Charles (Chap) L. Spencer, III

Submitted by: Garry W. Spencer, IV {Son}

Charles (Chap) L Spencer, III was born around 1895. Charles (Chap) Spencer served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Served as Battery Commander driver (Harloy Davidson side car motorcycle)
Battery D, 129th Field Artillery Battalion, Missouri National Guard, Captain Harry S. Truman commanding.

Dad seemed to be the only one in the outfit that could keep the motorcycle running so he and Capt. Harry became friends as they drove around northern France scouting artillery positions.

The pictures I had of Dad standing on his head on top of a bridge taken by Capt. Harry was lost when his house in Tampa was flooded during a hurricane. Dad was using the height of the superstructure to better see the German positions. He made a hasty retreat when the Germans started shooting at him.

Dad's uncle, Get, Eugene Spencer had obtained an appointment to West Point for Dad, but Dad was afraid if he went to West Point the fighting would be over before he graduated, So he went to a recruiting station and tried to enlist in the National Guard. He was rejected for being under weight. He rode his horse down to the Mississippi docks and bought a stalk of bananas which he ate on his way back to enlist. This outfit took basic training at the Artillery school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. (Same place where I received artillery training for the Korean Conflict).

Several of the groups got sick, it turned out the water at the enlarged part of the Fort was contaminated. Dad was in the hospital when it was time to ship out. His friends helped him out of the hospital and divided up his field pack contents while putting a tumble weed in his for him to carry to the train. He recovered enough to carry his pack off the boat when they reached France.

P,S. Dad's uncle Gene (General Spencer) was in charge of logistics under Pershing for the European theater.