Kenneth Spring

Kenneth Spring OBE TD
Kenneth Spring painted in 1948.
Born	(1921-10-23)23 October 1921 Dulwich, London
Died	25 December 1997(1997-12-25) (aged 76) Sibford, Oxfordshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1941-1975
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/wars	Burma Campaign (Second World War)
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Efficiency Decoration

Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Arthur Spring OBE TD (23 October 1921 – 25 December 1997) was a British Army officer, artist and co-founder of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain.

Spring was born in Dulwich, London, the son of Albert Spring (1884-1961), a former Royal Flying Corps officer and schoolmaster, and the composer, Cecil Dorothy Arburn Chapman (1885-1961). Spring was a descendant of the Suffolk Spring family, and a relation of Lord Risby and Brigadier-General Frederick Spring. He was educated at Alleyn's School, London, where he was a close friend of John Lanchbery, before attending Blackpool Art School.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Spring registered as a conscientious objector and was conscripted into the Non-Combatant Corps (NCC). With other members of the NCC, he went on to volunteer for work in bomb disposal in London, and in October 1941 resigned his status as a conscientious objector. He served as a sapper in 15 Bomb Disposal Company, Royal Engineers between December 1941 and July 1943, when he transferred to the staff of “B” Company, No.2 Training Battalion, Royal Engineers at Blacon Camp. In March 1944 he was selected for officer training and undertook the Officer Cadet Training Unit commissioning course at Catterick Garrison. On 23 July 1944 he commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery.