Simon Glancey has submitted the following:

Leading Aircraftman Spence was killed when L.S.T. 420 (Landing Ship, Tank) was sunk off Ostend. It had left Dover with a party of men, trucks and supplies for R.A.F. units in Belgium. When it arrived off the Belgian coast, it encountered a severe storm and the captain decided to return to Dover. Soon after turning, it struck a mine off Ostend and sank. 14 Officers and 224 other ranks were killed, with only 31 survivors.

Landing Ship Tank 420 was built at the Bethlehem Fairfield Company at Baltimore, Maryland at Yard number 2192. Laid down on the 6th November 1942. She was launched on the 5th December 1942 and was commissioned into he Royal Navy on the 16th February 1943. Sailed from New York for the Mediterranean in Convoy UGS8. 28th April 1943. Took part in the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and Normandy. Operated in the shuttle service. Sunk by mine off Ostend 7th November 1944.

From the 20th July 1944, she was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Douglas Harold Everett, Royal Navy Reserve, a 30 year old professional Master Mariner serving with the Royal Navy for the duration of the war. On the 7th November 1944, a small convoy from Southend, of vessels comprising LST-405, LST-367, LST-320, LST-200 and LST-420 crossed the English Channel bound for Ostend, Belgium. Wind Westerly Force 4, but increasing. At 13.30, when arriving at Ostend the wind was now up to Force 7 or 8 with a heavy sea. The weather had been very poor for a week and a severe storm was rising. By mid-afternoon when they arrived off the Belgian coast conditions were terrible, and as a result they were refused permission to enter port at Ostend due to concerns that an accident in the harbour mouth might cause considerable disruption in the supply line for land forces. The convoy duly altered course back towards England planning to shelter overnight in the Thames Estuary before returning to Ostend on the following day.
At approximately 15:00, within sight of Ostend the bow section of LST-420 struck a powerful German mine which tore a large hole in the ship's hull causing it to break into two parts. The ship's galley fires were lit at the time due to the evening meal being prepared and gallons of petrol from the damaged fuel tanks of the vehicles caught fire enveloping the stern section of the ship in flame. LST-420 sank very rapidly and due to the heavy seas only larger vessels were able to attempt to rescue survivors in the water.
Of the ill-fated 'BSRU' only 31 or 32 men were saved from life rafts.
The position of the wreck is recorded as 51°15.033′N 2°41.798′E.

It was the greatest loss of life on a British landing craft during World War II.

Lieutenant-Commander Douglas Everett, Sub-Lieutenant William Dowling, and 53 members of the crew of LST-420 were lost that night. (4 are buried in Belgium, 1 was washed ashore in England and was taken home for burial by his family. The other members of the crew are commemorated on the Naval Memorials at Plymouth, Chatham and the Royal New Zealand Naval Memorial.) The crew ranged from naval veterans of over 25 years service, to a lad only 18 years of age, and included regular service seamen, wartime service seamen and a Royal New Zealand Navy signalman.

Runnymede Memorial where at least 136 of the casualties of LST-420 are commemorated.Royal Air Force – At least 232 members of the Royal Air Force and 5 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force died in the sinking, they were 14 officers, 3 warrant officers, 31 flight sergeants and sergeants and 189 enlisted men. The dead are buried mainly at Ostend and Blankenberge but as far north as Kiel in Germany. Those without graves are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. The majority were members of 'No.1 BSRU' and included wing commander William Wendon, Squadron Leader Edwin Irish,[ two RAF Chaplain’s Reverend Dewi James, and Reverend Eric McKeeman, and Flight Lieutenants George Binks, Selby Greenop, and Leslie Tyler and Flying Officer Leonard Eric Gregory.

'No. 1 Base Signals and Radar Unit' (B.S.R.U.), which had completed eighteen months training at 'Signals Battle Training School', to land in France once the Normandy bridgehead was sufficiently stable but due to the MSSU’s success and the greater rate of territorial advance than expected, the BSRU had been held in England until a more suitable time.

Other passengers – it is possible that 12 members of No. 335 Provost Company, 'Corps of Military Police' Royal Military Police, 5 members of No. 111 General Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps, 9 members of Royal Army Service Corps and several other British Army personnel were also lost aboard LST-420.

At least 292 persons were killed, with the total loss of life probably being over 320. (Calculations based on the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission coupled with the 'Armed Forces Register' of the General Register Office of England & Wales and Scotland and records held on the 'Air of Authority' website.) The dead were washed ashore as far north as the north German coast, on the beaches of the Netherlands, Belgium, England and as far south as Calais, France.

Among others who died on L.S.T. 420 were Leading Aircraftman Laurence Scanlon Air Craftman Class 1 A.S. Alderson, Flight Lieutenant G.J. Binks, Sergeant M. Sedgwick, Leading Aircraftman J.H. Shickle and Leading Aircraftman P. Wardrobe.

Edward Pemberton Spence is remembered at Gosforth on G9.17

Account of the sinking of LST 420
The CWGC entry for Leading Aircraftman Spence