Bandmaster W.L. Spence, W.L.
Title: Bandmaster
Epithet: Internment camp guard
Record type: First World War Biographies
Biography: William Spence was born in Douglas and had been a member of the Isle of Man Volunteers for a number of years prior to the First World War. In 1914, he was aged 51 and working as a printer. He was among those Volunteers who took turns of duty as guards at the Douglas Aliens Internment Camp (the former Cunningham's Holiday Camp). He was present in November 1914 when a riot broke out over conditions. Five internees were shot by the guards, as Spence put it, the only shots fired in anger on the Isle of Man during the war. (Image ref: PG/5406/1a).
Gender: Male