Anne Spencer (WRNS officer)
British WRNS officer (1938–2012)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commandant Anne Christine "Annie" Spencer, CBE (15 December 1938 – 15 July 2012) was the last Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), serving in that post from 1991 to 1993.
United Kingdom
Royal NavyAnne Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 December 1938 Clayton, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 15 July 2012 (aged 73) Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch | Women's Royal Naval Service Royal Navy |
Rank | Commandant |
| Education | Newland School for Girls Yorkshire College of Housecraft |
Early life
Spencer was born in Clayton, Yorkshire on 15 December 1938. Her father was a bank manager. She was educated at Newland School for Girls in Kingston upon Hull then the Yorkshire College of Housecraft in Leeds.[1]
Upon graduation in 1959, she was involved in the management of school dinner services in the county.[1] She learned Italian and applied to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to become a stewardess. However, she did not pass the interview stage.[1]
Military career
Spencer joined the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1962.[2] By 1964, she had been appointed Quarters Officer, in charge of the WRNS officers' mess at Portsmouth.[1] In 1979, she was sent to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters to participate in the development of an agreed dictionary of military terms.[1]
Spencer was promoted to superintendent, which was equivalent to captain, on 1 October 1986.[3] She served as Director of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) from 1986 to 1989 and as the 17th Director of the WRNS from 1991 to 1993.[1]
As Director of the WRNS, Spencer oversaw the full integration of the branch and its 4,535 serving women, including naval nurses, into the Royal Navy.[2] This allowed women to serve on HM Ships at sea at all ranks and rates and in the Royal Marines Band.[4]
Spencer retired from the Royal Navy on 15 December 1993, after which her post was abolished.[5] She was succeeded by the first Chief Naval Officer for Women in the Royal Naval Service, Captain Julia Simpson.[6][7] She was appointed the Welfare Governor of the King William IV Naval Foundation.[8]
Personal life
Spencer never married nor did she have any children.[1] She died on 15 July 2012 at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, Hampshire, aged 73.[9] Her funeral was held at St Ann's Church, Her Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth.[1]
Honours and decorations
In the 1994 New Year Honours, Spencer was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[10] She was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1991.[11]