Eric Moss

(August 25, 1921 –)

Eric Moss was a UK fan from Leeds active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a member of the Leeds branch of the Science Fiction Association (SFA) and the British Fantasy Society. According to J. Michael Rosenblum he was a communist.

In a profile piece in The Futurian v3 #2 he said:

Usual elementary education; not much further advanced now! Badly smashed up by motor car at the age of 10, probably causing my liking for science fiction (work this out for yourself). Read Jules Verne's books (as many as I could lay hands on) at thirteen years old. Have athletic tendencies, am sprinter in particular: held Leeds City Championship, have run in Northern Maccabi Sports. Member of Leeds Athletic Club. Been really interested in science-fiction since 1936. Joined the reconstituted Leeds SFL in Feb. 1938 and held the position of Librarian from June '38 till the outbreak of war. Joined the Territorial Army – Signals – April '39, called up September '39 and been in army ever since. Favourite book: The Spacious Adventures of the Man in the Street, by Eimar O'Duffy; Favourite authors: Thorne Smith, Verne, and Olaf Stapledon; Likes: (beside stf) reading generally, beer, dancing, sport; Dislikes: Chamberlain, Hitler & Co.; Chief Ambition: long range, to be a general on Imperial Staff, short range, to be a corporal; Present desire as this is written; to get a lift from Leeds to Catterick.

Novae Terrae reports Moss as joining the Leeds SFA group in July 1937 along with several others from the city, one of whom was J. Moss who may have been a relative, and he crossed over to the Science Fiction League faction in their local schism early the following year. He was among the first fans to join the forces after the outbreak of World War Two. Doug Webster met him in Leeds in 1941, as reported in Zenith #5:

An agreeable lad, Eric, chunky and cheerful. He has fun being a dispatch-rider, and more fun spreading communist propaganda both per pamphlet and by the immemorial chalk-and-wall method. This latter he has evolved to a fine art: he concentrates on lavatories, and finds that if you chalk on the rhodomontade at a predetermined level, the poor downtrodden capitalist dupe can't help imbibing it whenever he happens to be there. The editor of this magazine (Harry Turner) having communist sympathies, I take this opportunity to pass on the tip to any in a position to use it.

He was an early member of the British Fantasy Society, becoming member #3 even though he was stationed in India.

He is listed in the Directory of Anglo-Fandom of 1945 but not in later directories.

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Person

1921—

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