RIP Terry Spencer DFC

[gingerjedi]

my dad was on the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious in the Pacific in late 1944. They were attacked by Kamikaze suicide bombers and one of them hit the armoured deck and failed to explode. It skidded along on fire and they brought the armoured bulldozer out, to push it over the side before it exploded. My dad watched from a side deck as the plane landed in the water next to the ship. A fair few officers and sailors were watching the pilot as the water came into the cockpit. The japanese was calm and then saluted them, just as his plane went under.
Dad said it was one of the bravest things he saw in the war and, although it took him thirty years to accept it, there were heroes on both sides.

My granddad was a marine in WWII, he survived when the Japs sunk his ship in 1941 (HMS Repulse) and spent the rest of the war as a PoW. My gran had no idea he was alive until he returned home at the end of the war.

He was nearly blind through malnutrition as he had to survive on a little rice and whatever rodents he could catch, he died when I was just a kid and all I remember is he looked and sounded just like Windsor Davis in 'It ain’t half hot mum'. He was my hero when I was growing up.

My other granddad was a chef in the RAF and never got so much as a scratch.

[crimdon]

Noy many hero's like this left. Another one was Douglas Bader who despite having both his legs amputated before the second world war still became one of our most successful fighter aces and when shot down over Germany escaped from prison so many times they eventually took his prosthetic legs away and sent him to Colditz!!

I shall be dedicating a tipple to Flight Lieutenant Spencer tonight.

I disagree about there not being many heros left. There are loads of heroic actions everyday out in Afganistan and Iraq. Just look at the guy who dived on the grenade last year.

I imagine there are also loads of potential heros out there who just need a large scale conflict to show their metal. Hope they don't get their chance though.

[Board Game Geek]

All due respect to the heroes.

I think one of the reasons why the socialists seem to loathe them so much is that these heroes have made far greater sacrifices in their lives than the hand-wringing liberals could ever make, and as such they feel inadequate in comparison.

I suspect most of us are inadequate compared to such heroes, and although we feel guilty about it, we can at least show them the respect they have earned.

[BrilloPad]

Hats off to a true hero.

I remember my ex-father-in-law talking about about Colonel H Jones being an idiot. He said he should have been organizing instead of fighting. As he fought in the 8th army you had to respect his opinion : I think his point being that there is a fine line between heroism and stupidity.

Well done to someone who is well over the line on the hero side.

[Mich the Tester]

It’s an inspiring story not just for the man’s heroics but the way he lived his life to the full and obviously kept a pretty good sense of humour along the way.

He reminds me a little of my grandfather, who died when I was only about 5. He fought in Burma and escaped from two Japanese POW camps, explaining that ‘the food wasn’t very good’, was nursed back to health by the Sally Army the second time, who obviously didn’t take much notice of his outspoken atheism and continual jokes about the sexual habits of vicars, whom he insisted were all ‘as bent as a nine bob note’ (he donated quite a lot of money to Salvation Army and the family continue to do so, even thought it’s a religious organisation). He then became a detective in serious crime, laying his life on the line against gangsters and terrorists. He never mentioned a word about it himself, preferring to make model boats and sing ‘ying tong tiddle eye po’ to his grandchildren. Sadly he died after only one week’s retirement.

To paraphrase Kipling, these are people who filled ‘the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run’.

Perhaps nobody chooses to become a hero, but some people just seem to rise to the occasion when it's needed. It's the no-nonsense attitude to life that I admire, and that I think we could all learn from.

[expat]

...(he donated quite a lot of money to Salvation Army and the family continue to do so, even though it’s a religious organisation)...

BTW the Salvation Army is one of the best charities you could give to, and I speak as a confirmed atheist. They have an astounding record of getting to people in need, that are not reached by any others, and helping them. If you have a Ltd Co then it can give to them, which maximises the bang for the gross buck.

[Gibbon]

pseudo 'celebrities' who sit around on Big Brother calling people poppadum and get a million for it

Little bit insenstive ?

Agree with sentiments, although lionising past heroes whilst dimissing present personalities is nothing new, read Polybius and how the legions of his day (2nd cen BCE) were no match for the legions that eventually defeated Hannibal.

People generally rise to the challenge, look at the present lot in Afghanistan, some in combat every day for 6 months. Remember the bus bomb on 7/7 and the people running towards the bus moments after the explosion.

[expat]

Noy many hero's like this left. Another one was Douglas Bader who despite having both his legs amputated before the second world war still became one of our most successful fighter aces and when shot down over Germany escaped from prison so many times they eventually took his prosthetic legs away and sent him to Colditz!!

I shall be dedicating a tipple to Flight Lieutenant Spencer tonight.

The Germans didn't take away his legs, though they threatened to. In fact when one was damaged, the Luftwaffe gave the RAF safe passage to parachute in a replacement.

Considering that the RAF then abused the safe passage to go on a bombing raid, and Bader naturally continued escape attempts with his new leg, you'd have to say that the Luftwaffe came out of that with at least as much honour as we did.

[AlfredJPruffock]

my dad was on the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious in the Pacific in late 1944. They were attacked by Kamikaze suicide bombers and one of them hit the armoured deck and failed to explode. It skidded along on fire and they brought the armoured bulldozer out, to push it over the side before it exploded. My dad watched from a side deck as the plane landed in the water next to the ship. A fair few officers and sailors were watching the pilot as the water came into the cockpit. The japanese was calm and then saluted them, just as his plane went under.
Dad said it was one of the bravest things he saw in the war and, although it took him thirty years to accept it, there were heroes on both sides.

Thats an incredible story - that Pilot was certainly brave.

Unfortunately I cannnot remember all the details - but I recall an incident whereby a British ship rammed a German destroyer , I think its was in Norwegian waters and sunk itself in the process - the German Navy awarded a medal of bravery to the British Captain !

I shall try and confirm the details from my friend who is quite a whizz with Millitary History.

[AlfredJPruffock]

The Germans didn't take away his legs, though they threatened to. In fact when one was damaged, the Luftwaffe gave the RAF safe passage to parachute in a replacement.

Considering that the RAF then abused the safe passage to go on a bombing raid, and Bader naturally continued escape attempts with his new leg, you'd have to say that the Luftwaffe came out of that with at least as much honour as we did.

Interesting to note that the Luftwaffe viewed the Battle of Britain as a kind of romantic Knights engaged in Chivalrous Combat - and that the RAF would conduct themselves as Gentlemen in battle.

The RAF though had no such illusions they realised it was a Battle for survival and so were under instructions to shoot and kill any Luftwaffe pilots who had parachuted - no mercy and no quarter for the Nazis.