Brian was born at Bromsgrove in Worcestershire on 13th March 1919 the son of William Moss and his wife Emma Constance nee Hawes.
The 1939 registration has Emma Moss a widow together with her sons Herbert a dairy farmer and Brian an engineering machinist and daughter Ann living at Priory Farm, Bicknacre. Brian was employed at Hoffmann Bearings in Chelmsford. He later joined the Queen’s Royal Regiment.
2/5th Battalion Queen’s Royal (West Surrey) Regiment was formed out of 1/5th Battalion as a second line territorial battalion in April 1939. The battalion together with 2/6th and 2/7th battalions landed in France as part of 35th Infantry Brigade, 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division on 24th April 1940 and fought to stem the German advance following the Battle of Sedan 12th-15th May. The battalion was poorly trained and equipped and they fell back to the French coast and were evacuated from Cherbourg although the newspaper article concerning Brian’s death says that he was one of the last to be evacuated from Dunkirk.
The evacuations from the French coast between 26th May and 2nd June 1940 would have been very chaotic and it is quite possible that Brian and some of his mates became detached from the rest of the battalion and ended up in Dunkirk. In any event in the short time they were in France the battalion lost 387 men.
Along with other groups returning from France the battalion was then engaged in home duties preparing for the expected German invasion which never took place.
A few months after his return from France Brian married Mary Rowe at Hatfield Peverel and went to live with her parents at Tavistock, Station Road, Hatfield Peverel.
On 12th June 1941 whilst he was on leave Brian and Mary were staying with his older brother Philip, a farmer, at Priory Lane Bicknacre where Brian was out trying to shoot rabbits. According to the coroner’s report in the newspaper, Brian only had two cartridges and that he missed with the first shot. At this stage Mary decided to take a rest and Brian carried on. He apparently saw a young rabbit and tried to save his remaining cartridge by using the gun as a club. He is thought to have slipped and the gun went off wounding him in the lower chest. He subsequently died from shock as a result of the gunshot wound the following day.
The newspaper report of his death and inquest stated that he was a promising soldier and a wonderful shot and was due to be promoted to sergeant. He was buried on 18th June in the churchyard at St Andrew’ Church, Hatfield Peverel.
Administration of his estate was granted to his widow Mary Eileen Moss. In 1944 Mary married Richard Smith. Brian’s mother had married William Stannard in 1940.