Lt. Col. William 'Johnny' Moss RIP
Lt. Col. 'Johnny' Moss in the Westland Scout helicopter he so admired
Moss was taught to fly privately in 1965 while waiting for an Army posting to Aden. He later qualified on both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters on the Army pilots’ course at Middle Wallop, and in 1974 was awarded his wings.
After serving at Netheravon he was sent to Northern Ireland, where the need to avoid small-arms fire and surface-to-air missiles meant having to fly very low and fast over the sparsely inhabited countryside. Once, on a flight from Crossmaglen, Moss was convinced he was being shot at, although the shooting went on for rather a long time. On landing, he found that he had left the rear seat-belt hanging out of the door and the buckle had clattered on the fuselage all the way home.
He would later speak with relish of his time in Ireland. The Scout helicopter, he said, was like a “flying Land Rover – strong, heavy and a wonderfully reliable friend”.
In 1979 he moved to the border area as DAQMG, the chief administrative officer of the brigade. Many soldiers’ lives were being lost to ambushes because the light pattern on the Land Rovers transporting them from place to place at night was too easily recognisable. With characteristic energy and determination, Moss oversaw a major shift in tactics whereby troops were moved by furniture vans or private vehicles which were frequently changed. He was appointed MBE at the end of his tour.
After transferring to the Army Air Corps, Moss commanded 656 Squadron at Farnborough, and a helicopter regiment in Germany from 1982 to 1985.
William John Hodsoll Moss (always known as Johnny) was born on April 5 1943 near Godalming, Surrey. He could not remember his father, who was killed by a V-2 flying bomb at Sandown Park racecourse.
After Charterhouse, in 1961 he joined the Army and served in the Welsh Guards for the next 18 years. He was an excellent shot and represented the regiment at Bisley.
After two years as an instructor at the Staff College he resigned from the Army, and made the transition from military to civilian life with great deftness. Appointed to a relatively humble job at JP Morgan dealing with security and facilities management, he showed his inventiveness, perseverance and charm, ending up as Secretary to the London Management Committee, running corporate events and entertainment.
Once, needing to install generators on the roof of the 19-storey JP Morgan building to provide backup power for a new trading floor, he was appalled to see a quotation from a crane company for £100,000. He persuaded the police to clear the streets around the building on a Saturday morning, chartered a Puma helicopter and had the equipment flown into position for a total cost of £16,000.
Moss worked for two years at Merrill Lynch as part of a JP Morgan team before moving to UBS to develop the UK private client market. This was followed by seven years in the private investment office of Lord North Street Ltd.
He was a congenial man whose toughness as a soldier went hand in hand with intelligence and good humour. Above all, however, his enthusiasm was infectious.
His talents made him a natural in the world of corporate hospitality — concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and St Paul’s Cathedral, shooting parties and racing at Goodwood. His skills in charitable fundraising were a byword; in the early 1990s, he raised £1 million for Macmillan Cancer Support.
As a non-executive director at Goodwood, he advised on motorsport and aviation while also looking after clients at major events. He was a member of The Queen’s Bodyguard of The Yeomen of The Guard and for five years he was a popular chief executive of St Moritz Tobogganing Club.