DoW

Family :

Education & Career :

He was educated at Uppingham School and Magdalen College, Oxford where he was a prizewinner.

The President of Magdalen College, Sir Herbert Warren writes:- Amiable, modest, good all round, playing for his house in all games, a conscientious worker, a fair classic, and a prize winner in Mathematics and English, he was a valuable and valued influence at school and not less so in his short time at college.” “No sweeter natured boy,” writes the tutor who knew him best, “ever walked this earth, nor one who loathed violence and brutality more. Of such are the ‘conscientious protectors.’ His father’s profession, which he had intended to follow, lost much by his removal.”

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Actions in Spring 1916 covers a number of non specific actions on the Western Front in the period February to the end of June 1916. Much of this period concerned the build up to the Battle of the Somme, particularly the acclimatisation of the Service Battalions (Kitchener Volunteers) to trench routine. As the Battle of the Somme occupied the plans for 1916 no significant efforts were made in other sectors. Many of the casualties could be considered 'routine'. During the period December to June 1916 5845 British soldiers died in 'minor trench operations'.

Detail :

There is a tiny part of the Somme battlefield known as Mansel Copse and some say it is named after Spencer Lort Mansel-Carey who was mortally wounded there in February 1916.

His Colonel writes of him:- “We all feel his death very much; he was such a favourite in the Battalion – always so cheerful. The Battalion will miss him much as a soldier. His work was always so thorough and he inspired his men with such confidence.” A fellow officer writes:- “In the swamp at ------ his men did the best work in the company, and I knew I could rely on him to see it carried out, at a time when supervision meant a heart breaking wallow in icy mud and water. I am sure the platoon, which was his for so long, will suffer severly from his loss. Two days before the fatal Thursday we had a severe bombardment, and though we suffered very lightly, it was a trying experience; but I am told he rose splendidly to the occasion, and no doubt it was in trying to get artillery retaliation to protect his men that he was hit two days later.” His Captain writes:- “Since October last he has been my second in command, and his death has been a very real blow to me. I relied much on his common sense and his keenness. I knew that he had a good hold upon his men, so that, from the professional point of view, I feel myself robbed of my chief assistant, whose place it will be hard to fill.”

Masonic :

Spencer was a Freemason, belonging to the Vale of Catmos Lodge, No 1265. He was initiated on the 2nd November 1915.

Discrepancies (Require checks, clarity or further research) :

Family name is sometimes given as a Triple:
MANSEL MANSEL-CAREY

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley