Mines, Bombs, Bullets and Bridges: A Sapper's Second World War Diary

Soldiers' firsthand accounts of Second World War active service are inspiring and exciting, but Mines, Bombs, Bullets, and Bridges is exceptional due to Brian Moss's role as a bomb disposal specialist, his deployment as a frontline sapper, and his artistic skill. His sketches and paintings bring a unique dimension to the story.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 16 January 2023
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Soldiers' firsthand accounts of Second World War active service are often inspiring and exciting, but Mines, Bombs, Bullets, and Bridges stands out for several reasons. Firstly, Brian Moss's role as a bomb disposal specialist was particularly 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 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: 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.

Weight: 710g
Dimension: 241 x 165 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399068031