Spencer Faulkner

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25016196 WO2 Spencer Faulkner

WO2 Spencer "Spen" Faulkner was born on 15th December 1975 in Waterlooville, near Portsmouth.

He joined the Royal Engineers as a Geographic Technician in September 1992 and was based at Denison Barracks, Hermitage near Newbury. He served with 42 Regiment Royal Engineers and was deployed to Kenya, Cyprus, Italy, Norway and Kosovo. He represented the Royal Engineers at Rugby and Skiing.

In 2005 he was accepted for training as an Army Pilot and by 2007 he was flying Lynx helicopters with the Army Air Corps. He served with distinction with 1 Regiment Army Air Corps and 652 Squadron AAC. He saw active service, as a pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan with this Squadron.

During the summer of 2011 Spencer was selected to serve as a helicopter pilot with 657 Squadron AAC. This Squadron operates Lynx helicopters in support of United Kingdom Special Forces. Its UK base is Odiham, Hants. Spencer served as a helicopter pilot with this elite squadron supporting the British SAS in operations in Afghanistan. He was the Air Mission Commander being o/c of the aircraft.

His tragic loss when his Lynx helicopter came down on operations on 26th April 2014 near Kandahar, Afghanistan was deeply felt by his colleagues in the military and also by his family.

Spencer met and married a Hungerford lady, Cally Drinkwater, who lived with her parents, Kevin and Lynda, in Southview, Hungerford. They had two children Natasha (aged 14 in 2014) and Jack (aged 9 in 2014). Spencer was nearing the end of his service with the Army and he and his family were planning to retire to Hungerford. It was scheduled to be his last tour of duty before retirement.

On Remembrance Sunday 2014, at the end of the service at the War Memorial, Cally and her children stepped forward and laid a wreath in memory of Spencer. The Chairman of the Hungerford Branch of the RBL asked Cally if she would like the RBL to try and arrange for Spencer’s name to be added to the War Memorial. She said that she and her children would very much like that.

The War Memorial is the responsibility of Hungerford Town Council. The Mayor, Councillor Martin Crane OBE, agreed on behalf of the Town Council to this request. The RBL contacted Lt Colonel Faithfull Davies and RSM King from 9 Support Battalion REME based in Tidworth to see if they could assist in providing a plaque for the War Memorial. They both agreed and the RSM, who had served with Spencer in Afghanistan, arranged for a brass plaque to be made. The Town Council and the Hungerford Branch of the RBL arranged for a special ceremony to be held when the plaque was secured to the War Memorial. Representatives of REME and the AAC attended this short ceremony.

(This entry to the Virtual Museum has been written by the Chairman of the Hungerford Branch RBL with the permission of Spencer’s widow, Cally Faulkner.)

Photo Gallery:

Spencer Faulkner

- 25016196, WO2 Spencer Faulkner (kindly sent by Cally Faulkner, January 2018).