Brian Spencer 1922 - 2021

In Memory of Brian Spencer 1922-2021

Class of 1933-38

We are saddened to announce the passing of Brian Spencer, former Glyn School student. Brian was our oldest ‘Old Boy’ at the time of his death, having attended the school from September 1933 to July 1938.

Brian was born in Leatherhead on 9 January 1922 and continued to live there his whole life. He was enrolled at Glyn School by his father on 12 September 1939 and was officially the ‘259th Glynian’. Brian’s father was a labourer and Brian had his school fees paid for by Surrey County Council (Glyn School was fee paying at the time).

Brian was a keen sportsman and, although he did not excel in the classroom (he came 14th out of 23 in Form IVA in 1935) he did excel on the football pitch. In the 1936-37 Football Season, Brian played for the 2nd XI Football Team; he scored 13 goals that season, including 5 in one away game against Richmond in February 1937, with the Glyn team winning the match 12-1.

After obtaining a London School Leavers’ Certificate in 1938, Brian went to work for the Post Office where he worked until his retirement, aside from a six year break between 1939 and 1945 due to his service in the RAF in WW2.

Brian joined the RAF after turning 18 and became a Navigator for 86 and 206 Squadron as a part of Coastal Command. Coastal Command was, at this time, entrenched in a life or death struggle in the Battle of the Atlantic. In this battle, Nazi Germany had declared all-out U-Boat war on the allies and was sinking vast amounts of shipping with the potential of starving Britain into surrender. Brian's role in this struggle was to spot and neutralise U-Boats in his B24 Liberator Bomber aircraft. In one terrifying episode, Brian’s plane was shot down in the middle of the vast Atlantic Ocean and, despite having a broken arm, Brian saved the life of a member of his crew, then clung to life in a small rubber dinghy for days at the mercy of an unforgiving sea. Eventually, they were rescued. In September 1944 Brian was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his exploits. At the end of the war, he returned to work in the Post Office, eventually becoming Postmaster of multiple Sorting Offices.

206 Squadron in WW2 - Brian Spencer is believed to be centre left, although this is not verified.

I had the honour of talking with Brian during The Old Glynians’ Association (TOGA) 90th Anniversary Dinner, held here at school in The Proctor Hall, in March 2017. A lovely man, and an Aston Villa fan his whole life, all Brian wanted to talk to me about was football. The first question he asked me was if the current Glyn 1st XI were any good, to which I replied that they had just won the Surrey Cup in truly dramatic circumstances. I remember Brian looking slightly disappointed at this news, but then looked at me with a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye and said, “I bet they didn’t beat Richmond 12-1 away though, did they?”

A true gentleman, who took an active role in school life for a period that spanned nine decades, Brian will be remembered with fondness by all who came across him. In the words of one Old Boy, “Brian is, quite simply, a Glyn Legend.”

Obituary kindly written by Mr Summers, Head of History

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 Brian Spencer Further Tribute - written by Roy Betts

A tribute to Brian would not be complete without reference to his love of golf and his long association with Leatherhead Golf Club. This association began in 1933 when Brian became an eleven year old schoolboy caddie at the club. In 1946, on his return from service with the RAF during World War II, the Artisan Section of the club was formed and Brian became its first Secretary. At the end of the 1940s he became a full member. Captaincy of the club followed in 1965, then his appointment as President, first in the mid 1980s and again from 2000 until 2003, the club's centenary year; to commemorate which, Brian wrote a 29 page history of the club. Brian was a talented golfer, playing off a single figure handicap at his best, and won many of the Club's competitions. He was competitive and good company, both on and off the golf course. Although he retired from golf when he was unable to play as he once did, Brian remained a frequent visitor to the club until prevented from doing so by ill health.