“BIGGLES” AUTHOR
Capt. Johns Dead
Captain W. E. Johns, creator of the fictional airman, “Biggies,” whose exploits appeared in more than 80 books, died in England last month. He was 75. In 1916 Captain Johns joined the Royal Flying Corps. During a bombing raid on Mannheim in September, 1918, he was shot down by the German air ace, Ernst Udet, and taken prisoner. He escaped once but was recaptured. His early association with flying directed Captain Johns’s literary career. In 1923 he founded the monthly magazine “Popular Flying” and edited it
Captain Johns created his celebrated airman “Biggies" in a short story in 1932. “Biggies” soon became widely popular. Captain Johns also wrote three other books: “The Air V.C.s,” “Fighting Planes and Aces,” and “Milestones In Aviation.” On the outbreak of the Second World War, Captain Johns lectured to air cadets for the Air Ministry. By this time “Biggies” was an established character in children’s fiction and the Air Ministry persuaded Captain Johns to create a female counterpart for recruiting purposes, “Worrals of the W.A.A.F.” Soon the War Office also approached Captain Johns and he started a series of books about “Gimlet,” a commando.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19680708.2.80
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31725, 8 July 1968, Page 10
Word Count
194“BIGGLES” AUTHOR Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31725, 8 July 1968, Page 10
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