Spence took various manual jobs in the area until joining the British Army in 1957 as a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles. Spence rose to the rank of military police sergeant. He served in the army until 1961 when ill-health forced him to leave. Spence was stationed in Cyprus during his time in the army and saw action fighting against the forces of Colonel Georgios Grivas. After leaving the army Spence found employment at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast where he worked as a stager (builder of the scaffolding in which the ships are constructed), a skilled job that commanded respect amongst working class Protestants and ensured for Spence a higher status within the Shankill.