Gunner Daniel Simpson's Second World War Exploits 1939-1945

Brief Resume of Gunner Daniel Simpson. Service number 926894. 8th Army 102nd Anti-Tank 7th Armoured Division. Royal Artillery Number 926894

Daniel Simpson was born at Carbrook Attercliffe, Sheffield on 9 September 1918. He attended Carbrook School, Attercliffe Sheffield (see School Report). In 1939 he was working at Tinsley Park Colliery as a miner. He enlisted in the Northumberland Hussars on June 26th 1940. He married my maternal aunt Beatrice in October 1940.

He was active in the Greece campaign in 1941 and was stationed in Souda Bay in May 1941 when Germany launched their airborne invasion. He was taken off Crete by the Royal Navy and redeployed to the North African Campaign. He was part of the famous 8th Army under General Montgomery. He served in the Royal Artillery 102nd Anti-Tank Regiment (Long Range Desert Group). He was captured on December 12th 1941 at Gazala, North Africa and incarcerated in Italian Prisoner of War Camps from 1941 to 1943. He sent many POW letters back home to his wife, Beatrice Simpson, in Sheffield (see letters). He was imprisoned at Campo 66, Capua in January 1942; Campo 59, Servigliano in February 1942; and Campo 53, Macerata in March 1943. He escaped from camp in 1943.

Oral history of the escape told to myself, Darren Gray:

"We had heard rumours that after Allied landings in Italy, the Germans were to take over the running of the camp. This was not good news as they had a reputation of being much harsher than the Italian guards. There was also a rumour that we may be all transferred over to Germany which was dreaded by all of us. There was decided to be a mass breakout. When the time was right, I jumped over the barbed wire and ran like hell, zig zagging as I went; all the while the guards were shooting their rifles at us. I managed to make it to the Italian hills where I was taken in by a right, kindly Italian partisan family."

Daniel Simpson returned to the Allies on 4 July 1944 after a year hiding out with Italian partisans. He hid in a barn that the searching German Army set fire to; mementoes still bear the scorch marks (see images). He also hid in the Italian hills of Umbria for many months before hooking up and fighting with the Italian partisans.

He was part of the occupying force of Germany in 1945 and returned home to Sheffield and demobbed in 1946. In later life he rediscovered an old comrade, Steve Workman, in 1982 and began a correspondence reminiscing about their war exploits (see letters). He was awarded the Africa Star and the 1939-1945 War Medal.