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Biggles #77
Biggles Flies to Work
The Air Police is a new Force. When crime took to the air, as was bound to happen, only men with air experience could hope to cope with it; for the new criminals, amateurs perhaps, were also airmen.
The possibilities covered a wide field. Smuggling, currency running, illegal entry into the country, drug carrying and the like. The old-fashioned methods of law-breaking, understood by the regular police, were no longer employed. It was a matter of new times new ways.
The man entrusted to deal with this problem, by forming an efficient flying squad in the literal sense of the word, was war-time ace pilot ex-Squadron Leader James Bigglesworth, D.S.O., D.F.C., known to his friends as Biggles.
This is how he tackled it.
The possibilities covered a wide field. Smuggling, currency running, illegal entry into the country, drug carrying and the like. The old-fashioned methods of law-breaking, understood by the regular police, were no longer employed. It was a matter of new times new ways.
The man entrusted to deal with this problem, by forming an efficient flying squad in the literal sense of the word, was war-time ace pilot ex-Squadron Leader James Bigglesworth, D.S.O., D.F.C., known to his friends as Biggles.
This is how he tackled it.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
1 person is currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
W.E. Johns
613 books113 followersInvariably known as Captain W.E. Johns, William Earl Johns was born in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of Richard Eastman Johns, a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. He had a younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, who was born on 24 October 1895.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
He went to Hertford Grammar School where he was no great scholar but he did develop into a crack shot with a rifle. This fired his early ambition to be a soldier. He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed to a county municipal surveyor where he remained for four years and then in 1912 he became a sanitary inspector in Swaffham, Norfolk. Soon after taking up this appointment, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 47.
On 6 October 1914 he married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham in Norfolk. The couple had one son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, who was born in March 1916.
With war looming he joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry), a cavalry regiment. In August 1914 his regiment was mobilised and was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas.
He fought at Gallipoli and in the Suez Canal area and, after moving to the Machine gun Corps, he took part in the spring offensive in Salonika in April 1917. He contracted malaria and whilst in hospital he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and on 26 September 1917, he was given a temporary commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly, which he did at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, where he was taught by a Captain Ashton.
He was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Thetford where he had a charmed existence, once writing off three planes in three days. He moved to Yorkshire and was then posted to France and while on a bombing raid to Mannheim his plane was shot down and he was wounded. Captured by the Germans, he later escaped before being reincarcerated where he remained until the war ended.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 27, 2018
11 korte verhalen met Biggles en zijn vrienden in de hoofdrol. Een variatie aan criminelen worden gedwarsboomd in hun aktiviteiten en de daders voor justitie gebracht. De plots zijn kort samengebald, afgedwongen door het beperkte aantal bladzijden per vehaal, wat maakt dat ze minder diep en ingewikkeld zijn dan bij de verhalen die een volledig boek beslaan. Aan de andere kant zorgen de korte verhalen ervoor dat de lezer van het ene verhaal in het andere wordt meegesleept en dat het nog sneller en vlotter leest dan gewoonlijk al het geval is. Minder diepgang en complexiteit maar ter compensatie veel meer variatie.
W.E. Johns laat zien dat hij ook in het korte verhaal zijn mannetje staat tussen andere schrijvers van wereldformaat. Een buitenbeentje in de Biggles reeks, maar enkel door zijn ongebruikelijke formaat, niet door de geleverde kwaliteit.
W.E. Johns laat zien dat hij ook in het korte verhaal zijn mannetje staat tussen andere schrijvers van wereldformaat. Een buitenbeentje in de Biggles reeks, maar enkel door zijn ongebruikelijke formaat, niet door de geleverde kwaliteit.
August 15, 2021
Published in 1963, 'Biggles Flies to Work' is a collection of 11 short stories about intrepid aviator Biggles and his colleagues as part of the fictional Air Police. The aviation element is actually quite good and makes up for some fairly weak plots, at least one of which is recycled from a a previous story.
October 23, 2021
These stories are easy to read and are interesting cases. Some of the endings are quickly wound up, as if the word count had expired.
Otherwise, a good read for fans of detective mysteries and planes/flying.
Otherwise, a good read for fans of detective mysteries and planes/flying.
January 19, 2021
Great collection of short stories. Highly enjoyable read.
June 27, 2021
Lots of good Biggles stories, but not as good as some of the other short-story books.
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July 9, 2021"Biggles och Narkotikaligan"
April 5, 2018
A collection of aviation based short stories
29 July 2012
While this is different to the other Biggles book that I have read it is still based around a pilot and his plane. In this book Biggles is a member of the air police operating out of Scotland Yard and the book contains a collection of detective stories that have some form of aviation involved. It is clear that this department is still in its infancy and it appears that the staff consist of only three people: Biggles, Algy, and Ginger. Also, it is quite clear that Biggles is a lot older and wiser in these stories than he was in his World War I stories, however they are also nowhere near as comical.
Basically after World War I Biggles went on to work for the British Secret Service, and then returned to flying planes in World War II, and it appears that these particular adventures took him all over the world. After Hitler's war was concluded Biggles was then taken on by Scotland Yard to head up their aviation division. I have noted that Biggles does not actually seem to age as fast as the rest of us, and some studies have indicated that he seems to age 1 year for every four years that pass. However, I suspect most of the readers consider this to be a moot point.
As mentioned, these stories are nowhere near as comical as the other book I read, and what is most disappointing is that he does not crash a single plane. However he is also a lot older and wiser than when he was flying for the 266. It is suggested that Biggles, along with a lot of other English teenagers, lied about their age so that they could go to war, and to war they went. As such it is understandable that during World War I Biggles would have had that illusion of immortality that all teenagers seem to have, but having survived the Great War would also have added years of wisdom too him. I suspect that many of the later Biggles books have a much more mature Biggles who isn't forever smashing up planes (especially since that would become a very expensive exercise, and he probably wouldn't hold onto his job).
I note with some amusement though that there was one story about smuggling marijuana. It was amusing because it is very clear that this story is government propoganda telling us of the evils of this seductive drug. I am not surprised that such as story appeared because I have a hunch that Captain Johns was a regular visitor to Scotland Yard, if only because of the popularity of his stories. He also seems to be very insightful about the nature of some of the crimes that Biggles investigates, especially his comment about how drugs tend to be light and as such can easily be carried by air which in turn increases the profits of the peddler tenfold. The thing that I found unconvincing is the suggestion that marijuana makes people violent. I am inclined to say no. Yes, it makes them lazy and paranoid, but not violent, even if they can't get any. It is a different story for other drugs, though as I have said elsewhere, the main danger that drugs create is not so much the euphoria that you experience when you are under the influence, but the crash that you experience when the euphoria goes away, and then the anxiety that comes about when you cannot get any more to enable you to return to that euphoric state.
I enjoyed these stories, but the more that I read the more that I came to realise that they were very similar to the Sherlock Holmes short stories. Most of the story is developed through discussions between the characters (though one of them does have them go on an adventure). The stories begins with the outline of the mystery, and then we have Biggles contemplating the solution, and then going out to discover that he was correct. These stories are also much more serious that the World War I stories where one plot involved him stealing a turkey, and another was simply a joke that was being played between two airfields.
29 July 2012
While this is different to the other Biggles book that I have read it is still based around a pilot and his plane. In this book Biggles is a member of the air police operating out of Scotland Yard and the book contains a collection of detective stories that have some form of aviation involved. It is clear that this department is still in its infancy and it appears that the staff consist of only three people: Biggles, Algy, and Ginger. Also, it is quite clear that Biggles is a lot older and wiser in these stories than he was in his World War I stories, however they are also nowhere near as comical.
Basically after World War I Biggles went on to work for the British Secret Service, and then returned to flying planes in World War II, and it appears that these particular adventures took him all over the world. After Hitler's war was concluded Biggles was then taken on by Scotland Yard to head up their aviation division. I have noted that Biggles does not actually seem to age as fast as the rest of us, and some studies have indicated that he seems to age 1 year for every four years that pass. However, I suspect most of the readers consider this to be a moot point.
As mentioned, these stories are nowhere near as comical as the other book I read, and what is most disappointing is that he does not crash a single plane. However he is also a lot older and wiser than when he was flying for the 266. It is suggested that Biggles, along with a lot of other English teenagers, lied about their age so that they could go to war, and to war they went. As such it is understandable that during World War I Biggles would have had that illusion of immortality that all teenagers seem to have, but having survived the Great War would also have added years of wisdom too him. I suspect that many of the later Biggles books have a much more mature Biggles who isn't forever smashing up planes (especially since that would become a very expensive exercise, and he probably wouldn't hold onto his job).
I note with some amusement though that there was one story about smuggling marijuana. It was amusing because it is very clear that this story is government propoganda telling us of the evils of this seductive drug. I am not surprised that such as story appeared because I have a hunch that Captain Johns was a regular visitor to Scotland Yard, if only because of the popularity of his stories. He also seems to be very insightful about the nature of some of the crimes that Biggles investigates, especially his comment about how drugs tend to be light and as such can easily be carried by air which in turn increases the profits of the peddler tenfold. The thing that I found unconvincing is the suggestion that marijuana makes people violent. I am inclined to say no. Yes, it makes them lazy and paranoid, but not violent, even if they can't get any. It is a different story for other drugs, though as I have said elsewhere, the main danger that drugs create is not so much the euphoria that you experience when you are under the influence, but the crash that you experience when the euphoria goes away, and then the anxiety that comes about when you cannot get any more to enable you to return to that euphoric state.
I enjoyed these stories, but the more that I read the more that I came to realise that they were very similar to the Sherlock Holmes short stories. Most of the story is developed through discussions between the characters (though one of them does have them go on an adventure). The stories begins with the outline of the mystery, and then we have Biggles contemplating the solution, and then going out to discover that he was correct. These stories are also much more serious that the World War I stories where one plot involved him stealing a turkey, and another was simply a joke that was being played between two airfields.
December 22, 2025
I am reviewing the series as a whole, rather than the books individually
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
The Biggles series is great adventure fiction: we get high stakes, aerial action (in most of the books), and a hero who is endlessly loyal, competent, and calm under pressure.
I love the dogfights, recon missions, and wartime scenarios.
Where the series falls short is character depth. Some attitudes and simplifications reflect the period in which the books were written. There are very definitely dated elements, but considering the era the books were written - overall the series performs well. More than a few of the stories defy plausibility, but who doesn't love to curl up with a good adventure book or 10?
“Never say die.”
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September 25, 2014Biggles flies to Work
By W.E. Johns
In this book Biggles closes several cases where there is some sort of illegal flying involved.
Question 1. What was the most exciting part and why?
The most exciting part was the last chapter called "The Case of the Early Boy." In this chapter I got excited about how Biggles and his air detectives found out where the stolen jewellery was hidden. A robbery was committed and some expensive jewellery was flown over a farm where a gatherer was waiting for it. The jewels were stored in a box and when the box was dropped into the farm it hit a tree and got ripped open. Where the jewels now became scattered around the field. The gatherer decided to wait till morning. Then this boy found a necklace and was sent to Biggles and his team and they found the man on the field and arrested him. The exciting part about this is where the jewels ended up. Most of them were picked up by a bird species called a Jackdaw who gather anything shiny. This was quite interesting and enjoyable.
Question 2. Why would you recommend this text to others?
I recommend this book to others because it has many great stories in it where Biggles and his friends accept cases by the Air Commodore, most of the time to do with illegal flying and find information on who the criminals are and capture them. Once you start the book you get hooked and you can't stop reading it until it has finished. I recommend this book to people who like Adventurous and detailed books that really show the setting in your head. I also recommend this to people who like books to do with crime and Air stories...
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October 31, 2013Read this book as a teenager I believe and was just fascinated by it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews