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One year ago, Mike Simmonds became a Chelsea Pensioner. He told us what led him to apply and what his experience has been since moving here.

“I loved the adventure of being a cadet”

My mother died when I was born and I was brought up in an orphanage. My dad was in the Navy, so he couldn’t do anything with a newborn baby. Then, when I was about seven, he remarried and I went back to my family. My father and stepmother collected me – I didn’t know who they were – and took me to a council house in Slough. A guy was sitting there and they said he was my brother John, who was nine years older than me. Apparently, he’d been in the same orphanage but I didn’t know that – it was very strange.

I wound up going to a grammar school, which I hated. There were only two subjects I was interested in – woodwork and the Army cadets. We had a venerable gentleman who was a geography teacher and he turned up as the major in the Cadet Corps. He used to talk about his service in loving terms, he was an officer, a gunner.  I absolutely loved the cadets, the adventures outdoors – we used to go and hide in bushes and fire guns, all that sort of thing.  That was when I first became interested in the Army.

“I’d already heard of the Chelsea Pensioners when I joined the Army”

When I came to the end of school, I was 17 and not quite old enough to join the Army. So I worked in the county court as a judge’s clerk, which was incredibly boring! 

Then when I was 18, I joined the Army. I’d actually already learned about the Chelsea Pensioners. I’d read this book about how soldiers roaming the streets of London in the 17^th century were scooped up and put in a sort of hostel – and that was the Royal Hospital! I remember thinking it was interesting.

I was in the Army for 22 years. I started off as a combat engineer, but you also specialise in one particular trade – I was a petroleum fitter. I went through my career doing one or t’other. I served in Northern Ireland, I was in Aden and the best posting I had was in Canada as a military instructor in bridging. It’s a lovely country and the people are fantastic. Then I wound up back at Chatham as an instructor in petroleum at the School of Engineers.

“When I first visited the Royal Hospital it felt like home” 

After the Army, I went to work for the government as a highways maintenance inspector for 13 years. 

Then my stepmother and her sister came to live with me because my stepmother had dementia and her sister had a stroke. My wife was also diagnosed with lung cancer, so I resigned from my job to look after them. Eventually it was just my wife and I and I thought I had to do some kind of work. So I went to work for a double-glazing company, where I designed, built and sold conservatories. I totally refurbished my house in Ashford at this time. Then in 2005 my wife died and I was on my own with my four dogs, working part-time for Tesco as a fishmonger. 

During that time, I visited the Royal Hospital to look around. When I was in Northern Ireland, I’d met a warrant officer who said he was going to come here when he finished his service. I decided to come and see if he was here. So I came for a day’s visit and he took me round. When I walked through the gate, I remember thinking “I’m home”. It was just the atmosphere. Other Pensioners have described the same feeling. After being a civilian for too long you come here and think “This is home”. I thought to myself, “When I finally don’t have any dogs, I’ll come here”.

For the last five or six years before I came here, I lived in a Park Home in Kent. I was on my own in a two-bedroom bungalow with my four dogs in the Weald of Kent. The dogs gradually fell off the perch until I was left with one nice old Labrador, who died in October. Then in November I applied to become a Chelsea Pensioner. 

I’d woken up one morning and thought, “What am I going to do today?” There was no purpose to my life. I didn’t have a dog. My garden, it was that time of year when everything in my garden was done and dusted, ready for the winter . And it was too wet to go over the fields walking. I asked myself “What am I going to do all day and every day? The answer was mostly watching cricket on television. The future looked very bleak.

“Applying to be a Pensioner was a doddle”

Applying was a doddle. You’ve got to be prepared to fill in a few sheets of paper, but it’s easy. 

Then I was invited to come for a four-day stay to see if it would suit me.. I had a very good Pensioner mentor. I wanted to see the accommodation and to know this and that. If you ask, you find out all you want to know. My mentor Mike convinced me that it was the right place for me. 

I was with family for Christmas when the phone rang and it was the admissions office. The four-day stay had cemented my thoughts about whether to come or not. When they said, “Would you like to become a Chelsea Pensioner?” I was almost in tears.  I said, “Can I come tomorrow?”

What appealed to me most was the camaraderie and the military community, which gives a structure to your life and a reason to get up in the morning. I didn’t have that towards the end of my time in the Park Home. Also the healthcare. Before I came here, I fell over one day in my house and nobody found me for a day and a half. It was frightening. That’s what can happen if you’re living on your own. Before I came, it took three weeks to see a doctor and I’d waited to two and a half years to get a hernia fixed – here I got it done within six months.  

Just before Christmas I had a bout of pleurisy and had to go to the Infirmary. The care there was absolutely incredible – I can’t fault it. The staff here are wonderful. When I first came, I said to the social care manager, “There are a lot of good people in this world and most of them came here as staff.” 

I must admit I had a few doubts during my first month here.  I’d got rid of my house, my car, my way of life and I’d given up two of my pensions. But you get such a lot in return! I woke up after a few weeks and thought, “What are you worrying about? You’ve got a three-roomed flatlet in Chelsea, clothes, food, entertainment, amazing healthcare.” When you put that together as a package, it’s a no-brainer.

“You get such a lot here” 

At the beginning, I’d sit on a different table in the Great Hall every day so I’d get to know a lot of people. I finally settled on one table and got really friendly with a couple of guys on it – we call ourselves the three musketeers! If I hadn’t have come here, I wouldn’t have met people. I would have been quite lonely. 

In the year since I came here I’ve done more than I did in ten years as a civvy. In my first few weeks I went to Crufts – I’ve always wanted to do that. I’ve been to the Army vs Navy rugby at Twickenham. I went with three other Chelsea Pensioners for breakfast at Downing Street with the Prime Minister. And I also got to go to the memorial service at the Royal Albert Hall, which was top of my bucket list. The experience wsa absolutely out of this world. I’ve done so many wonderful things – wearing the Scarlet is like having a magic key that opens all sorts of doors. It’s a privilege to represent the veteran community.

I fill my days here. I normally go for a walk in Ranelagh Gardens and then my friends and I go to the coffee shop every morning and meet all sorts of people there. I’m teetotal but I still go to the Chelsea Pensioners Club and have a cup of tea.

I’m very involved with running the bowls club and I’ve also umpired a cricket match here. Currently I’m reading up on the history, as I’m  studying to be a tour guide and I’m the rep for my ward too. I belong to the singing group – I thoroughly enjoyed going around Chelsea and Westminster singing at Christmas time. I also volunteer to take other Pensioners to hospital if they’re in a wheelchair or whatever and need to go.   

Founder’s Day was absolutely wonderful and at Christmas I went to the Cheese Ceremony here, which was fantastic. Then I spent 10 days with my family. After four days I wanted to come back. Next year, I’ll stay here. My sons and my granddaughters visit me and they love it.

“There are no downsides to the Royal Hospital”

I don’t think there are any downsides here. I’ve often said to people I want for nothing. You feel valued. When you go out of the gates in your Scarlet you feel it the most. I feel privileged to be a Chelsea Pensioner. 

The Royal Hospital is a magic place and long may it continue. It’s probably the  best retirement home in the world – end of story.