Harry Simmons (high jumper)
British high jumper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henry Augustus Simmons (21 February 1911 – 23 March 1944) was an English high jumper who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Simmons at the 1928 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 February 1911 Southampton, England |
| Died | 23 March 1944 (aged 33) Hardwick, Northamptonshire, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | High jump |
| Club | London Athletic Club Southampton Amateur Athletic Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| 1928 | |
Biography
In 1927 Simmons a pupil at Taunton School won the Public Schools title.[1] At the age of 17 Simmons competed for the London Athletic Club and finished third behind Claude Ménard in the high jump event at the 1928 AAA Championships.[2][3][4] Shortly afterwards he represented Great Britain at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he finished in 11th place.[5]
The same year he set a British junior record at 1.86 m. Simmons was a Royal Air Force officer and won the RAF high jump title in 1930, 1932 and 1935.[6]
Simmons served as a wing commander in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War.[7] On 23 March 1944, Simmons died piloting Vickers Wellington LP258, which stalled and crashed near Hardwick, Northamptonshire. Simmons and five other crew members were killed.[8] He is buried at Oxford (Botley) Cemetery.[7][9]
