Mark Simmons followed his family’s tradition of service in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines dating back to the times of Nelson. He served in the 1970's with the Royal Marines in 40 Commando, 3 Commando Brigade HQ and the Commando Logistics Regiment.
He has written some 200 feature articles, mainly on naval and military, motoring and travel subjects. He is also the author of thirteen fiction and non-fiction books including a fiction series about a reluctant M15 agent, Rob Nicolson, and two works on Ian Fleming.
His interests include quizzes, playing skittles and classic cars; he is a keen member of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.
Mark appeared in the BBC Scotland documentary called "The Adventures of Alistair MacLean".