Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges

Soldiers’ first-hand accounts of Second World War active service invariably make inspiring and exciting reading but Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges is exceptional for several reasons. First, Brian Moss’s role as a bomb disposal specialist was especially hazardous. Secondly, he was in the thick of the action from the start, dealing with unexploded ordnance during the London blitz. He was then deployed as a frontline sapper to North Africa and onto Sicily before landing on Gold Beach on D-Day. Despite many close calls he was relatively unscathed until taken out by a butterfly bomb at Nijmegen. Fortunately, despite serious injury he lived, quite literally, to tell the tale but his war was over. While the author’s graphic account compares favorably with the very best wartime memoirs, it also has a unique element, namely examples of his outstanding artistic skill. It is truly remarkable that he not only managed to produce so many fine works under combat conditions and that he was able to draw such accurate maps from memory. His sketches and paintings bring a special dimension to this story. What a privilege it is to feast on the words and images created by this exceptionally brave and talented man.