Captain Clifford A Simmonds

Clifford Alan Simmons was born in 1914.

He was granted an emergency commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps on the 31st October 1942, and promoted to War Substantive Captain on the 31 October 1943.

He joined 181 Airlanding Field Ambulance, RAMC in late August 1943, as a Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain on the 31 October 1943.

By 1944 he was the Commander of No 2 Section, which was tasked with supporting the 2nd Bn, The South Staffordshire Regiment of the 1st Airlanding Brigade in any airborne operation.

As such, he and his Section, took off in a Horsa glider, Chalk No: 313, from RAF Manston, bound for LZ ‘S’ near Wolfheze in Holland as part of Operation ‘MARKET’, on Sunday, 17 September 1944. Amongst the Section of 14 men they had two handcarts of medical supplies, and a jeep to help with the evacuation of casualties.

Captain Simmons, like most of the Medical Officers, was taken prisoner during the ensuing battle, and was eventually sent to Stalag 11B at Fallingbostel in Germany.

Clifford Simmons died on the 15 March 2010.