Sims R A - The OldWinburnians

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Robert was the son of Alfred & Jesse Sims of "Eugenie", Lake Road, Verwood.  Dorset.
At W. G. S Robert ran in the 100 yards race in the School Sports on the 1st of May 1937.  He was also the successful finalist at his weight, in the Boxing Competition, in the Summer of 1938.  A year later,he was in the Cricket Xl, when it was noted that," Towards the end of the season he showed marked improvement as a change bowler".  During the winter of 1939, he played as the regular Centre Forward in the 2nd Xl Soccer team and in the course of the season, scored 3 goals.  
Sgt.  R. A.  Sims was in the crew of Halifax Mk ii, JD413.  KN-G of No.  77 Squadron R. A. F., which took off from Elvington, Near York at 2016 hrs, to take part in a heavy attack on Berlin.  
He was the Bomb Aimer and it is understood that this was the last of his operational tour of 30 sorties. The R. A. F. mounted three attacks on Berlin between the 24th of August and 4th September 1943, which involved a total of 1600 aircraft, of which 125 failed to return.  During these raids, there was a great deal of night fighter activity, which was aided by flares dropped from above the bombers.

His aircraft crashed at Datteln, North Rhine, Westphalia,.[ a major junction of canals, some 20 km North of Dortmund.]  and it is known that five of the eight crew were killed, two became POWs and one was injured.  (An extra crew member was being carried) .  Those killed are interred in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, South West of Kleve, but the injured man is reported to have died on the 4th of Sept, and he is buried in Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.