Haarer, A.E.: A Cold-Blooded Business.

Foreword: Courage is indeed of infinite variety. The author of this lively, unpretentious record is at pains to disclaim any special bravery, but many of us will agree with the young fighter pilot who remarked, `I watched you walk up to the bomb: you stood there calmly in cold blood while the damn clock was ticking`, and added, `I could no more do that than fly.` A `cold-blooded business` it was and had to be. Training, discipline, patience, care, perfect team-work, and that special brand of courage - these were the qualities that distinguished the bomb-disposal units. Hot blood was only engendered when two units claimed the right to deal with the same `incident`. Bomb Disposal very rarely reached the headlines and thereby proved its efficiency and success, but this account is a welcome reminder of what we all owe to the devoted service of those who worked in this Strange, tense field of war. Tedder Marshai of the Royal Air Force. March, 1958.