Biggles and the Abbreviated Names

Anyone who has read a few Biggles books will know his propensity for abbreviating names. In fact, the entire series is built upon the fact that Biggles is an abbreviation of Biggles' actual last name, Bigglesworth, for, as he explains to his flying instructor in Biggles Learns to Fly:

"Bigglesworth, sir. I'm afraid it's a bit of a mouthful, but that isn't my fault. Most people call me Biggles for short."

And later, in the same book, he says to Mahoney:

"Mine's Bigglesworth, though most people find that rather a mouthful and leave off the 'worth'."

The thing about that name is...it's not a mouthful. It's certainly no longer than Hebblethwaite (whose name, of course, was quickly shortened to Ginger by Mr. Abbreviation-Biggles). Even dear old Erich, who isn't even a native English speaker, has no trouble with the name Bigglesworth (although he is always quick to refer to Ginger as "your friend with the difficult name".)

Other abbreviated names throughout the series include, of course, Algy for Algernon (Montgomery Lacey), Bertie for Bertram or Albert, Dickpa for Uncle Richard, Wilks for Wilkinson, Mac for MacLaren, and so on.

I can't figure out if Biggles is simply lazy, trying to conserve energy (short of breath from smoking, one supposes), or just can't be bothered to remember people's full names (even his own).

Biggles And Algy Working Together

I don't think we see enough of those lovely moments where Biggles and Algy work together to achieve something spectacular. "The Prize" (Biggles of 266) is a great example of this, and for those who think that Algy is the crazy one of the pair, well, a brief read of Biggles of 266 should change your mind: Biggles is crazy. More on that later.

"The Prize" starts with the squadron detailed for propaganda work. And then Wilks comes over (for no reason whatsoever other than to wind Biggles up) and says that his squadron is doing the propaganda thing as well and of course Biggles immediately decides that this is a competition (Life isn't a race, Biggles, although admittedly you were much more fun in WWI when you were young and easily riled up and not old and boring and leaving your best friends behind).

In order to achieve his goal (and win a gramophone from Colonel Raymond, who isn't really helping the situation), Biggles gets Algy to help him. I like this conversation where Biggles is convincing Algy to help him:

"Wait a minute--let me finish. That's where you come in!"
Algy frowned. "Me!" he exclaimed. "So I'm in this, am I?"
"You wouldn't like to be left out, would you?" murmured Biggles reprovingly.
Algy regarded him suspiciously.
"Go ahead!" he said. "What do you want me to do?"

I love the arrogance of Biggles, and his certainty that Algy will help him--You wouldn't like to be left out, would you?--(If I were Algy, I might have just said, "Well, no...")

Biggles, obviously, wins the gramophone, and everyone asks him how he did it. I like how Biggles gives credit where credit is due:

"But I am going to tell you, because it is only fair to Lacey, whose assistance made it possible."

I love when Biggles calls Algy "Lacey". It's just adorable. It's sweet. (It's less sweet in a later story, "War in Hot Blood", where Biggles asserts, "I don't know. I saw [a plane] going down in flames, but I didn't know whether it was Wilson or Lacey until I got back." To be fair, he was upset when he said it, but still...)

So the gramophone is won and Wilks is invited to dinner. Algy, surprisingly, is not present at dinner (hopefully he had something to eat beforehand, poor boy), and it turns out that he is protecting the new gramophone from 287 pilots who have planned to steal it. Biggles wades into the fray, the gramophone is saved, and all is happy. Brilliant story.

Biggles and Algy are once again partners in crime in the next story "Humbugs", and this is where Biggles' craziness is starting to surface. His tactics are a bit extreme for a prank, even going so far as to fly a captured Hun plane behind the British lines and having Wilks' kit flown out to the Huns, but the story itself is light-hearted and entertaining, although there is one grating moment when Biggles "summons" Algy with the brief command: "Algy! Come here! I want you." (Oh, yeah? And what did your last servant die of, Mr Bigglesworth?)

I find it amusing that Wilks has a weakness for humbugs (the sweets). It just serves to show how young the boys all were. Wilks couldn't have been much older than Biggles, and in many ways, both of them really are just schoolboys. (Wonder what Biggles had a weakness for? Ice cream? Chocolate?)

Biggles' craziness continues in "The Turkey", one of the most memorable WWI stories (the most memorable, of course, has to be "The Boob", for obvious reasons). I find it funny that Biggles' sole solution to any problem is to get into his Camel. There is also this endearing bit where Algy says,

"I wish I knew which way he'd gone. If I did I'd follow him to see that he doesn't get into mischief."

Loyal Algy. *Big heart* The best kind of Algy.

"War in Hot Blood" shows Biggles' sensitive side--and Algy's protective side, which we see at the very beginning when Algy rushes into the mess and tells everyone that Biggles is angry. There is a shared moment with Mahoney a few minutes later where Algy grimaces and shrugs his shoulders (I can so see this in my mind), and there is a mini loyal-Algy moment where Biggles lays out a plan and Algy right away says he's going with Biggles, as we would expect.

We get a healthy dose of Algy in "Reprisals" (poor thing, getting dressed down by the horrible Bitmore) and more of Biggles' trademark craziness (where did he even get the uniforms of a major and a colonel????) Nice collaboration with Mahoney, by the way.

Overall, Biggles of 266 is a great and entertaining read, despite its grim moments. Algy fans will be happy to know that more than half of the stories contain at least one mention of Algy, and also one mention of Mark Way as well, if your edition happens to contain "The Pilot Who Lost His Way".

Algy Gets Posted

Most of Biggles Flies East is written from Biggles’ point of view (for obvious reasons, such as the name Biggles in the book title…), but there is one chapter in the beginning of the book that is written from Algy’s point of view.

And what a fantastic chapter it is, because it shows us exactly what Algy was doing while Biggles was away in London “on leave”.

The chapter, entitled “Algy gets a Shock”, starts with Algy (“acting flight-commander in the absence of Biggles, his friend and flying partner”) landing his Camel at Maranique “more carefully than usual” (implying that he usually landed un-carefully???) and “feeling particularly pleased with himself, for he had just scored his third victory since Biggles had departed on leave”.

It strikes me as funny that Algy is acting flight-commander and apparently the sole member of his flight when Biggles goes on leave. (Poor thing, going out alone on the afternoon patrol rather than at Biggles’ wingtip.)

I would also have given a lot to see the “feeling particularly pleased with himself” look on Algy’s face as he got out of the Camel. His day, so far, was going great until…

Major Mullen tells him that there is “bad news”, and Algy’s immediate thought is:

“Don’t tell me Biggles has crashed.”

(How adorable is it that his first thought with anything connected to bad news is something connected to Biggles?)

And then, on being told that he is to be posted to the Middle East, Algy’s first reaction is “But what have I done?”, followed by “So that’s all the thanks—”

(Intriguing, that. “So that’s all the thanks—” What was at the end of that sentence? Some secret mission for Raymond that he and Biggles did? Or, fantastic fic opportunity, some mission he did for Raymond on his own while Biggles was away on leave? Oh, the possibilities…)

And Algy’s next thought:

“Wait till Biggles gets back; he’ll have something to say about it.”

His absolute certainty that Biggles will be angry on his behalf is just too adorable for words. (Another fic opportunity? What would Biggles have done if he had gone on leave somewhere and come back to France to find that his best friend had been posted to the Middle East with no sort of explanation whatsoever? Just the thought of it is too fantastic for words! I can well imagine Biggles setting fire to Headquarters in France…).

I’ve said it before, and I’m happy to say it again: Biggles Flies East is the truest description of Biggles and Algy’s friendship that anyone will ever be able to find. I don’t think they really react with that level of intensity to official orders in any other book—they learned responsibility as they got older, perhaps…

The Kurt Hess Incident

Of all the events in Flies East, one of the most emotionally satisfying has to be the Kurt Hess affair. The way it’s set up, with the in-your-face arrogance of Hess, and his boasts that he will shoot down his twenty-seventh Englishman on his birthday, is enough to make readers detest him—and cheer Biggles on when he asks Algy to lend him the Camel.

(Which has to be one of the most adorable Biggles and Algy moments:

“Good! Now lend me that Camel for half an hour. You can wait here for me; I’ll bring it back.”
Algy’s jaw dropped. “Lend you the Camel?” he gasped.
“That’s what I said,” returned Biggles. “What are you gaping at; is it an unnatural request?”
“Er—no. But what do you want it for?”
“Because I’ve a strong urge to be myself for a few minutes.”
“Be yourself? What are you talking about? Have you got a touch of sun or something?”
“My goodness! You are dense this morning. I just have a feeling that I’d like to forget that I’m Brunow for a little while and be what I am—a junior officer in the RFC.”
“But what for?”
Biggles looked exasperated.

Where do I begin? Everything about this conversation is adorable: Algy gaping at Biggles’ sudden desire to fly a Camel and asking him if he’s got a touch of sun, Biggles trying so hard to be nonchalant about it, and his subsequent exasperation when Algy refuses to lend him the Camel without a thorough explanation, Biggles’ complete confidence in the fact that he will be back within half an hour…sometimes it’s hard not to love our boys.)

I did find some parts of the shooting-down-Hess operation somewhat redundant—the flying up alongside Hess and tearing off his goggles so that Hess could see his face, for example—but overall it was satisfying to see Hess get what he deserved (although a tiny part of me can’t help feeling that Biggles was stealing Algy’s thunder somewhat by doing what was supposed to have been Algy’s job. But then again, Biggles had actually met Hess, which made it personal.)

If only all the arrogant people we meet in our lives could be dealt with in such a satisfying manner *daydreaming smiley*…

Biggles’ Extraordinary (Good And Bad) Luck

Luck has always played a significant part in Biggles’ life. There are countless times where he relies solely on luck when making a landing under dubious circumstances, or when escaping from somewhere, or when taking on a mission that might get him killed.

But never has there been a book as dependent on luck as Flies East. Reading it, you have to marvel at the impossible odds that put Biggles in the positions he ultimately found himself in.

An example: the Broglace affair.

Biggles is in London, home on leave from France, at the start of the book. The odds of this single event happening are, to say the least, slim. Remember how Major Mullen had to threaten to send Biggles off to fly a desk before he would consent to take leave?

So, okay, a hundred in one chance that Biggles actually was in London during the time that Brunow got cashiered. Unlikely, but not impossible odds, I agree. Let’s keep going.

The odds that Biggles would choose to eat at the Caprice Restaurant, once he was in London, were probably pretty high, despite his misgivings that his leave might be cancelled due to his lack of uniform. The restaurant was, after all, a popular hangout for RFC officers. However, the fact that he went during a time that Broglace was also there and expecting to find Brunow, and wearing civilian clothes as a result of sending his uniform to the tailor (leading Broglace to make the remark about him being in mufti)—those odds have to be at least a thousand to one. (By the way, one has to wonder whether Brunow did actually show up at said restaurant perhaps an hour or two after Biggles’ meeting with Broglace? That would have been the most incredibly bad timing ever.)

The odds of Biggles looking like Brunow? Seriously? Super super low odds, although it is possible that Broglace only had a description or a very bad photo to go on, which was why he made his mistake.

The odds that Biggles would follow the affair up like a dog with a bone instead of leaving it alone like a normal person? Um. Well, I’ll give you that one. Biggles was never one to let sleeping dogs lie about anything. Even something that might almost get him killed.

My point? It wasn’t just one bout of bad luck that led Biggles into this. It was lots and lots of bad luck—astronomical odds, judging from the reasoning above.

Another example, this one of incredibly good luck: blowing up the waterworks at Zabala.

The fact that the bomb itself was not discovered was already quite good luck—it could have been seen by Von Stalhein when Biggles came in to land and dropped it on the ground (so that it would not be found on his person), Biggles could have been seen when he went out later that night to retrieve it, or—and it really is due to very good luck that this didn’t happen—the Count could have found it when he dropped into Biggles’ room for his little chat, although I will allow that Biggles did some very quick thinking on his feet.

(The blowing up of the waterworks was actually really really good luck for Algy, since it took out the archie and the searchlights he was up against when dropping his message to Biggles. But that is beside the point.)

Then we have the mini run of bad luck where Biggles’ ring is found near the ruined waterworks, but we have extremely good luck to counter this—the fact that Leffens tried to shoot Biggles down the day before, but was shot down by Biggles, who ended up taking his [Leffens’] ring, so he now has a cover for why his [Biggles’] ring was found near the waterworks. Just reading this should be confusing enough—imagine all the amounts of luck that went into making it happen! If Biggles had done anything just a little bit differently, he might not have lived to tell the tale.

My point (yes, I do have one) is that a lot of the events in Flies East seem to rely on, or are tightly intertwined with, luck—good and bad. It’s almost unbelievable that something so so so unlikely to happen to someone actually did happen to someone. And not just one impossible event, but several. That Biggles (and Algy) both made it out of Flies East alive is possibly proof that the universe was looking out for them in some way.

(By the way, for anyone looking for an example of really really bad luck, I recommend Biggles Sees It Through.)

Biggles Flies East Review

Having read through Biggles Flies East and got all the good Algy bits out of it for the quote box (the quote box is having the unexpected effect of making me read through all the books with Algy in it; not sure if this is good or bad), I have to admit that I am surprised by how much my perspective of this book has changed during the course of this reading.

The last time I read Biggles Flies East might have been a couple of years ago (if not longer). It’s never been one of my favorite books, as it is quite Biggles-centric, and any Soppy favorite must be at least partially (read: all) centered on Algy at best. I’ve never really been that big a fan of dear old Erich, either, which might have had something to do with it. Also—and this may just be me—I’ve never thought that Johns was that good of a mystery writer (I present Biggles in the Orient and all the air police books as evidence of this), and this may have slightly spoiled my enjoyment of the book.

In any case, having said all that, during this reading of Flies East, I found myself realizing that this is one of only two full-length WWI novels (the other being Rescue Flight, which was rather more Thirty-oriented than Biggles- or Algy-oriented, although it does have some nice Algy moments, but we’ll get to those when I’m getting the quotes out of that book) where it’s just Biggles and Algy. And, no, not just Biggles and Algy, more importantly, young Biggles and Algy.

Why is this significant? Because in the later air police books, even though there are Biggles and Algy only books, they feature older Biggles and Algy, and even though there’s nothing wrong with them, young Biggles and Algy are just cooler. (Seriously, they just are.)

In fact, I would even go so far as to say that Biggles Flies East is the truest example of Biggles and Algy’s friendship out of all the Biggles books, with both of them being young and ready to do anything for their country and for each other, and each worrying about the others’ welfare, and knowing that at any second either one of them could be dead—note how, in the second chapter, when Algy is told that there is bad news, he immediately says, “Don’t tell me Biggles has crashed.” Similarly, Biggles is horrified when he thinks that his gunner has shot Algy down, and immediately blames himself for getting Algy posted out from France. There are also several instances where Algy gets angry on Biggles’ behalf—first, when he thinks that Biggles has been posted to H.E. because the Air Board has gone mad, and then later, when he thinks to himself that the people at the Air Board should be boiled in oil for sending Biggles out on such a dangerous mission.

These are all emotional moments that never really happened in any of the other books, because none of the other books were just young Biggles and Algy (this is all your fault, Ginger!) under really dire circumstances; even the WWI short stories were very light-hearted despite the grim situations conveyed, sometimes too light-hearted to carry the depth of emotion that Flies East does.

I don’t think that the lack of emotion in the later books was because the feelings or the caring were no longer there, but rather because that level of intense emotion was too difficult for a children’s book—child readers probably would have been unable to get it, and Flies East, I believe, was supposed to be marketed as an adult book.

In a way it’s a real pity that Johns didn’t write more WWI Biggles and Algy novels. It would have been nice to explore that level of friendship further. 

Great Algy Moments In Biggles And The Blue Moon

Biggles and the Blue Moon, as many people have already mentioned, is a lovely book (apart from that one moment where Biggles left Algy in the lurch and didn’t get punched in the face for it, Algy being the nice forgiving person that he is).

In any case, here are a few of the lovely Algy moments in the book, for those of us hardcore Algy fans:

For no reason at all, this bit where Biggles and Algy talk the position over strikes me as fantastic:

“I’ve been thinking about the position here, and the more I think about it the less I like it.” Biggles, wearing a silk dressing-gown of Imperial Chinese yellow (lent to him by his host) sat at the foot of Algy’s bed and lit a cigarette. 

It was nearly midnight. Unable to sleep, he had just walked into Algy’s room expecting to find him in bed; instead he had not yet undressed, apart from taking off his jacket. In his shirt-sleeves he was sitting by the window. The room was in darkness except for the tropical moonlight that flooded through the open window.

 Just the thought of Biggles in a yellow dressing-gown is enough to make my day. The description of Algy “in his shirt-sleeves” just adds fuel to the fire. And as if that isn’t enough, there’s the lovely idea of Biggles dropping in to Algy’s room to have a smoke and talk at midnight. How completely sweet and adorable. *fangirl moment*

Five minutes later we have another adorable Algy-cares-about-Biggles moment:

[Algy]: “You talk about making a dash for Kuala Lumpur as if the way was wide open. It isn’t, and you know it.” 

[Biggles]: “I think it’s worth trying. If I failed to get through you’d be no worse off than you are now.” 

“That’s nonsense. I should have you on my mind. How am I to know if you’ve got through, anyway?”

How sweet is that? Too bad it’s ruined a few seconds later with this:

[Biggles]: “If I’m not back here with the Auster in a couple of days you can assume I didn’t get through.” 

[Algy]: “Then what do I do?”

 And Biggles, Biggles, Algy’s best friend, comes out with this:

 “That’s something you’ll have to work out for yourself.”

Thanks, Biggles. As helpful as you are, you should be working for some customer helpline. Most days, they’re about as much use as you are.

Getting back to Algy, here’s another random adorable moment where he’s working on an airstrip in anticipation of Biggles’ (maybe) return in the Auster:

“Are you coming back to the house for lunch?” 

[Algy]: “No thanks. I can’t spare the time. Anyway, I prefer not to leave here.” 

“I will send something out to you.” 

“Just a sandwich will do. The only thing that matters is to get this strip cleared.” 

…

Algy returned to the workers and urged them on. Presently one of the house servants arrived with a packet of sandwiches. He ate them standing, always watching the perimeter of the golf-course. He was now counting minutes, for on the completion of the task everything now depended. If Biggles came as arranged—although he knew in his heart that this was a big if—he would expect to find everything ready.

How many times has Algy ever refused a decent meal in favor of a couple of sandwiches? He’s so worried about Biggles and the airstrip that he’s actually refusing food! (That’s our boy!)

Any more lovely Algy moments from Biggles and the Blue Moon? List them in the comments below!

That Other Time Biggles Left Algy In The Lurch

Following on from the last post “That Time When Biggles Left Algy In The Lurch For An Hour”, here’s another example of when Algy got left in the lurch, from Biggles and the Blue Moon.

Biggles and Algy are stuck in a nasty situation where they are surrounded by people wanting to kill them. In an effort to do something about it, Biggles comes up with a plan to break out and get the Auster. There’s a lot of shooting involved in the breaking out bit and Algy doesn’t know if Biggles has made it out or not until:

It was the Auster. Algy gasped his relief. But what was it doing? It was flying level at a height of not less than five hundred feet, which made it instantly apparent that Biggles had no intention of landing. From that height he couldn’t land. He had not left himself enough room to get in. Algy took a chance and ran into the open, waving both arms. The Auster went on, leaving him staring at it helplessly.

And, considering that there are people around who would be only too happy to shoot him, Algy is taking a pretty big chance, running out like that. But does Biggles respond? No.

Algy could have torn his hair in his impatience. What on earth was Biggles doing? Why didn’t he land? And where was Lin Seng? What was he doing? Algy didn’t know what to do. Their plan seemed to be falling to pieces.

And finally when things have settled down (a long time later), Algy finds Biggles standing by the landed Auster, smoking a cigarette (smoking? Again? Really, Biggles?). When Algy asks what’s going on, Biggles’ response is that he’s got some backup in and that they will take care of things so he didn’t see any reason to land before.

Well, thanks, Biggles. That makes it all clear.

You got away from a dangerous situation under dangerous circumstances, and you had to know that Algy was worried about you, and you had to know that he was in danger, and you definitely saw him running out to meet you, waving his arms, where anyone could have shot him, and what did you do?

You thought to yourself, “Oh, well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got the army coming in a bit. I don’t have to land. I can just hang around here for a bit and then land and have a smoke while Algy sorts everything out on the ground and maybe gets shot.”

Some best friend you are.

Brilliant Biggles: Needs A Smoke

A snippet from Biggles and the Gun Runners. Biggles is down in the Sudd, hasn't eaten much for the past day except for some buffalo, is standing next to a plane that carried guns, is in danger of being shot by the local authorities (or by a chap who flatters himself that he is the local authority anyway), has a wounded man on his hands, and has just helped dig out a plane belonging to a pilot of the local air force.

To cut a long story short, the pilot promises to fly off and bring food and help for Biggles. As he prepares to leave, Biggles says:

"Before you go, have you any cigarettes on you?"

Not "Any chocolate or food in your plane?" or "Do you have any first aid supplies?" or even something along the lines of, "Can I borrow a gun?". Just, "I NEED CIGARETTES!"

Biggles, Biggles. You really need to watch your smoking. The previous chapters before this have mentioned "lighting one of his few remaining cigarettes" and other similar sentences of chilling peril.

I wish the pilot had said no. It would have been so interesting to see what Biggles would have done...

That Biggles Moment...When He's Actually Kind Of Cool

Got most of the quotes out of Biggles Flies Again and will be moving on to the next book to add more. (Although to be honest, it seems a bit weird to be adding all these quotes given that only one shows up at any given page view. Still, it helps to keep the site fresh.)

Reading "Down In The Forest" in Biggles Flies Again, there's that one moment when Biggles comes across as really kind of cool. And when Soppy says that, you know she's saying something, as most of the time she skips all the Biggles parts and other people parts and only reads the Algy parts...

The scene in question is one where the Vandal's petrol outlet has been clogged. The plane, naturally, is going down, and Biggles is doing his trying-to-get-the-plane-under-control thing, without much luck.

So the Vandal is losing height, and Biggles has his eyes on the altimeter:

"...waited for the inevitable crash; 7000--6000--4000--2000--the needle crept back inexorably on the dial, and still the cold grey mist enveloped them. The silence was uncanny."

So far so good (or bad). And then Biggles says:

"Tell Smyth not to jump," said the pilot coolly, and Algy, with set face, turned his head and passed the instructions to their mechanic, who, with a wisdom born of experience, had already drawn his knees up to his chin and folded his arms over his face in anticipation of the coming shock...

Can't believe how cool Biggles is under pressure! Losing height, everything going to pieces, and he's all, "Tell Smyth not to jump", and he's saying it coolly. Like it's no big deal that they're going to crash in the middle of nowhere and maybe die doing it.

Also, how good is he that he has eyes in the back of his head to see what Smyth is doing? Or maybe he just knew from instinct?

I find it strange, though, that someone as experienced as Smyth (experienced enough to adopt the crash position in a crisis, at any rate) wouldn't know of his own accord not to jump? Algy clearly has no intention of jumping, for example. In fact, Algy doesn't even seem to have adopted the crash position or done anything to prepare himself for the crash, other than having a "set face". (That's our boy!)

Brilliant Biggles: Suicide Hotline

Another snippet from Biggles Flies Again. Biggles and Algy have encountered a sobbing lady who is sad because she is about to be married off to someone known as "Don Pedro da Alligante", who she apparently hates.

Having given our airmen this information, the girl declares,

"But I will not [marry him]; I will die by my own hand first," she whispered fiercely. 

And what does brilliant Biggles, master of the suicide hotline, say?

"Oh, don't do that," replied Biggles awkwardly. 

Biggles. What a brilliant and completely-not-helpful thing to say! He promptly follows this up with:

"What can we do about it, anyway?"

Oh, Biggles, Biggles. *Face palm*. No wonder you told Algy sobbing women were more in his line. See how Algy deals with the situation:

"You shall come with me, senorita," declared Algy. "I--"

To which Biggles hurriedly cuts in with:

"Not so fast, laddie, not so fast," broke in Biggles, and then to the girl: "Why not run away? I mean, there are horses and railways and things?"

So many things wrong with this reaction. First, the implication that it is okay to run away from something one doesn't want to deal with; second, the not-my-problem attitude (so unlike our boy!) of inviting a young girl to run away on horses and railways "and things" (clearly Biggles has never run away in his life; he lacks experience); and third, how is Algy ever going to have any sort of romance in his life if he can't help out damsels in distress or flirt with a president's daughter every once in a while?

That Time When Biggles Left Algy In The Lurch For An Hour...

I've just been reading through Biggles Flies Again again to get some Algy quotes out of it--for the Quote Box thingy to the top left side of the blog--and halfway through the book I came across what I would have to say is one of the saddest sentences in Algy history:

"Although Algy knew that Biggles would not have left him unless he had a definite plan in his mind, he watched the machine disappear into the blue distance with consternation."

To give some context to the above quote, shortly before these events occurred an octopus got hold of the Vandal, the way most octopi or scary sea creatures always manage to get hold of Biggles and Co., and one of the passengers in the Vandal was thrown out during the struggle to get rid of the octopus, upon which Algy tries to rescue said passenger, resulting in Algy's getting thrown out of the Vandal as well.

So there are two of them in the water with a crazy octopus, and Biggles decides to take off and leave them there *horrified smiley*.

In fairness, the octopus made it impossible for Biggles to land and pick them up, but I can still imagine the look on Algy's face when he saw the Vandal fading into the distance *sobbing smiley*.

I should also add, it took over an hour for Biggles to get back and rescue them.

This of course immediately brings to mind the moment in Biggles Takes Charge, where Biggles confidently informs Boris and the others that Algy will not go home without them, because "we don't leave each other in the lurch, whatever happens." And Algy, being Algy, obviously came right back and rescued everyone, just like Biggles said he would.

Biggles The Baddie?

The comment-discussion we've had about whether or not Biggles' adventures are suitable for little boys (and girls), and where romance and swearing fit into the mold have left me wondering about the "goodness" of Biggles and his friends.

I've heard from an archaeologist how Biggles is often careless with things like ancient ruins (he takes treasure from long-gone civilizations, burns down a few things...the list really is endless).

And, as I've already commented in the comments, I sometimes find it disconcerting when Biggles shoots a crooks, kills him, and then declares to someone like Ginger that he's "not going to lose any sleep over that crook" or "won't be wasting any tears on that thug". For me, this is somewhat surprising considering that in WWI Biggles is portrayed as a sensitive sort of chap who is devastated by the horrific events of war. (If anything, our man Algy tends to be more immune to that sort of thing, even going so far as to sing when he goes out on patrol.)

There are a couple of instances in the series where Biggles breaks the law as a policeman (such as in Hits The Trail where he gets a locksmith to break and enter), and I wonder what Johns was thinking when he put those in? (And why the editors okay'd it, and why no one wrote in to complain?) Did the parents gloss over that part? Did the boys and girls reading the book realize that Biggles was only breaking the law under desperate circumstances, despite the fact that he was a POLICEMAN?

Do you have any Biggles the Baddie pet peeve moments where you were jumping up and down screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, BIGGLES?" (This is what I usually do when I get a new Biggles book and three pages in, Biggles suggests that Algy stays at home and mans the phones.)

So anyway, share your pet peeve moments in the comments below!

Share The Love: Biggles

In my opinion, the best Biggles moments in the books have to be the ones where Algy is concerned. Terai is one of my favorite books because the whole book is basically Biggles worried about Algy and wondering if Algy is all right, and determined not to give up until Algy is found.

Image from biggles-online.com

Flies East, of course, has one of the most classic Biggles-worried-about-Algy moments, when Biggles goes to pieces thinking that he has shot down Algy. The description of Biggles’ breakdown isn’t a long one, but it is powerful and shows the depths of his friendship with Algy.

I’m trying to think whether there are any fantastic fangirl worthy Biggles moments when Biggles is with Ginger or Bertie, and frankly I’m coming up empty at the moment. Biggles and Algy together have amazing chemistry, and the banter exchanged between them in almost every conversation is hilarious and showcases the wonderful relationship between them. Whenever they are apart they worry about each other, and if someone should hurt one of them, you can be sure that the other will be on the warpath very soon.

What are your favorite Biggles moments? Any Bertie and Ginger related ones? Feel free to share in the comments section below!

Alternate Biggles History: If Biggles Had Never Found Out

It pains me to write this one, but here goes: how would history have been altered if Biggles had never found out that Marie was a German spy?

Biggles Looks Back
Image from Yet Another Biggles Site

Well, to begin with, Algy and the rest of 266 would be buried under the weight of several bombs, so it would be unlikely that any of them would have been best man at Biggles’ wedding.

Would Biggles and Marie have eloped? Possibly. I don’t see Biggles leaving the RFC for her (although with Algy and the rest of his friends gone he might feel so heartbroken that it’s possible. Evil woman!! Bet that was her plan all along!!)

Let’s go a little deeper. What if Biggles had never offered to deliver the fatal letter to Marie’s “father”? Would she have lost interest in him and found some excuse to break it off? Or was she as infatuated with him as he was with her? I personally find it unlikely that a woman in love would have asked her beloved to deliver a death-trap letter, but then again, people have strange ways of showing their affection. She did write that letter asking him to meet her, however, so maybe she did kind of like him (or liked having someone to wrap around her little finger).

If Biggles had not delivered the letter and 266 had remained intact, I feel that Biggles would have remained completely and utterly in love with Marie. (Because she was basically the first girl he’d ever really seen in his entire life, and also because, as we all know, Biggles can be an idiot where women are concerned.) Would he have secretly married her? I’m not sure about this one, because on the one hand I feel like Biggles would want to seize the moment, but on the other hand he knew the risks of being a war pilot and would feel uncomfortable with marrying a woman who might at any second become a widow.

And what on earth was Algy doing when Biggles was hanging around moonlit courtyards and stone benches?!! Why didn’t he recognize Marie for the evil monster she was and just hit her with something extremely lethal and hard? 

Character Close-Up: Fourteen-Year-Old Biggles

There is a brief description of the "fourteen and a half" year old Biggles in Biggles Goes To School. The book opens with Biggles meeting his headmaster:

"[The headmaster] saw a slight, neatly-dressed, delicate-looking boy, with a sensitive face, thoughtful eyes and a small but firm mouth. Fair hair was parted at the side."

--Biggles Goes To School

Thank goodness no mention is made of the color of the thoughtful eyes! Biggles at fourteen seems to be smaller than average (undernourished? Surely not!), possibly due to the bouts of fever that sent him back to England in the first place. Words like "slight", "delicate", and "sensitive" bring to mind Colin from Burnett's The Secret Garden. Presumably Biggles had a grown spurt at some point during his school life, for in later books he seems to be of average height.

Image from Yet Another Biggles Site

Biggles is clearly lacking in confidence: his headmaster has to remind him to stand up straight:

"Hold your head up and pull those shoulders back. There's no need to wilt--here, or anywhere else."

--Biggles Goes To School

Biggles? Wilting? Seriously?

Later, the headmaster also instructs Biggles to:

"Open your mouth when you speak. If you mumble people can't hear what you say."

--Biggles Goes To School

Quite different from the Biggles we know and love!

One can't help but wonder what Algy's headmaster had to say to him when he first saw him....

Brilliant Bertie: Chased By A Tiger

More from the Algy-and-Bertie-packed Works It Out. Here is Bertie sharing a recurring nightmare he had as a child with Biggles, Algy, and Ginger:

"When I was a kid I used to dream a tiger was after me. There I was, all alone, no gun, nowhere to go, not even a bally tree to climb, with the horrid brute, all teeth and hair, getting closer and closer till I could feel its hot breath on my--"
"Okay--okay," broke in Biggles impatiently. "What are you trying to do--give yourself a nervous breakdown? I gather it never caught you?"
"Not quite. I always woke up just in time."
Biggles sighed. "What a pity."

--Biggles Works It Out

Really, Biggles! You're getting to be as rude as Ginger!  I love Bertie's description of his dream, though.

Brilliant Biggles: Humor In WWI

“Biggles Finds His Feet” (from Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter) shows Biggles in rare good humor: despite having landed in no man’s land due to engine trouble, he’s not too bothered about it while exchanging banter with a wounded Tommy:

"‘What did you want to land ‘ere for? Ain’t it bad enough upstairs?’ snorted the Tommy. ‘Life won’t be worth livin’ ‘ere in ‘arf a minute, when they start puttin’ the kybosh on your aeroplane.’
‘I didn’t land here because I was pining to see you, so don’t get that idea,’ grinned Biggles. ‘Where are we—that’s what I want to know.’
‘About in the middle, I should think,’ growled the Tommy.
‘Middle of what?’ asked Biggles.
‘The war, of course!’ was the reply.”

--Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter

Brilliant Biggles: A Lady At The Door

I realize this is an Algy blog, but we really can’t not discuss Biggles, who is, of course, Algy’s best friend and flying partner. From this week on, I’ll be running a “Brilliant Biggles Bits” section each Monday, which will contain lovely Biggles moments taken from the books. Also starting this week, the “Algy Quote of the Week” section, which used to run on Friday, will be changed to the “Amazing Algy Moments” section, as this will allow me to more accurately document the amazingness of our hero.

Biggles and Co.
Image links to Amazon

Anyway, with all the discussion we’ve been having about Biggles and women, it seemed appropriate to post up this snippet from Biggles & Co.:

“[The door] was opened to admit Mrs. Symes, the housekeeper. ‘There’s a lady to see you, sir,’ she said.
‘A lady!’ Biggles frowned. ‘What sort of a lady?’
‘Oh, quite a lady, sir.’
‘But I don’t know any ladies. She must have come to the wrong house.’
‘Oh, no, sir. She asked for you personally.’
‘What is her name?’
‘She didn’t give her name.’
‘Oh, come on, Biggles, you can’t keep a lady waiting,’ protested Algy.
‘No, I suppose not,’ agreed Biggles awkwardly. ‘All right, Mrs. Symes, ask her to come in. And don’t stare at the door as if you’d never seen a lady before,’ he added, turning to the others.”

--Biggles & Co.

Well! All I can say is, if I ever get the urge to visit the Mount Street flat, I’d be better off asking for Algy! Biggles is so quick to distance himself from members of the fairer sex—“I don’t know any ladies”, while only Algy the eternally charming realizes that it’s rude to keep a girl waiting on the doorstep (from where she can presumably hear most of what’s going on upstairs anyway). 

Algy Quote of the Week

"Algy stood beside the Camel and watched the Halberstadt until it disappeared from sight. 'Those soulless hounds at the Air Board need boiling in oil for sending a fellow like Biggles on a job like this,' he muttered huskily. 'Still, I suppose it's what they call war,' he added, as he climbed slowly into his cockpit."

--Biggles Flies East

Possibly the only time during the entire war that Algy really got emotional.

Unlike Biggles, Algy wasn't really what we might describe as "sensitive". He got angry, and then he shot things or bombed things, but his emotions rarely depressed him or put too much strain on his nerves. That's what makes the quote above so amazingly special. He would never say as much to Biggles' face, of course, but it shows just how deeply he cares.

Biggles Flies East
Image links to Amazon

If you haven't read Flies East before, definitely try to get your hands on a copy. It's plain and simple Biggles and Algy, when both were young and naive and in their prime, and there are some great great bits showing just how strong the bonds of friendship were between them.