Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Joseph George Spencer was born in Derby, England, on May 1, 1815. He then moved to Australia, where he stayed in Birkenhead, Port Adelaide, South Australia. He married a woman

After a period of fundamental training, Spencer embarked for the Middle East on the troopship HMAT A2 Geelong on May 31st, 1915, and arriving on July 6th. He proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force and disembarked at Marseilles from Alexandria 21st March 1916.

Jospeh was sent to hospital in July 1917 with conjunctivitis in his left eye at No 13 Stationary Hospital in Boulogne. He was sent to No 2 Divisional Base Depot 6th August 1916. He rejoined the 27th Battalion in France 22nd August 1916.

He remained in France with the 27th battalion until he took leave in July 1917 and was wounded on his first day back with his Battalion receiving a gunshot wound to his left thigh in September 1917. After initial treatment in France he was sent to England for further treatment and rest at command depots until February 1918 when he rejoined his unit.

During 1918, the 2nd division spent most of this period in an arc south of Villers Bretonneux north to Molancourt, under the command and supervision of the British 3rd army. In May, the Australian Corps was formed, and General John Monash was appointed to this program as the commander. On the 10th of June 1918, just a few days before Joseph died, there was a slight decrease in shelling attacks near the rear areas. The 2nd divisional pioneers laid a line to the Battalion headquarters. The whole Battalion was extremely active during the day. The 27th received secret orders to carry out an attack by the 7th upon enemy positions, with a view of improving their positions between Morlancourt and Sailly le Sec. At 8:35 pm, there were heavy showers of shelling, which was carried out by the enemy's attack. And there were several slight casualties caused by shrapnel. Fortunately, the attack was successful at 10:44 pm, where red flares were launched into the sky along the front to signal their newly captured positions.  During the following day, the enemy attitude was decidedly hostile. The battalion’s front-line positions included recently captured German trenches. The posts run parallel to the road at an average distance of 100 yards.  There were constant Minenwerfer fire, during the last 24 hours of the day, which resulted in 5 killed, 13 soldiers wounded, and 4 posts of front line blown out by the fire. Enemy artillery bombardment has been intense and highly consistent, targeting both front lines and supported positions. Additionally, two 7.9-inch velocity shells directly hit the positions. Soon after, they conducted a battery fire against the opposing side's artillery. Despite suffering structural damage, the trench positions were successfully recaptured and re-fortified after the bombardment. The enemy's aircraft have been highly active in the sky, flying low over the lines without encountering resistance from anti-aircraft Lewis guns. No hits were reported. Meanwhile, the enemies' machine guns remain persistent and highly active as well. Additionally, there has been significant sniper activity against the soldiers, with the front-line companies claiming to have eliminated at least 40 enemy targets.

On the 14th of June in Sailly Le sec, one day before Joseph’s death, enemy artillery was highly active throughout the day, bombarding a large area. In comparison, the Battalion’s artillery remained quiet, only engaging in counter-fire and calibration shots aimed at enemy positions in Daisy Woods and Marcelcave. During the night hours, enemy machine gun fire and trench mortar attacks significantly disrupted the Battalion’s troops who were trying to reinforce and secure the newly captured positions. However, there was a scattered fire from the enemy coming from the left and right of the companies. During the last day of Joseph's existence, the enemy remained moderately active, mainly focusing attacks on the forward positions. There was a slight decrease in shelling of the areas. However, Joseph moved into a no-man's land and was shelled. Upon the impact, his body was severed into multiple pieces, leaving him unrecognisable. He was recorded as killed in action on the 13th of June 1918, ending his active service for Australia.

After his sudden and tragic death, he was laid to rest in the village of Sailly-Le-Sec, located in the Somme department, approximately 20 kilometres east of Amiens. The cemetery lies just over 1.5 kilometres northeast of Sailly Church. In the spring of 1918, the cemetery suffered significant damage and was lost due to the German advance. A new burial site, Sailly-Le-Sec Cemetery, was established about 900 meters further north, along the Bray-Corbie Road. The 10th Essex Regiment began using this cemetery in August 1918, nearly two months after Joseph Spencer's death. This section originally held the graves of 30 soldiers from the United Kingdom and three from Australia. Today, the cemetery serves as the final resting place for approximately 589 soldiers, honouring those who fought and fell during the First World War.