 BRANDON Moss was 30-years-old when World War II broke out in 1939.
The son of a Norfolk poultry farmer, Moss was one of six children and was named after the place of his birth in the county.
His mother Clara was widowed when he was a teenager and the family moved to Coventry to find work.
Moss left school early and began working, eventually becoming a fitter at Armstrong Whitworth.
When war was declared he joined the defence forces as a special constable and it was this work that would soon lead him to his finest hour.
On November 14, 1940, German planes descended on Coventry in what was to become the biggest air raid the city had ever seen.
On duty that night - when more than 500 tonnes of high explosives would be dropped - Special Constable Moss found himself just yards from a family home when it was hit by a bomb.
The home had collapsed burying all three occupants inside.
An article in the London Gazette on December 13, 1940, carries the citation of the events that followed. It describes how Moss - with bombs falling - led a rescue party to search the debris of the home for survivors.
Under the danger of collapsing debris and the threat of gas explosions he continued searching when others in the party had retreated. Despite now working alone Moss continued to dig his way through the charred bricks and mortar before eventually carving out a space.
Through that space he managed to rescue the three trapped people.
The citation goes on to record that despite his herculean efforts in saving those three Moss searched for more survivors in another struck home.
Again many of his fellow rescuers became exhausted but Moss - still in constant danger of being hit himself by bombs or falling debris - continued.
Sadly he could just recover one person alive from the rubble but worked on until four other bodies were also removed.
In all, the citation records he worked solidly from 11pm until 6.30am without pause. He also knew that the whole time he was working there lay a delayed action bomb in the doorway of a tavern less than 20 yards away.
On the day this article came out Brandon Moss appeared at Buckingham Palace and was presented with the George Cross by King George VI.
Moss married Vera Watson and the couple had two daughters. He died aged 90 in Coventry on August 9, 1999.
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