Having joined the Army as a Chaplain in the early months of the Second World War, Robert Simmons experienced the Blitz and intense fear of German invasion. In November 1940 his Regiment sailed for North Africa and in the spring of 1941 moved to Greece. Top secret Ultra code notification that they were vastly outnumbered saw a hasty retreat only for them to be caught up in the Battle of Crete with its enormous Nazi parachute invasion. Here Dad was taken prisoner and spent the next three years and ten months in various POW camps in Germany and occupied Europe.
During this time he kept a remarkable record of his observations and experiences through a collection of diaries. Most of them take the form of a barely legible scrawl in half-cut exercise books distributed by the YMCA. Somehow he was able to retain and bring these home at the end of the War. They provide a fascinating insight into events, participants and his own take on life. Particularly interesting are his impressions of his captivity and captors. many aspects of which are notably different from those portrayed in the war movies we’ve all grown up on.
I had just turned seventeen when Dad passed away and we never really spoke much about his WW2 experiences. Having read through the diaries on a number of occasions over the course of my own life, some years ago I created an abbreviated version which is available to read online. My highly visual (and hopefully entertaining and informative) talk at St Leonard’s describes what I’ve learnt from the diaries and how they have provided a much-cherished lifelong insight into my father and his character.
Geoff Simmons runs a community history project in south west London called Summerstown182 alongside his job as a graphic designer. This involves Guided Walks and Talks, working with schools and putting up plaques. Over the last ten years a trail of these have emerged along the Wandle Valley, shining a light on some of the lesser-known history in this area. They range from the youngest soldier to serve this country in the First World War to a ground-breaking plaque acknowledging Romany Gypsy heritage in Wandsworth. 'Planet Tooting' is an ongoing initiative championing the outstanding migrant contribution to our neighbourhood which resulted in a blue plaque on Tooting Market. Have a look on Geoff's blog for more details or follow @summerstown182 on social media.
