Life before World War Two David was born on the 24th of July 1917 in St Germains, Cornwall to William H J Spriddle and Mary H Spriddle.

David’s father was born in Rame, Cornwall and in 1939 was a Civil Servant, working as admiralty Senior Foreman of His Majesty’s Yard, in Plymouth.

William has no record of serving during the First World War, however due to his line of work in shipyards it is likely he was an essential worker in Plymouth Dockyard. 

In 1939, David William was listed as single, and his occupation was a clerk in the city treasury office. David was an only child and lived with his parents in Plymouth.

Military Service It is not clear exactly when David enlisted in the Royal Army Pay Corps, however his role as a clerk would have made him the perfect candidate for the Royal Army Pay Corps.

In September 1939, the Royal Army Pay Corps mobilised at Albany Street Barracks, and compromised of Command Pay Office, a Base Clearing House, a Base Cash Office and seven Field Cash Offices which were to embark to France.

Four of the Field Cash Offices were assigned to each British Expeditionary Force (BEF) divisions, and the other three were to be based at the ports of entry, Cherbourg, Brest and Nantes. It is highly likely that David was part of the latter unit who were based at Nantes.

Operation Ariel Following Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk (26th May 4th June 1940) and Operation Cycle, the evacuation of Le Havre (10th – 13th of June) there were still 140,000 troops in the lines of communications left in France and Operation Ariel was implemented to bring the remaining troops and civilians back to England.

The HMT Lancastria, which had previously been a commercial liner, was to be involved in Operation Ariel, on the 15th of June was ordered to Quiberon Bay, leaving from Plymouth.

One can speculate as to whether William, David’s father, would have been aware of the situation in France and hoped David would soon be home.

On the 17th of June 1940, HMT Lancastria anchored in the Charpentier Roads and with the support of multiple small vessels, in the afternoon embarked with approximately 4000 – 9000 troops, together with around 40 civilian refugees.

It is not certain how many were on board, however at the lowest estimate is substantially over the standard capacity of 2500 people.

An estimate of 2447 people survived the disaster. At 15:30, HMT Lancastria was struck by three or four bombs, dropped from a Junkers Ju 88 aircraft, and within 15-20 minutes, had sank. Being equipped with only 2500 life jackets and 16 lifeboats, of which many were damaged, there was little that could be done to safe to save the survivors. German aircraft continued to strafe the survivors.

It is not known exactly how many lost their lives, however it is estimated to be approximately 4000 – 6500 people.

This was to be the biggest loss of life in British maritime history and amounted to one third of the losses accumulated by the BEF in the Battle of France.

David William Spriddle was one of the men onboard the HMT Lancastria, and although it is not clear when, he washed up on the French coast after the disaster. He was buried in Escoublac-La-Baule War Cemetery, with the personal inscription “Rest in peace.”

David shares a grave with an unidentified solider of the 1939-1945 war. It is not known why this is the case, however it is possible that David was found alongside mortal remains of which they could only identify David. He was aged just 22 years old.

Following the disaster, Winston Churchill supressed news coverage through the D-Notice System, and it was not until the 26th of July 1940 that it was covered in Britain. Winston Churchill remarked that he “forgot to lift the ban.” Following the success of the evacuation at Dunkirk, families of those who were to be rescued through Operation Ariel waited anxiously for news of their loved ones. It is unknown when William and Mary learned of their only son’s death, however it was likely in this time. David was one of 24 RAPC servicemen who lost their lives during the disaster, and he is commemorated on the RAPC Roll of Honour. David’s medal entitlement included the 1939-1945 Star and 1939-1945 War medal, which were sold at auction in 2023 and included a named Army Council Condolence slip.