Chris Simmonds
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About Me
Married, four children all girls aged 9-15. Worked in a number of industries including food and drinks marketing (marketing and business diploma) as well as a spell teaching at University and also Primary school. Degree in Geology-Earth Science from UCL. Now self employed running an Architectural Photography business when the recession deems it kind enough to pass me business. Reasonably good with aspects of Photoshop, which comes with the job. Help run a house church network. Also Dyslexic so spelling and grammar is a very painful anathema to me. Writing a book in my spare time (ha!)
Interested in the Luftwaffe since I was about 5 when I used to sneak into the 'Enemy Aircraft Collection' Hangar at Biggin Hill where I lived, I have sat and played in all the Luftwaffe aircraft in the RAFM whilst they sat in the dusty hangar and for the most part neglected and ignored. I recall overhearing one senior office inspecting the collection (I was hiding in the Heinkel!) comment that what a waste of good hangar space they were and that we should have kept a hangar full of Spitfires instead! I find the same general lack of enthusiasm in the RAFM for their Luftwaffe collection still there to this day.
Been photographing aircraft since 1976. Began seriously collecting Luftwaffe books in 2001 when eBay really was an auction site although I have collected military books since the 70's. Collecting primarily Luftwaffe related digital images since 2003 and have 200GBs in 280,000 images and still collecting most but not all are sorted by unit, aircraft type. Happy to help any other enthusiast with photo and image but also like others to reciprocate the LEMB motto.
Other interests... good food and wine, reading and walking my two dogs, family times and running a charity called 'The Besom' aiding and being the bridge between relatively wealthy Christians wishing to give time, money and goods to the poor and disadvantaged, and yes, we do have them in Oxfordshire too.