Having finished fifth in the German Gymnastic Society Championship in 1911, Charles Simmons also had the misfortune of being a member of the Northampton Polytechnic Institute (NPI) team that lost to the Birmingham Institute in the semi-final of the Adams Shield for the national team title. The following year, however, Simmons was a member of the successful NPI squad that won their first ever Adams Shield, after beating Birmingham City in the final. Also, in 1912, Simmons appeared in the Stockholm Olympics and won a team bronze medal. He was also originally selected as a reserve for the individual competition, but got called into the team in place of NPI team-mate Joseph Cook. Simmons finished 28th and was the fourth highest scoring of the six Britons.
His daughter, Jean Simmons, had a hugely successful 65 year career as an actress, appearing in such films as “Hamlet” alongside Laurence Olivier, “Black Narcissus”, “The Blue Lagoon” and “The Big Country”. She was twice nominated for an Oscar and won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
Great Britain