Individual Details
Basil Henry Francis "Simon" Templer DFC
(13 Oct 1913 - Abt Mar 1997)
Simon became a Pilot Officer in RAFVR in December 1941 and was promoted from Flying Officer to Flight Lieutenant in Dec 1942. He was awarded the Distinguish Flying Cross (DFC) in May 1945 whilst flying with 540 Squadron.
Formed from 'H' & 'L' Flights of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at Leuchars on 19 October 1942.
Equipped with Mosquitoes, it operated over Norway and the Baltic. Detachments from bases further south, also operated over France and Italy and during Operation Torch, another detachment operated over North Africa.
It moved to Benson in February 1944, in time for Operation Overlord and from it also carried out sorties into Austria and to the canary Islands. In March 1945, the squadron moved to France but returned to Benson the following November, where it remained until disbanding on 30 September 1946.
e-mail from Lisa Franklin - Granddaughter
Simon (Basil) died at Easter 1996 (Mar 1997?) in Nairobi Kenya whilst on holiday visiting his son Peter. He was a complete character and we all still miss him! He flew mosquitos (little wooden aeroplanes) during the war from Benson amongst other sites - mainly reconnaissance but we are not sure exactly what he did. Much to our surprise after he died we found a French "croix de guerre" - he never talked about it. He set up Price Waterhouse in the Iberian Peninsula after the war (the first office was my mums bedroom). And became a Spanish Partner and remained living in Spain until he died. Peggy died about five years before him in Spain. They made a bit of a name for themselves rescuing illegally smuggled chimpanzees off the beaches in Spain (that were being tortured by their photographer owners). They set up a sanctuary at their home near Girona and eventually set up "Monkey World" in Poole, Dorset. If you ever visit you will see plaques remembering them! Jim Cronin who runs Monkey World was best buddies with Simon and one of his last trips to the UK was to be his best man in about 1995.
Further e-mail
I know that it was very dangerous to fly the Mosquitos - I think that is why he didn't discuss it - he lost a lot of colleagues at that time. I know he flew over Augsburg in Germany at one point. He also told a story about having to fly low down through the Brenner Pass to avoid some German bombers - so I imagine he was involved in the Austrian sorties.
Peggy was a WAAF - a plotter - she was very bright and had started University at Bangor (to read foreign languages) but when her best friends brother was killed in action her friend and her joined up. She loved her job which involved lots of calculating. She met Simon on one of her days off in Winchester (she was based somewhere around Box/Corsham in Wiltshire). They married and she fell pregnant very quickly. She was made to resign her commission as soon as they found out she was pregnant. She was furious about it. I guess the war was not much fun for her after that just waiting for Simon to possibly come home or not!
He left the RAF at the end of the war and went to live in Paris where he started working for Price Waterhouse. The move to Spain was to be a short term thing - Spanish accounting was very poor in those days - there was a great deal of corruption. However he managed to get the business going and did very well.
MONKEY WORLD - SAFE HAVEN FOR CHIMPANZEES
by Shirley McGreal
IPPL has worked closely for many years with the dynamic Jim Cronin of Monkey World in Dorset, England. More recently we have also been working with Jim's vivacious wife Alison.
Monkey World is home to over 50 chimpanzees. Over thirty of them are veterans of the Spanish beach chimpanzee racket prevalent in the early 1980's. Others have arrived from Israel, Austria, Greece and France. One chimpanzee is held as "evidence" in a court battle.
The late Simon and Peggy Templer, Spanish residents of British extraction, fought vigorously to end the abuse inflicted on beach chimpanzees. Baby chimpanzees caught by the killing of their mothers were imported to Spain from Africa to supply this sickening trade.
The babies would be dressed in human clothing and passed to tourists on beaches or in bars, so the tourists could be photographed holding a chimpanzee baby, for which they paid a high price.
Often the chimpanzees' teeth would be hammered out with chisels to prevent them inflicting serious bites. The constant popping of flash-bulbs often harmed the chimpanzees' eye-sight. Chimpanzees would be tranquillized to keep them docile.
The Templers worked to get beach chimpanzees confiscated and several animals were kept on their spacious property outside Barcelona, which they converted into a sanctuary.
The campaign to get chimpanzees and other wild animals off the Spanish beaches was a long grueling campaign that lasted many years. The photographers made so much money they could buy Mercedes, and they fought hard to protect their rackets. The Templers' lives were threatened.
However, many animals were confiscated. After some years, the Templers realized they could not handle so many chimpanzees on their premises and, worse, their enclosures were full and there was no room for not-yet-confiscated animals. They started looking for a solution.
The solution was Jim Cronin, a resident of England who was raised in the United States. Jim, an animal-lover, founded Monkey World Sanctuary in 1987. Jim offered to take every single chimpanzee rescued from the Spanish beaches and to provide them with lifelong first-class care.
IPPL has found that, in animal work, many promises can't be kept despite good intentions. But Jim was as good as his word. He has never said "No" to a chimpanzee needing a home. He has provided a home to several laboratory veterans.
Once chimpanzees arrive at Monkey World, their social rehabilitation starts. Compatible animals live in groups in very spacious living areas surrounded by electric fencing and loaded with things to keep them busy.
Visiting Monkey World is a thrilling experience. Besides the chimpanzees, there are ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs and a group of retired research monkeys.
Formed from 'H' & 'L' Flights of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at Leuchars on 19 October 1942.
Equipped with Mosquitoes, it operated over Norway and the Baltic. Detachments from bases further south, also operated over France and Italy and during Operation Torch, another detachment operated over North Africa.
It moved to Benson in February 1944, in time for Operation Overlord and from it also carried out sorties into Austria and to the canary Islands. In March 1945, the squadron moved to France but returned to Benson the following November, where it remained until disbanding on 30 September 1946.
e-mail from Lisa Franklin - Granddaughter
Simon (Basil) died at Easter 1996 (Mar 1997?) in Nairobi Kenya whilst on holiday visiting his son Peter. He was a complete character and we all still miss him! He flew mosquitos (little wooden aeroplanes) during the war from Benson amongst other sites - mainly reconnaissance but we are not sure exactly what he did. Much to our surprise after he died we found a French "croix de guerre" - he never talked about it. He set up Price Waterhouse in the Iberian Peninsula after the war (the first office was my mums bedroom). And became a Spanish Partner and remained living in Spain until he died. Peggy died about five years before him in Spain. They made a bit of a name for themselves rescuing illegally smuggled chimpanzees off the beaches in Spain (that were being tortured by their photographer owners). They set up a sanctuary at their home near Girona and eventually set up "Monkey World" in Poole, Dorset. If you ever visit you will see plaques remembering them! Jim Cronin who runs Monkey World was best buddies with Simon and one of his last trips to the UK was to be his best man in about 1995.
Further e-mail
I know that it was very dangerous to fly the Mosquitos - I think that is why he didn't discuss it - he lost a lot of colleagues at that time. I know he flew over Augsburg in Germany at one point. He also told a story about having to fly low down through the Brenner Pass to avoid some German bombers - so I imagine he was involved in the Austrian sorties.
Peggy was a WAAF - a plotter - she was very bright and had started University at Bangor (to read foreign languages) but when her best friends brother was killed in action her friend and her joined up. She loved her job which involved lots of calculating. She met Simon on one of her days off in Winchester (she was based somewhere around Box/Corsham in Wiltshire). They married and she fell pregnant very quickly. She was made to resign her commission as soon as they found out she was pregnant. She was furious about it. I guess the war was not much fun for her after that just waiting for Simon to possibly come home or not!
He left the RAF at the end of the war and went to live in Paris where he started working for Price Waterhouse. The move to Spain was to be a short term thing - Spanish accounting was very poor in those days - there was a great deal of corruption. However he managed to get the business going and did very well.
MONKEY WORLD - SAFE HAVEN FOR CHIMPANZEES
by Shirley McGreal
IPPL has worked closely for many years with the dynamic Jim Cronin of Monkey World in Dorset, England. More recently we have also been working with Jim's vivacious wife Alison.
Monkey World is home to over 50 chimpanzees. Over thirty of them are veterans of the Spanish beach chimpanzee racket prevalent in the early 1980's. Others have arrived from Israel, Austria, Greece and France. One chimpanzee is held as "evidence" in a court battle.
The late Simon and Peggy Templer, Spanish residents of British extraction, fought vigorously to end the abuse inflicted on beach chimpanzees. Baby chimpanzees caught by the killing of their mothers were imported to Spain from Africa to supply this sickening trade.
The babies would be dressed in human clothing and passed to tourists on beaches or in bars, so the tourists could be photographed holding a chimpanzee baby, for which they paid a high price.
Often the chimpanzees' teeth would be hammered out with chisels to prevent them inflicting serious bites. The constant popping of flash-bulbs often harmed the chimpanzees' eye-sight. Chimpanzees would be tranquillized to keep them docile.
The Templers worked to get beach chimpanzees confiscated and several animals were kept on their spacious property outside Barcelona, which they converted into a sanctuary.
The campaign to get chimpanzees and other wild animals off the Spanish beaches was a long grueling campaign that lasted many years. The photographers made so much money they could buy Mercedes, and they fought hard to protect their rackets. The Templers' lives were threatened.
However, many animals were confiscated. After some years, the Templers realized they could not handle so many chimpanzees on their premises and, worse, their enclosures were full and there was no room for not-yet-confiscated animals. They started looking for a solution.
The solution was Jim Cronin, a resident of England who was raised in the United States. Jim, an animal-lover, founded Monkey World Sanctuary in 1987. Jim offered to take every single chimpanzee rescued from the Spanish beaches and to provide them with lifelong first-class care.
IPPL has found that, in animal work, many promises can't be kept despite good intentions. But Jim was as good as his word. He has never said "No" to a chimpanzee needing a home. He has provided a home to several laboratory veterans.
Once chimpanzees arrive at Monkey World, their social rehabilitation starts. Compatible animals live in groups in very spacious living areas surrounded by electric fencing and loaded with things to keep them busy.
Visiting Monkey World is a thrilling experience. Besides the chimpanzees, there are ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs and a group of retired research monkeys.
Events
| Birth | 13 Oct 1913 | Richmond, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |  | ||
| Christen | 10 Dec 1913 | East Teignmouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom | |||
| Residence | 1939 | Charted Accountant - S - The Good Companions Rose Green Road , Bognor Regis U.D., Sussex | |||
| Residence | 1939 | StreetAddress: 5 Irving Mansions - Fulham, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom | |||
| Marriage | Abt Dec 1941 | Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales, United Kingdom - Margaret Elspeth Lea "Peggy" Morgan | |||
| Death | Abt Mar 1997 | Nairobi, Kenya |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret Elspeth Lea "Peggy" Morgan (1920 - 1991) |
| Child | Wendy Templer |
| Child | Michael Templer |
| Child | Dinah Templer |
| Child | Peter Templer |
| Child | Sally Templer |
| Father | George Dawson Templer (1880 - 1923) |
| Mother | Evelyn Maud Fisher (1891 - 1984) |
| Sibling | Jack Stanley Templer (1912 - 1991) |
| Sibling | Faith Irene Fuller Templer (1914 - 2000) |
| Sibling | Christine Bertrice Templer (1916 - 2012) |
| Sibling | Elaine Beryl "Billy" Templer |
| Sibling | Pearl Sylvia Templer |