'A remarkably human book . . . arresting, and sometimes even unforgettable.' Desmond McCarthy, Sunday Times

'A fascinating book . . . It is not easy to do justice to Lord Moran's discursive brilliancy . . . a masterly piece of work.' Times Literary Supplement

'I set out to find how courage is born and how it is sustained in a modern army of a free people. The soldier is alone in his war with terror and we have to recognise the first signs of his defeat, that we may come in time to his rescue.' Lord Moran


First published in 1945 this early, groundbreaking account of the psychological effects of war, recounted by means of vivid first-hand observation and anecdote, came at a time when shell-shock was equated with lack of moral fibre. In 1940, Moran became Churchill's doctor and his position as a one of history's most important war physicians was secured. His humane, considered observations, scientific analysis and proposed solutions constitute one of the great First World War sources. However, they are perhaps just as relevant to our own conflict-ridden times.

Charles McMoran Wilson was awarded the MC during the Battle of the Somme and the Italian Silver Medal for Military Valour. He was the Dean of St Mary's Hospital Medical School, became Winston Churchill's doctor in 1940 and was President of the Royal College of Physicians. He is also the author of Churchill: The Struggle for Survival and Churchill at War.