In 1997, at the age of 19, Simon joined the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers as a vehicle mechanic. His operational deployment was to Kosovo, on Op AGRICOLA, as part of the NATO-led peacekeeping force.
His primary role was to make sure the vehicles were all in functioning order. “…You're a soldier first, tradesman second, so we would also go out on patrols, backfill manpower and give some of the other roles the opportunity to just take a breather.”
During the tour, mass graves were discovered. Simon recalls the emotional impact: the locals had tried to warn them, yet the peace-keepers found themselves “cleaning up after these things,” rather than preventing them. Years later, when he was diagnosed with PTSD following his sight loss, he realised that the psychological damage had begun in Kosovo.
Two tours in Iraq
In 2006 Simon was based in the centre of Basra with the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. He was in command of a repair and recovery team, providing QRFs (Quick Reaction Force) to assist when vehicles broke down. The company bolstered the security forces in the centre of Basra with regular patrols.
“It was quite easy for people to have a pot shot and disappear into the ether. So we did get attacked quite regularly.”
On 6th December Simon was on patrol with B Company, Green Jackets, when they encountered local insurgents. As the patrol withdrew, the lead vehicle broke down, and Simon got out of his Warrior to investigate. Under fire, he was able to connect the broken-down vehicle and get back into his turret.
The dust kicked up by the vehicle movement obscured the Warrior driver’s view and, with two deep drainage ditches either side of the route, he was unsure whether to go.
“I put my head out the turret and said, ‘If you just go straight, you can go. Go, go!’ And that's when I felt the impact on the side of my face. The bullet went in my left cheek, came out my right cheek… my jaw broke in four places, my palate collapsed, so I was suffocating.”
Still conscious, Simon had to hold up the palate of his mouth to keep breathing until the patrol reached a vehicle check point. Then a medic joined him in the turret until they reached medical facilities at Basra Palace. Exiting the Warrior wasn’t easy: “I’m a big lad… and I could hear them talking above me about how to get me out.” Simon took charge. “I ripped off my body armour and I just climbed up - I put myself in a position where they could help me out of the turret and then I was put onto a stretcher.”
Simon was placed into a medically induced coma and flown back to the UK. Within 48 hours he was in an ambulance en route to Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham. He was brought round on Christmas Eve. His left eye was destroyed; he had just 25% vision remaining in his right eye.
“Right, what am I going to do next?”
“I just felt cheated… I was going to spend the rest of my life as a blind person. Whenever you go through trauma or tragedy, your focus is very much on what you’ve lost, and it’s very difficult to comprehend what comes next…”
Simon’s military mindset soon kicked in. “Survivors don’t give up, they get up.”
“The military gives you perspective very quickly… right, what am I going to do next?”
Following further surgeries and rehabilitation, Simon was discharged in 2010. Today, he is an engagement officer for Blind Veterans UK. He is also a rugby league coach for young people with disabilities, represented the Armed Forces at the 2011 GQ Awards, carried the Olympic torch in 2012, is an independent councillor for Morley North, and in 2024–2025 was elected Mayor of Morley.
Steve Reeves/Royal British Legion
Being an Iraq veteran
“… For those of us that served in certain areas, we were abused when we came back… it hurt. You know, we're human beings… we’re your brothers, your sisters, your cousins, your aunties, your uncles, your mums, your dads, we are those people… There is still a little bit of flak about Iraq, I think.”
“I’ve always said that I am the person I am because of the experiences I've had. Would I want my sight back? In a second. Would I sacrifice all my achievements for an easier ride? Probably not. But then again, I never have to prove it.”
