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 favourably 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.

Born in Cheshire, Brian Moss volunteered in 1939 for the Royal Engineers becoming a bomb disposal operator. His almost continuous active war service both at home initially and overseas is described in his own words and artwork in this inspiring memoir. Post-war, he led a distinguished career as a Civil Engineer. He and his wife Cecily followed their sons, Michael and Christopher, to Canada in 1984. Brian died in 1999. After medical training in London, UK, Michael (Mike) Moss became a flying doctor in northern Canada before resuming his Pathology career in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. In 1998, Mike led one of two teams performing forensic identifications of the Swissair 111 crash victims. He co-wrote and co-produced the feature film, Decoding Annie Parker. Mike and his wife live in Nova Scotia.