear.

The primary responsibilities of the Royal Engineers in Hong Kong during the years leading up to the invasion by the Japanese concerned construction, maintenance and manning of searchlight posts located at strategic points for the defence of the colony. However, they would have carried out construction and maintenance and indeed demolition of all types of defence, accommodation and access engineering works located there.

In December 1937, it is reported that there were 22 searchlight emplacements. It is also reported that the annual camp held at Sun Wai was cancelled in early 1938 and that the whole of 22nd Company was deployed to construct 4 machine gun emplacements and 13 Lyon searchlight emplacements on the southern beaches. Somewhat strangely given the increasing threat posed by the Japanese at the time, in April 1939, 22nd Company’s task was reduced to manning 14 searchlights whilst 76 NCOs and men were sent to Aden.

Little specific information is known of Reginald's involvement during the war years before and during the Battle for Hong Kong. However the report by Lt. Col R.G. Lamb dated 24/9/1945 (National Archives WO172/11400) gives some indication of the action Reginald may have seen.

• 8/12/1941 "...22nd Coy. were already at war stations... At 0900 hours HQFRE started dispersal to the Shouson Hill area... 22nd Coy. to Nos. 22 and 10..."
• 11/12/1941 "...Field sections of 22nd Coy. having completed the Mainland Demolition programme returned to the island... these sections were rearguard and covered the withdrawal of infantry in the Kowloon Pass area..."
• 12/12/1941 "...North Point sentry beam and Green Island DEL No1 on Conaught Road operated as sentry beam... as report of an enemy landing... 800 A/P mines laid in Deep Water Bay..."
• 13/12/1941 "... 200 A/T mines laid under wire in Deep Water Bay... water supply damaged by bombs and shellfire and repaired under constant fire... "
• 18/12/1941 "Section 22nd Coy. on A/P mining of Pak Sha Wan at night, on completion found enemy all around their position. The section fought it's way out and back to rejoin it's unit via Tytam Gap... Sentry Beam at Lyemun... kept running until 2359 hours... in spite of enemy activity around and on top of the emplacement and engine room, the party left the light burning and fought their way out..."
• 19/12/1941 "...tried to contact Comdr. West Brigade. This proved impossible owing to heavy m.g. fire on all approaches... 22nd Coy under 2/lt Robson were left to deny the direct approach of the enemy..."

Reginald's POW index card shows that he was captured by the Japanese on 19th December 1941. He was most likely detained in Sham Shui Po POW camp and was then one of the men, who boarded the Lisbon Maru and did not survive the sinking.