Colonel Jimmie Spencer
Soldier who served in the Italian campaign and later became an Olympic cross-country skier
COLONEL JIMMIE SPENCER, who has died aged 92, served with an anti-aircraft regiment in the Italian Campaign, became an Olympic crosscountry skier, and helped to develop Canada’s skiing industry. In September 1943 Spencer, serving with 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment RA, took part in the Salerno landings. After beaching by landing craft, he and his regiment crossed Italy and joined 78th (Battle Axe) Division near Térmoli on the Adriatic coast.
Using Ferret scout cars and working in support of 8th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, their main role was to establish observation posts well forward and locate and destroy the German Nebelwerfers – multi-barrel mortars firing their “moaning minnie” rockets. It was no easy task, for the tactics of the enemy mortar platoons were to deploy, fire and move with great speed to new areas.
Spencer took part in the long slog northwards over rugged, mountainous terrain and forced river crossings which greatly favoured the defenders, often in deep snow and bitterly cold weather. In March 1944, 2 LAA took part in the last two battles for Monte Cassino. Enemy sniping, shell and mortar fire were relentless but Spencer was fortunate that his division was spared the immensely costly series of attacks up the steep, rubble-strewn slopes to the ruined monastery.
When his battery commander was wounded, Spencer took command of the OP group. He was subsequently promoted to sergeant, and had several narrow escapes.
On one occasion, three enemy tanks had been knocked out when, as he recalled, “a fourth appeared from nowhere.” He grabbed his Piat and fired. It exploded on the track and stopped the tank. A comrade fired again and the projectile exploded on the turret. “The crew came tumbling out into the arms of the Argylls,” Spencer said afterwards. “We were lucky the infantry were there or the Germans could have nailed us.”
James Spencer was born on April 22 1926 at Greenock, Scotland. His father, an engineer, worked in the town in a factory manufacturing torpedoes. Young Jimmie subsequently moved with his family to Hayes, Middlesex. After leaving Townfield Senior Boys’ School, he served in the Home Guard in an anti-aircraft battery at Ruislip.
Under-age when he enlisted in the Army, he joined 2 LAA in Wales. He completed a parachute course at Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey, and turned down an opportunity to attend officer cadet training because he wanted to go overseas and get into the war.
One night, he and his comrades were moved to the south coast to board a troopship bound for Sicily. On the way, they were strafed by German aircraft. He manned one of the Bofors guns and five Junkers 88 ended up in the sea.
After the formal surrender of the German forces in Italy, some SS units had withdrawn through the Alps into Austria. Spencer and his OP group moved to the small town of Lienz, close to the Italian border, and helped to mop up isolated pockets of resistance.
Yugoslav troops were pushing forward into Carinthia and had to be firmly rebuffed before they withdrew to their border. The intentions of the Soviet Union were also suspect and, as a precaution, the troops began to train for mountain warfare. Soldiers from the elite Austrian mountain regiments were chosen as instructors.
Spencer signed on as a regular and, after qualifying, became an instructor with the Army Physical Training Corps based at Lienz and attached to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. In summer 1946 he did a tour of duty in Vienna. At the War Office School, he learned the techniques of deep snow skiing on the glacier of the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain.
After being posted to HQ British Troops Austria, at Klagenfurt, he took up fencing under a Hungarian who was training swordsmen for the Olympics. He was the British Winter Pentathlon Champion in 1952 and 1953, captained the Army Patrol skiing team in 1953 and 1954 and was a member of the British Olympic Crosscountry Skiing Team in 1952 and 1956.
In 1950 he passed the War Office Selection Board and went to Mons Officer Cadet School at Aldershot, where he was a Senior Under Officer. He commanded a troop of 44 Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment RA in Germany before serving as adjutant with 501 Heavy Anti-aircraft Regiment RA (TA). Later he was posted to the Fifeshire Gunners at Dunfermline, again as adjutant.
He instructed at Mons OCS Artillery Wing between regimental service in Germany with 58 Medium Regiment RA and 40 Field Regiment RA. In 1964 he became an instructor at Sandhurst. Command of 2nd Field Regiment RA in Germany and at Barnard Castle, Yorkshire, was followed by a staff appointment with 1st (British) Corps in Germany.
Spencer retired from the Army in 1974 in the rank of colonel. Three years later he emigrated to Canada and settled in Vernon, British Columbia, and from 1979 to 2011 he was president and chief executive officer of the Canada West Ski Areas Association which developed ski resorts in British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In 2007 he was appointed to the Order of British Columbia.
Jimmie Spencer married first (dissolved), in 1947, Jane Peacock. He married secondly, in 1973, Andy Peal, who survives him with a son and two daughters of his first marriage and a son and a daughter of his second.
Colonel Jimmie Spencer, born April 22 1926, died July 16 2018