Latutin, Simmon

Date of birth:: July 25th, 1916 (London, Great Britain)
Date of death:: December 30th, 1944 (Mogadishu, Somaliland)
Buried on:: Commonwealth War Cemetery Nairobi
Nationality:: British

Biography

Captain Simmon Latutin was killed in a fire accident on 30 December 1944.

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George Cross

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Captain
Unit:: Somalia Gendarmerie, British Military Administration of Somalia, Colonial Secretary, British Government
Awarded on:: September 10th, 1946

Circumstances of Latutin’s George Cross:

On 29th December 1944 Captain Latutin was working with the Gendarmerie in Mogadishu when a fire broke out in a training school/ammunition store. The heart of the fire was situated where the rockets were stored. Latutin on the premises before the fire broke out was with another officer, the Company Sergeant Major and a boy. They were getting explosives when the stored rockets started firing. Latutin’s fellow officer became badly burned and was almost unconscious but Latutin still managed to drag him free from the building to safety. Hearing the cries for help Latutin went back into the inferno now on fire himself and saved the Company Sergeant Major. Sadly the boy was not saved. Although Latutin promptly received medical attention for his burns they were too severe and he died the following day on 30th December 1944.