• Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:

December 25th, 1921 (Burgess Hill/Sussex, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

September 15th, 1943 (North Sea)

Mentioned on:

Air Forces Memorial Runnymede

Service number:

1248156

Nationality:

British

Harold Thomas Simmonds, born on Christmas Day 1921 in Brighton, Sussex, was the elder of two children of Thomas and Elizabeth Simmonds. Raised in Burgess Hill, he attended London Road School and later worked in a government role. When the war began, he volunteered for the RAF, initially serving as ground crew at Kemble and Mount Batten. Wanting to fly, he trained as an air gunner at Dalcross near Inverness.

After completing his training, Simmonds joined 1660 Conversion Unit at Swinderby. Posted to 207 Squadron in February 1943, Simmonds was reassigned to 97 Squadron, before transferring to 617 Squadron on 25 March 1943.

On 14 September 1943, four months after the Dams Raid, Simmonds participated in 617 Squadron’s first major operation since the raid. Tragically, his aircraft crashed, sinking with the crew's bodies except for the pilot. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

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• Photo 1: Grace Blackburn
• - CWGC
  - Dambusters

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