NORMAN B. SIMMONDS, LTCOL, USA
Norman Simmonds '24
Lucky Bag
From the 1924 Lucky Bag:
NORMAN BLAKESLY SIMMONDS
Brooklyn, New York
"Red"
WHOA! Wife, where's my letter? Did you hide it, or isn't the mail out yet? Well, if I don't get that letter in the next mail someone will get a big surprise! In this daily monologue we have the key to "Red's" supreme interest. By means of a mail chart and equations, using his grease with the correspondents, velocity of trains and the inefficiency of the mail service he tried to determine his chances for mail.
The All-Academics never received his serious consideration, for with a little velvet in all subjects he could see no reason for boning. Although a product of a summer military camp he has never shown the good results of this training. All the D. O.'s know him by name because of his frequent mention in the morning orders. With luck and strategy he kept these reports so scattered that a Miss Springfield was not the O. A. O. But she was semi-weekly drag for sometime after a poorly aimed apple hit a D. O.
Wrestling Squad (4, 3, 2); Expert Rifleman; P. A. List.
NORMAN BLAKESLY SIMMONDS
Brooklyn, New York
"Red"
WHOA! Wife, where's my letter? Did you hide it, or isn't the mail out yet? Well, if I don't get that letter in the next mail someone will get a big surprise! In this daily monologue we have the key to "Red's" supreme interest. By means of a mail chart and equations, using his grease with the correspondents, velocity of trains and the inefficiency of the mail service he tried to determine his chances for mail.
The All-Academics never received his serious consideration, for with a little velvet in all subjects he could see no reason for boning. Although a product of a summer military camp he has never shown the good results of this training. All the D. O.'s know him by name because of his frequent mention in the morning orders. With luck and strategy he kept these reports so scattered that a Miss Springfield was not the O. A. O. But she was semi-weekly drag for sometime after a poorly aimed apple hit a D. O.
Wrestling Squad (4, 3, 2); Expert Rifleman; P. A. List.
Loss
Norman died while aboard a Japanese "hell ship" while he was being transferred to Japan from the Philippines in either January
Records on the ship and his date of death are confused and point in two different ways.
A large newspaper report, originally reported in the Chicago Sun in November 1945, gives his date of death as December 13, 1944 aboard Oryoku Maru: "Lt. Col. Norman B. Simmonds, a former college middleweight boxing champion, went down and did not arise." The Brooklyn Eagle on August 8, 1945 reported his widow received a notification that his date of death was December 15, 1944.
Other records show him surviving the air attack on Oryoku Maru (on December 14) and being transferred to the Enoura Maru; he then perished on that ship on either January 9, January 21, or January 27, 1945.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Born in Virginia, Norman attended Public school 77, Ridgewood and Newton High School in Brooklyn.
He married Eleanor Stevens Powers on December 30, 1926, in Southold, New York. Both were stationed at Fort H. G. Wright. Their son was Norman Jr., (born in 1935 in Ancon, Canal Zone,) and daughters were Eleanor, Anne (both born in 1927 and 1929 in Honolulu) and Mary Jane (born in 1936 in Fort Monroe, Virginia.) Eleanor died in October 1995 in Los Angeles. Starting in 1924, Norman was on duty at Fort H. G. Wright. In 1925, he was a member of Rifle and Pistol Team, 11 CAC, and in 1926, he was in Battery “G.”
In 1927 he was a 2nd lieutenant at the 64th Coast Artillery, 25th Btry “F.” In 1928 and 1929 he was at Fort Shafter, Hawaii; and in 1930 he attended the Chemical Warfare School, Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland.
In 1933 he was a first lieutenant at Eugene, Oregon, District CCC 5th. In 1935 he was commander of Battery B 4th Coast Artillery, Fort Amador, Canal Zone, and in 1936, he was a captain there. In July 1936, his family sailed from the Canal Zone to New York City.
In 1939 he was commanding Battery “A” 59th Coast Artillery, Fort Mills, Philippines. In May 1941 Norman’s family sailed from Manila to New York City.
His father John was an electrical inspector for a fire underwriter, mother Sophia (Eckhoff,) and sister Sophie. His stepfather in 1920 was Joseph Layes.
Before his capture when Corregidor fell, he was the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 59th Coast Artillery Regiment. He was one of the officers present at the hauling down of the American flag on May 6.
He was survived by his wife and four children.
Career
He was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army's coastal artillery corps on June 5, 1924; 1st Lieutenant on February 16, 1930; Captain on August 1, 1935; and Major on June 15, 1940. The Army Officer Register of 1945 lists him as a Major; the 1946 edition lists him as a Lt. Col. (and KIA on December 15, 1944).
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