Alec Moss

Life in London 1939-1941 - a Veterans View Alec Moss

Alec Moss, at age 18 - served in the trenches in France and Belgium in the first world war. Soon, his language skills took him out of the trenches to act as interpreter between the army, their local hosts and their German prisoners. This gave him a unique insight into military intelligence and the unfolding events of the second world war. His eldest son was the same age (18) at the start of WW2 so this resonated strongly with Alec Moss. The diary catalogues the domestic effect of the war on the local community. He relays the press propaganda and qualifies this with his own comments. Alex Moss ran a local sports club including football, cricket and table-tennis. As the age of conscription was lowered, more team member found themselves called into military service. Often their place in the team was filled by their parents until eventually parents outnumbered children. The diary starts with some musings penned in 1935. Then the diarist picks up the same volume as he senses the onset of WW2 in 1939. The original diary was written by the fireside and still smells of his pipe-tobacco. The later pages are written by candle-light in the air-raid-shelter with the hand-writing noticeably different. The diary ends abruptly in August 1941 because the subsequent volumes which are believed to have been written, are lost. The diary includes a short introduction by the authors daughter