Gunner George Spence

Gunner George Hollands Spence, 3rd Battery, 1st Brigade, New Zealand Field Artillery, He died from wounds in France, aged 33, on the 21st September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. He had been born in Jedburgh and was the son of the late William Spence of Jedburgh and Margaret Spence of Dunedin, New Zealand. He had emigrated to Australia in 1907 but later joined his  mother and other family in New Zealand. He was living in Timaru and working as a plumber when he enlisted in April 1915. He served in Egypt but went to France with his Battery in April 1916. He died from gas poisoning in the 1st/3rd Northumberland Field Ambulance  and is buried in Fricourt British Cemetery, Somme, France. On the 21st the Battery suffered a gas shell bombardment with casualties of 1 Officer and 3 Other Ranks killed and4 Other Ranks wounded. In addition two guns were disabled. The Field Artillery normally used the 18 Pounder field gun in a number of roles using both High Explosive and shrapnel shells.