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Staines, John Francis Abel, son of John Francis Staines, M.D., of Bloomsbury; b. March 26, 1874; adm. Sept. 24, 1885 (H); left July 1890.

Squire, John Rupert, son of Alfred Eustace Squire of Kingston-on-Thames and Elsie Mary, d. of Moses Charles Le Brun of Jersey; b. 20 Aug. 1915; adm. Sept. 1928 (H), non-res. KS Sept. 1929; left July 1933; Trin. Coll. Camb., matric. 1933, BA 1936 (1st class hons Nat. Sci. Trip. Pt2), MA 1949; MRCS LRCP MB 1939; MRCP 1941, MD 1949, FRCP 1950; RAMC in WW2 (temp. Lieut.-Col.), despatches (Burmal Sept. 1946; Leith Prof. in Experimental Pathology Univ. of Birmingham; Dir. MRC Clinica Res. Centre; author of numerous publications in scientific and medical journals; m. 21 June 1940 Marguerite Mary, d. of George R. Lewty, engineer; d. 6 Jan. 1966.

Spry, Charles Gordon Arthur Purkis, son of Charles Gordon Spry CB, Special Commissioner Inland Revenue, of Putney, and Thyra Letitia, d. of Samuel Purkis, tea merchant, of Gerrards Cross, Bucks; b. 3 May 1897; adm. May 1911 (H); left Dec. 1915; RAF 1918-9 (Lieut.), attd Admiralty Central Hydrogen Dept; a consulting engineer, FCIBSE AIMechE 1920; acted pro fessionally for Viscount Mountbatten of Burma at Brook House, Park Lane, and at Broadlands, Hants, and for the late Duke of Westminster on his yacht Flying Cloud; installed all-electric heat­ing at Barclays Bank head office; sen. Trustee United Westminster Almshouses; d. 14 Jan. 1990.

Sprague, Richard Alfonso, brother of Louis Horatio Sprague (qv); b. 27 Oct. 1908; adm. May 1922 (H); left July 1926; RAF Coll. Cranwell, PO July 1928, FO Jan. 1930, Flt Lieut. Aug. 1934, Sqdn Ldr June 1938, temp. Wing Cdr Dec. 1940; DFC Mar. 1941, despatches Sept. 1941; killed on active service (Middle East) Nov. 1942.

Richard Alfonso “Joe” Sprague was born on the 27th of October 1908 the son of Colonel Louis Horatio Sprague, Royal Irish Rifles, and Frances Helena Mary (nee Ross) Sprague of 39, Gloucester Terrace, Paddington in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from May 1922 to July 1926. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps and was promoted to Corporal in 1926.
He attended the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell before being granted a permanent commission as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force on the 28th of July 1928. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 28th of January 1930 and to Flight Lieutenant on the 1st of August 1934. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on the 1st of June 1938 and to Wing Commander on the 1st of December 1940. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross when he was serving with 208 Squadron, which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 28th of March 1941. He was Mentioned in Despatches which was announced by the Air Ministry on the 24th of September 1941.
Richard Sprague and his crew took off from Shandur at 8.40am on the 18th of November 1942 in Beaufort Mk I DE118 KU-S for a test flight and for deployment to RAF Gambut. The aircraft had undergone a 40 hour inspection and it was to fly to RAF Shallufa near Port Tefiq in Egypt and then on to RAF Gambut in Libya, if the aircraft’s performance was satisfactory during the first leg of the flight. The aircraft landed safely at RAF Shaluffa and, after being loaded with a torpedo, it took off again at 12.08pm. While it was on the second leg of its journey the aircraft flew into the ground some 50 miles to the south of Sidi Henseih at 12.45pm killing two of the crew.
The crew was: -
Wing Commander Richard Alfonso “Joe” Sprague DFC (Pilot)
Sergeant Alfred Leslie Augustinus RAAF (Observer)
Sergeant J.C.M. Lake RCAF (Wireless Operator) (Survived)
Flying Officer Claude Arthur Henry Collier (Air Gunner) (Survived)
Leading Aircraftman Frederick Douglas Isbell (47 Squadron Photographer) (Survived, slightly injured)
Statements were taken from the surviving members of the crew: -
Statement of Flying Officer Claude Arthur Henry Collier, 47 Squadron: - “I was Air Gunner briefed to fly with Wg. Cdr. Sprague to Gambut on detachment on 18th November 1942, in DE118, 47 Squadron Beaufort Mk I. En route to Gambut, I noticed that we passed over the half-way house at Wadi El Natrun and later LG100. We had been briefed, so I later learned, to fly 2 miles south of the railway, but Wg. Cdr. Sprague informed us that he would bear further to the south and look at the Quattara Depression. We flew along the northern cliff of the Depression for some miles, and when asked for course to steer, presumably for Gambut, I heard the observer give the captain a course of 280 degrees. There was a very heavy sandstorm blowing about 10 miles to starboard at this time, but was clear where we were and also ahead of us. I was under the impression that the wind was blowing from the starboard side, but I heard the observer say that it was a following wind. The crew found it difficult to hear everything that the observer had to say to the pilot, and on two occasions the pilot was heard to ask the observer to move back to the pilot’s side and to bring his maps. Just prior to the crash I heard Wg. Cdr. Sprague remark that the aircraft should be passing a certain track marked on the map in three minutes time, I gathered they were them looking at the map together. We had been flying normally at 800 to 1,000 feet all the time and as far as I can tell the engines were also behaving normally. I felt a change in temperature and noticed that we had lost height to approximately 300 feet. I was in the turret the whole time. When at 200 feet or so, I noted a slight yawing motion of the aircraft but didn’t pay particular heed to it. We continued to lose height in a tail down attitude until we hit the ground. It was then approximately two minutes after I had noticed by the increased temperature that we had lost height. After skidding along rough ground for about 150 yards, the aircraft stopped and I scrambled out through the turret top. The starboard engine was on fire, and the whole aircraft was soon enveloped in flames. I was dazed by a sheet of flame which had scorched my face and hands. Sgt. Lake and LAC Isbell joined me, and we ran clear of the flames when it was we realized that the torpedo would possibly explode, which did occur a few minutes later. There was a very violent explosion which scattered the wreckage, and I assume that the war-head had exploded.”
An investigation into the accident concluded that the primary cause was due to the pilot studying a map while losing height for low flying practise and hitting the ground as a result. Seemingly caught by surprise by the close proximity of the ground he pulled up but had insufficient speed to be able to climb above the high ground in front of the aircraft.
He is buried at El Alamein in War Cemetery Plot XXXI, Row D, Grave 10.

Sprague, Louis Horatio, son of Lieut.-Col. Louis Charles Sprague, Roy. Irish Rifles, and Frances Helena, d. of John Ross of Lurgan, Co. Armagh; b. 8 Feo. 1906; adm. Sept. 1920 (H); left Aug. 1922; an official of the Great Western Railway, later Western Region BR; m. 25 Sept. 1948 Phyllis Mary, d. of Frederick Pilley Coundley of Kingston-on-Thames; d. 7 Sept. 1978.

Spiers, Sidney Nelson, son of Sidney Spiers, of Streatham, by Eleanor, daughter of Samuel Kiddle, of Peckham Rye; b. Sept. 4, 1886; adm. Sept. 28, 1899 (H); left July 1903; joined the British Red Cross Society May 1916, and served with the 36th Div. of French Infantry; French Croix de Guerre 1919; m. Sept. 8, 1909, Annie Mary Caroline, eldest daughter of Major Arthur Hayne, I.S.C., of Streatham.

Spencer, John Henry, son of Cdr Henry Spencer RN and Gladys Mary, d. of John Mitchell Bruce CVO MD; b. 7 July 1908; adm. Jan. 1923 (H); left Apr. 1925; Gloster Regt 1941, transf. East Sur­rey Regt Apr. 1942 (Capt.), MC Apr. 1946; a co. secretary; m. 9 Jan. 1937 Ursula Mary, d. of Mervyn Joseph Witham-Wolseley of Whitmore House, Guildford; d. 6 Oct. 1963.

Spencer, Algernon Edmund Arthur Farre, son of the Rev. Henry Spencer, Minor Canon of Chester; b. March 6, 1890; adm. (as non-resident) K.S. Sept. 25, 1902 (H); Mure Scholar 1906; elected to Ch. Ch. Oxon. July 1907, matric. Michaelmas 1907; Gaisford Prize for Greek verse 1909; enlisted in the 28th Batt. London Regt.; Capt. East Yorks Regt.; served in Gallipoli, Egypt, France, and Siberia in Great War I; an accomplished linguist; served as cypher officer to the British Mission at Vladivostock after the armistice; assistant in charge of the Foreign Statistical Library at the London School of Economics Feb. 1920 till his death; m. 1920 Marjorie, daughter of Dr. William Brend; d. Jan. 10, 1922.

Spence, Ian Bowring, son of Harold Edgar Spence of West Wickham, Kent, and Joyce Enid, d. of John Edward Webster of South Norwood; b. 14 Apr. 1919; adm. May 1933 (H); left Dec. 1936; RASC in WW2; d. 3 July 2004.

Spearman, Sir Alexander Bowyer Bt, son of Sir Alexander Young Spearman Bt, mining engineer, and Dorothy Catharine, d. of Capt. Thomas Bowyer Bowyer DL, of Iwerne Minster, Dorset; b. 15 Feb. 1917; adm. Sept. 1930 (H); left July 1933; 7 Rajput Regt IA 1941-8 (Staff Capt. GHQ India); FCII 1954; fire insurance man. Union Guarantee Co. Ltd Cape Town 1955-7, tech. asst to gen. man. 1957-8; succ. as 4th Baronet 11 Feb. 1959; dir. Jack Ginsburg (Pty) Ltd Cape Town 1960-7, Delta Insurance Consultants 1967-9, Nabco (Cape) Ltd 1969; m. 10 Apr. 1950 Martha, d. of John Green of Naauwpoort, S. Africa; d. 27 May 1977.