Biggles

Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "Biggles", is a fictional character created by W. E. Johns.

He first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue of Popular Flying magazine. The first collection of Biggles stories, The Camels are Coming, was published in 1932.

In his first appearances, Biggles was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He was supposedly based on Cyril Lowe. He joined the RFC at the young age of 16, having conveniently "lost" his birth certificate. The original Biggles stories were based on Johns' personal experience – and stories he had heard from other pilots – during his time in France. (Johns did not however fly "scout" – or fighter – aircraft such as Biggles did; he flew in a bomber squadron.) While the primary purpose of the Biggles stories was to entertain young men at the time, they paid close attention to historical detail and helped recreate the primitive days of early air combat – where most pilots died in their first combat engagement and before devices such as respirators and parachutes had become practical.

During the war Biggles flew the famed Sopwith Camel aircraft as a pilot of the fictional RFC Squadron 266.

Later stories told of Biggles' adventures after the War's end, his return to service in World War II, and further adventures in peace time; others filled in his equally adventurous childhood in India and the story of how he came to join the RFC.

Biggles has a small team of friends including Algy (Algernon Lacey), Ginger (Hebblethwaite) and Bertie (Lord Bertie Lissie), who share many of his adventures as pilots in the Special Air Police which they form after WW2, at Scotland Yard, under Air Commodore Raymond's command. Raymond is at this time an Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard.

Biggles' greatest opponent is the German spy officer Erich von Stalhein. They first meet when Biggles acts as a spy in the Middle East, where Biggles has some narrow escapes. Erich returns as an adversary in numerous other adventures. After World War II von Stalhein opts for the Communist bloc, until he gets imprisoned on the isle of Sakhalin from where Biggles helps him escape. And after that he and Biggles are chums.

Johns continued writing Biggles short stories and novels up until his death in 1968; in all, nearly a hundred Biggles books were published.

Most of the Biggles books are currently out of print, but Red Fox is now reprinting many of the titles.

Biggles was parodied in a series of skits on the 1970s British comedy television show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, including one titled "Biggles dictates a letter."

Partial list of books

List in alphabetical order:

• Biggles and Co.
• Biggles and the Black Peril
• Biggles and the Cruise of the Condor
• Biggles and the Gibraltar Bomb
• Biggles and the Little Green God
• Biggles and the Missing Millionaire
• Biggles and the Pirate Treasure
• Biggles and the Plot that Failed
• Biggles and the Rescue Flight
• Biggles and the Secret Mission
• Biggles Breaks the Silence
• Biggles Defends the Desert
• Biggles Defies the Swastika
• Biggles Fails to Return
• Biggles Flies Again
• Biggles Flies East
• Biggles Flies North
• Biggles Flies South
• Biggles Flies to Work
• Biggles Flies West
• Biggles Flying Detective
• Biggles Foreign Legionnaire
• Biggles Forms a Syndicate
• Biggles Gets His Men
• Biggles Goes to War
• Biggles in Borneo
• Biggles in France
• Biggles in Spain
• Biggles in the Antarctic
• Biggles in the Baltic
• Biggles in the Orient
• Biggles Investigates
• Biggles Makes Ends Meet
• Biggles of 266
• Biggles of the Camel Squadron
• Biggles of the Interpol
• Biggles of the Special Air Police
• Biggles on Mystery Island
• Biggles on the Home Front
• Biggles Penitent Thief
• Biggles Sees Too Much
• Biggles Sorts It Out
• Biggles Special Case
• Biggles Takes a Hand
• Biggles Takes a Holiday
• Biggles Takes It Rough
• Biggles Underworld
• Biggles Works It Out
• No Rest for Biggles
• The Boy Biggles

External links

• International Biggles Association