A remarkable set of paintings resulted from Spencer being commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee in 1940 to paint the Lithgows Kingston shipyard in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde. Unliked by shipyard owner James Lithgow, offered and then rejected by the National Maritime Museum, these seven tripytchs were eventually acquired by the Imperial War Museum. The subjects reflect the stages of activity associated with shipbuilding. They are titled: Burners, Riveters, Welders, Riggers, The Template, Bending the Keel Plate and Plumbers. Spencer additionally painted a single painting, The Furnaces. Developed in association with Grant Waters, Art Detective Group Leader: South East England, East England and the Midlands