PERSONAL DETAILS
Name/Alias	John SPENCER
Birth date and place	c. 1809 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
Baptism date and place
Civil Census Residences	8 Charles Place, Kensington, Middlesex  (1851).
Trade	Carpenter.
Physical Description	Height: 5 ft. 9 ins. Complexion: pale. Eyes: blue. Hair: dark brown.
Marriage date and place	15 Feb 1836 St George, Bloomsbury, Middesex.
Spouse	Margaret McKENZIE.
Children	Arthur b. 1838, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Margaret b. 1840, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. John b. 1845, Woolwich, Kent. Elizabeth Sepping b. 1850 at sea. Registered Chatham, Kent.
Death date and place	11 Mar 1876 Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia. Cause of Death: Debility. Hemiplegia.
Burial date and place	12 Mar 1876 New Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria.
Will and Probate
Death/Funeral Notices	Illustrated Australian News 18 Apr 1876.
ARMY SERVICE DETAILS
Corps and Company	Royal Engineers 20th Company (formerly Royal Sappers & Miners).
Service No. and Rank	#1475 Private.
Attestation date and place	21 Jan 1833 Woolwich, Kent.
Service/Campaigns	Halifax, Nova Scotia 7 years 2 months. Mauritius 2 years 1 month. Western Australia 3 years 2 months.
Musters	WO11-91 3rd Company, Halifax, Nova Scotia (1841). WO11-126 Detachment, Kensington, Middlesex (1851). WO11-130 (1851) to WO11-146 (1855) Western Australia.
Promotions	Private to 2nd Corporal 1 Apr 1846. 2nd Corporal to Corporal 13 Jan 1847. Corporal to Sergeant 1 Nov 1849.
Medals, Clasps and Badges
Other Awards & Prizes	The Great Exhibition. Bronze Medal and Present.
Casualty/Medical	Labours under disease of the chest (Emphysema and Bronchitis),and is a man of shattered constitution; suffering in addition from chronic disease of the liver, the result of an acute attack which he had in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1842. Since his arrival in Western Australia his health has become much impaired and he has been repeatedly under treatment in hospital. Disability caused by his military service. Sergeant Spencer is of worn-out appearance and has a chronic affection of the lungs, rendering him subject to shortness of breath, and incapacitating him for the active duties of a soldier. [24th Jul 1855].
Regimental Courts Martial	Tried 16 Jan 1824: Absent without Leave about 38 hours. Convicted and Sentenced to Solitary Confinement for ten days. Imprisoned 16 Jan to 25 Jan 1834. Tried 21 Feb 1835: Exceeding his pass about 35 hours. Convicted and Sentenced to Solitary Confinement for seven days. Imprisoned 20 Feb to 2 Mar 1835. Tried 9 Dec 1835: Absent without Leave about 60 hours. Convicted and Sentenced to Solitary Confinement for 15 days and to forfeit his pay for the 2 days on which he was absent. Imprisoned 2 Dec to 24 Dec 1835.
Discharge date and place	24 Jul 1855 Fremantle, Western Australia.
Length of Service	22 years 140 days.
Chelsea Pension Reference	WO97-1364-37.
Post Discharge Residence	Fremantle, Western Australia.
Pension	1/7½d. per diem. Fremantle WA (1855). Melbourne (1856-1875).
ARRIVAL IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Ship	Anna Robertson.
Departure and Arrival dates	Dep. Woolwich 10 Sep 1851. Arr. Fremantle 18 Dec 1851.
Occupations post-arrival in WA	Instructing Warder [Barker p.194].
Subscriptions to Funds	None.
Land Acquisition	Eligible for £10 remission on 20 acres of land [CSR499-15]. None in Western Australia.
Newspaper Articles	Perth Gazette 10 Feb 1854. Inquirer & Commercial News 30 Apr 1856.
Ship ex-WA	Guyon.
Departure date and destination	Dep. Fremantle 27 Apr 1856 for Adelaide. Dep. Adelaide for Melbourne on date and vessel unknown.