W. Stanley Moss

W. Stanley Moss

Moss in Crete (1944)
Moss in Crete (1944)
BornIvan William Stanley Moss
(1921-06-15)15 June 1921
Yokohama, Japan
Died9 August 1965(1965-08-09) (aged 44)
Kingston, Jamaica
NicknameBilly
OccupationSoldier, writer and traveller
NationalityBritish
Notable works
SpouseZofia Tarnowska
Military career
BranchBritish Army
Years1940–1946
RankMajor
Unit
WarsWorld War II
AwardsMilitary Cross

Ivan William Stanley Moss MC (15 June 1921 – 9 August 1965), commonly known as W. Stanley Moss or Billy Moss, was a British army officer in World War II,[1][2][3] and later a successful writer, broadcaster, journalist, and traveller. He served with the Coldstream Guards and the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and is best known for the Kidnap of General Kreipe.[4] He was a best-selling author in the 1950s, based on his novels and books about his wartime service. His SOE years are featured in Ill Met by Moonlight: The Abduction of General Kreipe,[5] (also adapted as a British film released under the main title) and A War of Shadows.[6] Moss travelled around the world, including Antarctica to meet the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

A biography, Billy Moss: Soldier, Writer, Traveller - A Brief Life by Alan Ogden, was published in 2014 as an Afterword to A War of Shadows.[7] An abbreviated text was published in the Coldstream Gazette 2018.[8]

  1. ^ Moss, W. Stanley (2014). "Afterword: Billy Moss: Soldier, Writer, Traveller-A Brief Life". A War of Shadows. Bene Factum Publishing. OCLC 881179901.
  2. ^ Davis, Wes (2014). The Ariadne Objective. Random House. OCLC 819641568.
  3. ^ Ogden, Alan (2018). "Terrific Fun – The Life of Billy Moss". Coldstream Gazette. The Journal of The Coldstream Guards Association.
  4. ^ "IWM London". Imperial War Museums.
  5. ^ Stanley Moss, W. (13 July 2018). Ill Met By Moonlight. ISBN 9781780226231 – via orionbooks.co.uk.
  6. ^ Ogden, Alan (2014). A War of Shadows. Bene Factum Publishing. OCLC 881179901.
  7. ^ "Ogden, Alan. Billy Moss: Soldier, Writer, Traveller - A Brief Life, Afterword, A War of Shadows, 2014, Bene Factum Publishing". Archived from the original on 6 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Terrific Fun – The Short Life of Billy Moss: Soldier, Writer and Traveller by Alan Ogden". 26 May 2019.