The sort of bravery displayed by the UXB (shorthand for ‘Unexploded Bomb’) squads is of a different order from the sudden and often brief bursts of gallantry on the battlefield that win fighting soldiers medals for heroism. It is required for far longer, often for hours or even days; it needs iron nerves and steady hands. It is a rare quality, and these books rightly celebrate it. 

James Owen, the author of Danger UXB, is a barrister turned popular historian who has made the Second World War his speciality. His last book, Nuremberg, was a concise and readable account of the post-war