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Biggles #29
Biggles Fails to Return
'It is my opinion that Biggles is dead,' asserted the Air Commodore.
'I had already sensed that, Sir, but I don't believe it,' retorted Algy.
When Biggles undertakes a lone mission to rescue an Italian princess from Mussolini's Italy he doesn't know he's walking into a trap. Against all the odds he gets the princess to the aircraft ready to fly them back to safety, but he never reaches the plane. He's last seen wounded and surrounded by the enemy, but Algy, Ginger and Bertie refuse to accept that he's dead until they see the evidence themselves.
'I had already sensed that, Sir, but I don't believe it,' retorted Algy.
When Biggles undertakes a lone mission to rescue an Italian princess from Mussolini's Italy he doesn't know he's walking into a trap. Against all the odds he gets the princess to the aircraft ready to fly them back to safety, but he never reaches the plane. He's last seen wounded and surrounded by the enemy, but Algy, Ginger and Bertie refuse to accept that he's dead until they see the evidence themselves.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1943
3 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
W.E. Johns
569 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 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 19, 2015
A good old-fashioned commando raid
19 July 2015
Sadly this is going to be one of the last Biggles books that I read for a while, namely because I have finished reading all of the ones that I borrowed off of my Dad and the rest of them happen to be 700kms away in his study. Maybe I'll grab some more the next time I am over there, but considering the number of books that are on my shelf:
I don't think I am going to be scrounging for reading material any time soon (though spacing some of the really heavy reads with a couple of adventure novels is always a good thing).
Anyway, this one was pretty awesome, and in fact Biggles doesn't even appear until the end even though he is still the major character in the book. This is one of those stories where the main character literally dominates the text yet doesn't even make an appearance, or if he does, then it is near the end. The reason I say that is because Biggles goes off to do something and doesn't come back and after pestering their senior officer Algy, Ginger, and Bertie learn that Biggles went off to do some commando work and apparently got captured (or at least that is what they believe because the enemy isn't bragging about it).
This book has everything that you would want in an action/spy thriller. It is set in an exotic location (Monaco) and has lots of spy stuff such as dead letter drops, secret societies, and our heroes skulking around in the dark trying to gather clues to find out what had happened to their friend. Mind you, I sometimes wonder about the British army because it sounds as if they were ready to give up on Biggles and it was only because his friends pushed their CO into letting them attempt to rescue him that he ended up getting saved.
I have also noticed that this book was written during World War II, though I suspect that the collection that I read (The Biggles Omnibus) was compiled afterwards because Johns has a little blurb where he talks about how there were commando operations (such as when Mussolini was rescued by the Germans after being captured by Italian revolutionaries) that would make you never want to watch a spy thrillers, or adventure movies, again simply because the truth is actually much exciting than fiction.
I also noticed that the book contained a map of Monaco though these days, with Google Maps, one probably doesn't need one. Anyway, here is a map that I found on the internet:
It is also funny reading about places that you have actually visited. Okay, the closest that I got to Monaco was the railway station, namely because we had been travelling by train from Florence and needed to get to Nice before dark and it was getting late. I had planned on getting off the train, but then there was only so many stops that I was able to do. Having spent an hour in Pisa I simply didn't have time to also visit Monaco (even though I did want to check out the famous casino). Mind you, you don't actually get to see much of Monaco from the train because the entire journey is underground and you only get a couple of glimpses when the train comes out of the tunnel. When Johns mentions that the region around Monaco is incredibly hilly he is not kidding.
The other funny thing was how Johns talked about the Italians going for a swim in the harbour, which is something else that I saw when I was over there. Being from Australia when we want to go for a swim we generally go down to the beach – there tends to be plenty of beach to go around. However in places like Naples, and Monaco, where there isn't any beach, people simply jump into the harbour for a swim. In a way I reckon that would be much better, especially since you have deep water and can actually swim, as opposed to wading out until the water is deep enough so that would can stop paddling and start swimming properly. In fact when I was in Naples I was having a really, really hard to trying to find a decent beach in which I could have a swim (it was stinking hot when I was there), and I really wasn't all that keen to go for a swim in the harbour (besides which there was nowhere to change).
Anyway, I have to finish off but this is a rip-roaring great story, though there are a few times when Johns uses certain terms to describe the Italians which I thought was a little uncalled for, though since these words were coming out of the mouths of the heroes then it is somewhat understandable.
Oh, I should also mention that there is a bit of a romance in this story as well, but then again what would a spy story be without a bit of romance?
19 July 2015
Sadly this is going to be one of the last Biggles books that I read for a while, namely because I have finished reading all of the ones that I borrowed off of my Dad and the rest of them happen to be 700kms away in his study. Maybe I'll grab some more the next time I am over there, but considering the number of books that are on my shelf:
I don't think I am going to be scrounging for reading material any time soon (though spacing some of the really heavy reads with a couple of adventure novels is always a good thing).
Anyway, this one was pretty awesome, and in fact Biggles doesn't even appear until the end even though he is still the major character in the book. This is one of those stories where the main character literally dominates the text yet doesn't even make an appearance, or if he does, then it is near the end. The reason I say that is because Biggles goes off to do something and doesn't come back and after pestering their senior officer Algy, Ginger, and Bertie learn that Biggles went off to do some commando work and apparently got captured (or at least that is what they believe because the enemy isn't bragging about it).
This book has everything that you would want in an action/spy thriller. It is set in an exotic location (Monaco) and has lots of spy stuff such as dead letter drops, secret societies, and our heroes skulking around in the dark trying to gather clues to find out what had happened to their friend. Mind you, I sometimes wonder about the British army because it sounds as if they were ready to give up on Biggles and it was only because his friends pushed their CO into letting them attempt to rescue him that he ended up getting saved.
I have also noticed that this book was written during World War II, though I suspect that the collection that I read (The Biggles Omnibus) was compiled afterwards because Johns has a little blurb where he talks about how there were commando operations (such as when Mussolini was rescued by the Germans after being captured by Italian revolutionaries) that would make you never want to watch a spy thrillers, or adventure movies, again simply because the truth is actually much exciting than fiction.
I also noticed that the book contained a map of Monaco though these days, with Google Maps, one probably doesn't need one. Anyway, here is a map that I found on the internet:
It is also funny reading about places that you have actually visited. Okay, the closest that I got to Monaco was the railway station, namely because we had been travelling by train from Florence and needed to get to Nice before dark and it was getting late. I had planned on getting off the train, but then there was only so many stops that I was able to do. Having spent an hour in Pisa I simply didn't have time to also visit Monaco (even though I did want to check out the famous casino). Mind you, you don't actually get to see much of Monaco from the train because the entire journey is underground and you only get a couple of glimpses when the train comes out of the tunnel. When Johns mentions that the region around Monaco is incredibly hilly he is not kidding.
The other funny thing was how Johns talked about the Italians going for a swim in the harbour, which is something else that I saw when I was over there. Being from Australia when we want to go for a swim we generally go down to the beach – there tends to be plenty of beach to go around. However in places like Naples, and Monaco, where there isn't any beach, people simply jump into the harbour for a swim. In a way I reckon that would be much better, especially since you have deep water and can actually swim, as opposed to wading out until the water is deep enough so that would can stop paddling and start swimming properly. In fact when I was in Naples I was having a really, really hard to trying to find a decent beach in which I could have a swim (it was stinking hot when I was there), and I really wasn't all that keen to go for a swim in the harbour (besides which there was nowhere to change).
Anyway, I have to finish off but this is a rip-roaring great story, though there are a few times when Johns uses certain terms to describe the Italians which I thought was a little uncalled for, though since these words were coming out of the mouths of the heroes then it is somewhat understandable.
Oh, I should also mention that there is a bit of a romance in this story as well, but then again what would a spy story be without a bit of romance?
July 4, 2022
Back to boyhood for a bit of Biggles ... and the books are just as exciting today as they were then.
By the very title of this one, the reader knows that Biggles is not going to appear straight away. However, it is not until page 163 that our hero makes his appearance. But he does not disappoint from then on in.
And before he is found, Bertie, Algy and Ginger all keep the story moving at a fast pace. They cannot accept that Biggles is reported dead so they parachute into enemy territory to investigate for themselves.
And in usual Biggles' tradition they are plenty of nasty enemies to be encountered along the way. There are also a couple of ladies, which does not go down well with Bertie who, at one point is heard to mutter, 'I don't hold with all these women in the party.' Now, come on Bertie, please ...
The women do, however, play a significant part in the rescue of Biggles and the safe return of the whole party, women and all, but not until many hardships have been overcome. Exciting, gripping, great fun and everything else one would expect from a Biggles' story.
By the very title of this one, the reader knows that Biggles is not going to appear straight away. However, it is not until page 163 that our hero makes his appearance. But he does not disappoint from then on in.
And before he is found, Bertie, Algy and Ginger all keep the story moving at a fast pace. They cannot accept that Biggles is reported dead so they parachute into enemy territory to investigate for themselves.
And in usual Biggles' tradition they are plenty of nasty enemies to be encountered along the way. There are also a couple of ladies, which does not go down well with Bertie who, at one point is heard to mutter, 'I don't hold with all these women in the party.' Now, come on Bertie, please ...
The women do, however, play a significant part in the rescue of Biggles and the safe return of the whole party, women and all, but not until many hardships have been overcome. Exciting, gripping, great fun and everything else one would expect from a Biggles' story.
February 7, 2019
A true adventure classics with scary, edge-of-your seat kind of scenes. It is slightly different from other Biggles books I've read...I felt like it involved different people than the usual pilots and the tad hint of romance just made me smile, especially the dialogue involving that ;) There were a few misuses of God's name that I have not seen in other Biggles books, but overall it's a great read for teenage boys and I certainly enjoyed it too :)
October 21, 2024
A most unusual but satisfying Biggles' story, full of interest and character, with WE Johns at the height of his powers, fresh and enthusiastic. The following does contain spoilers.
This is the one where Ginger falls in love, with the appealing Jeanette. This was a shock to me, not the fact of his romantic blossoming, but such emotion is usually absent from the Biggles universe. All the better for its inclusion, although one of Ginger’s comrades is disconcerted somewhat by this development.
The story is something of a fairy-tale, albeit with significant modern elements of aircraft and a world war. Nevertheless, here we have chivalrous knights rescuing a brave princess from her dastardly captors. The unusual aspect of the story is the absence of the title character for a substantial portion of the adventure. Biggles is missing in Monaco, presumed by some, but not all, to be dead.
As a result, we get a great deal of back story about Bertie, see more of Algy than usual, and learn in considerable detail about life in wartime Monaco, particularly Monte Carlo. This is interesting enough, but there’s more. Biggles’ rescue party need to keep their eyes out for cryptic chalk messages on stone walls, a novel notion suggesting little rain falls in that part of the world. Perhaps it was the dry season. This is Biggles' idea of how he can communicate with his comrades, even though they have to decipher the graffiti.
We have very little flying, apart from the enthralling escape at the climax when our heroes purloin an Italian Savoia flying boat. The only other flying comes courtesy of Henri Duclos, a native of Monaco who flies Algy, Ginger and Bertie to his home country. Biggles does not turn up for 122 pages, we always knew that he would, although he is still recovering from being severely wounded. But he is in very good hands:
Local knowledge is a valuable commodity in this adventure. It is important when Henri is able to fly over familiar territory so the rescuers can parachute unseen into enemy territory. It also turns out that Bertie is quite familiar with the locale and the locals because he once raced power boats on the Riviera, in a past life when money was not a problem and leisure time was plentiful and luxurious. But he is not a playboy, far from it, it seems.
It is not my wish to delve too deeply into the personal predilections of the characters but it is hard to resist commenting about Bertie and his way of being. He tut-tuts about sappy Ginger and laments the involvement of women in this enterprise, indeed sees women and aircraft as a fatal (literally) combination. In a later story, Orchids for Biggles, Biggles explains that ‘Bertie is frightened of women. Some men are like that’. We can draw whatever conclusions we wish.
This is the one where Ginger falls in love, with the appealing Jeanette. This was a shock to me, not the fact of his romantic blossoming, but such emotion is usually absent from the Biggles universe. All the better for its inclusion, although one of Ginger’s comrades is disconcerted somewhat by this development.
The story is something of a fairy-tale, albeit with significant modern elements of aircraft and a world war. Nevertheless, here we have chivalrous knights rescuing a brave princess from her dastardly captors. The unusual aspect of the story is the absence of the title character for a substantial portion of the adventure. Biggles is missing in Monaco, presumed by some, but not all, to be dead.
As a result, we get a great deal of back story about Bertie, see more of Algy than usual, and learn in considerable detail about life in wartime Monaco, particularly Monte Carlo. This is interesting enough, but there’s more. Biggles’ rescue party need to keep their eyes out for cryptic chalk messages on stone walls, a novel notion suggesting little rain falls in that part of the world. Perhaps it was the dry season. This is Biggles' idea of how he can communicate with his comrades, even though they have to decipher the graffiti.
We have very little flying, apart from the enthralling escape at the climax when our heroes purloin an Italian Savoia flying boat. The only other flying comes courtesy of Henri Duclos, a native of Monaco who flies Algy, Ginger and Bertie to his home country. Biggles does not turn up for 122 pages, we always knew that he would, although he is still recovering from being severely wounded. But he is in very good hands:
“This is some princess”, remarked Ginger as she disappeared. “She can nurse, and apparently she can cook.”A little later, Jeanette and Princess Marietta are together with Biggles and Ginger and Bertie:
“Princess Marietta is the real thing,” declared Biggles. “She’s been wonderful.”
“Here, I say, this is getting a bit thick,” muttered Bertie, polishing his eyeglass furiously. “First Jeanette, now a bally princess. I don’t hold with all these women in the party.”
“There’s only two, so far,” returned Biggles, blandly.
Bertie shook his head sadly. “Women and planes don’t mix. I once had a pal, a jolly good pilot too, who walked straight into a spinning airscrew. He was looking at a girl who had just stepped on to the tarmac. That’s the sort of thing that happens- if you see what I mean?” (p606- page numbers are taken from The First Biggles Omnibus, published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1953. This story was originally published in 1943)
Jeanette blushed. The princess laughed. Ginger grinned sheepishly. Bertie shook his head sadly. (p624)Bertie seems resigned to the way things are panning out.
Local knowledge is a valuable commodity in this adventure. It is important when Henri is able to fly over familiar territory so the rescuers can parachute unseen into enemy territory. It also turns out that Bertie is quite familiar with the locale and the locals because he once raced power boats on the Riviera, in a past life when money was not a problem and leisure time was plentiful and luxurious. But he is not a playboy, far from it, it seems.
It is not my wish to delve too deeply into the personal predilections of the characters but it is hard to resist commenting about Bertie and his way of being. He tut-tuts about sappy Ginger and laments the involvement of women in this enterprise, indeed sees women and aircraft as a fatal (literally) combination. In a later story, Orchids for Biggles, Biggles explains that ‘Bertie is frightened of women. Some men are like that’. We can draw whatever conclusions we wish.
September 25, 2021
Sometimes you just need a cracking Biggles adventure in your life. This one is one of the best.
June 3, 2025
Perhaps the best of the Biggles' books, though with its obvious or maybe routine flaws. Aimed at English public schoolboys, terribly middle class in its outlook and attitudes, lacking the sophistication of an adult tome, it starts off on a ludicrous premise. Biggles has gone missing and his three best buddies opt to parachute into occupied France to try to find him. Overnight they get fitted up with forged documents and identities and cover stories - fortunately they all speak French (more or less), and we're expected to beleve they'll pass for natives? The set-up is ludicrous.
The story (proper) is really good - fast-paced, exciting, utterly engaging (ignore the convenient coincidences and fortuitous ease with which bits of information come to light). It's enthralling stuff for schoolboys (or for a 75-year old enjoying a bit of nostalgia) - just don't take it too seriously. Except, of course, to recognise that Johns shows real skill in rattling through an absorbing tale and carrying his reader along, cutting from one actor to another, building tension and excitement with carefully edited storytelling.
You're left wondering if he shouldn't have spent more time developing an adult fantasy adventure (like James Bond), you're left wondering if Ian Fleming read any Biggles?
Great adventure - the ending is a bit abrupt, but the book is the longest Biggles I've read (some 10% or more longer than usual) and I can't help wondering if he was pressured to end it quickly (either by publisher or his own constraints).
Highly entertaining read - one of the gang even falls in love (with a female human), so dangerous ground.
The story (proper) is really good - fast-paced, exciting, utterly engaging (ignore the convenient coincidences and fortuitous ease with which bits of information come to light). It's enthralling stuff for schoolboys (or for a 75-year old enjoying a bit of nostalgia) - just don't take it too seriously. Except, of course, to recognise that Johns shows real skill in rattling through an absorbing tale and carrying his reader along, cutting from one actor to another, building tension and excitement with carefully edited storytelling.
You're left wondering if he shouldn't have spent more time developing an adult fantasy adventure (like James Bond), you're left wondering if Ian Fleming read any Biggles?
Great adventure - the ending is a bit abrupt, but the book is the longest Biggles I've read (some 10% or more longer than usual) and I can't help wondering if he was pressured to end it quickly (either by publisher or his own constraints).
Highly entertaining read - one of the gang even falls in love (with a female human), so dangerous ground.
July 10, 2017
This has become a new favourite Biggles story - and Biggles hardly appears in it at all.
This WWII adventure opens with Algy receiving a chit promoting him to Squadron Leader, a week after Biggles left the base, alone, in mysterious circumstances. Fearing the worst, the chaps confront Raymond of Air Intelligence looking for answers. The answers take them on a daring rescue mission in and around Monaco around the time of its occupation by the Italian army.
Although it predates his works by 9 or 10 years, the scenes in the mountains above the principality foreshadow Marcel Pagnol's descriptions of life in the arid collines of Provence. Little details of the local characters' lives under the growing oppression of fascist domination and wartime scarcity bring home that time and remind us Brits that continental types really bore the brunt of the conflict. The impact of the denouement on several of the characters also highlights the displacement experienced by many, and the quietly terrifying heroism of those who remained behind.
And, most miraculously of all, Captain Johns introduces some romance - two of the team apparently fall for exotic beauties who nurse them back to health after stoically-endured setbacks. Hardly a victory for feminism, but strong women nonetheless, within the context of genre and period.
This WWII adventure opens with Algy receiving a chit promoting him to Squadron Leader, a week after Biggles left the base, alone, in mysterious circumstances. Fearing the worst, the chaps confront Raymond of Air Intelligence looking for answers. The answers take them on a daring rescue mission in and around Monaco around the time of its occupation by the Italian army.
Although it predates his works by 9 or 10 years, the scenes in the mountains above the principality foreshadow Marcel Pagnol's descriptions of life in the arid collines of Provence. Little details of the local characters' lives under the growing oppression of fascist domination and wartime scarcity bring home that time and remind us Brits that continental types really bore the brunt of the conflict. The impact of the denouement on several of the characters also highlights the displacement experienced by many, and the quietly terrifying heroism of those who remained behind.
And, most miraculously of all, Captain Johns introduces some romance - two of the team apparently fall for exotic beauties who nurse them back to health after stoically-endured setbacks. Hardly a victory for feminism, but strong women nonetheless, within the context of genre and period.
December 3, 2021
I say, a ripping good yarn!! Johns had a real talent for capturing the excitement of being a pilot in both Great Wars, and during peace time as well. His books were immensely popular amongst young people. I enjoyed them tremendously when I was young, and upon re-reading as an adult, they still pass the test of time. In my opinion, this was one of the most exciting books Johns ever wrote; I couldn't put it down and I did not want it to end. The whole gang is here: Biggles, Algy, Bertie and Ginger. It cleverly leads us down paths, then pulls the rug out from under us just as we think we have it all figured out. Surprisingly it introduces love interests for two of our heros, causing a bit of friction amongst our chums. Johns painted an interesting portrait of life in Monaco during the Second War. A lifestyle that is now long gone in modern day Monaco, of course.
In reading reviews here, I notice a number of people are critical of Johns for his characterisations of women not being up to the progressive and liberated standards of 2022. Things were not the same last century as they are now, so don't shoot the messenger for recording life as it actually was. Authors did not have a crystal ball to tell them what would be "correct" or "incorrect" a century later.
I highly recommend this book to those with an adventurous spirit!
In reading reviews here, I notice a number of people are critical of Johns for his characterisations of women not being up to the progressive and liberated standards of 2022. Things were not the same last century as they are now, so don't shoot the messenger for recording life as it actually was. Authors did not have a crystal ball to tell them what would be "correct" or "incorrect" a century later.
I highly recommend this book to those with an adventurous spirit!
March 7, 2024
This has to be my favourite Biggles story so far . It was so different to most of the others I've read that it felt like the author was attempting a new style of writing ,a bit like a manager changing tactics mid way through a football match . For me the story came alive, with new characters that complimented the older, trusted ones, perfectly.
The title is all you need ,the story will keep you enthralled as it did me!
The title is all you need ,the story will keep you enthralled as it did me!
October 4, 2024
4.6 out of 5. As other reviewers have noted, this Biggles book has a different tone. Biggles himself is absent for most of it, which is a bit of a relief as his smug arrogance can be a bit tedious. Algy, Bertie and Ginger play larger roles, as does war-time Monaco. Monte Carlo is the real star of the show, and it’s enjoyable to compare it with the town we are familiar with from James Bond movies and Formula 1 races. An enjoyable romp with lots of cliff-hanger scenes.
February 3, 2025
It’s nice to see the series try out a different format from the usual. In this book, Biggles is missing for 75%, and we actually follow his friends trying to track him down. This is a nice break from the norm and Algy, Ginger and Bertie all make excellent protagonists. This has a great setting - Monaco, and you feel the palpable presence of war and oppression on the city and its people. Ginger also gets a bit fun. 4 stars.
April 21, 2018
B24
I really like this Biggles-book. It is one of the few where Biggles didn't play the main role.
It is equally shared between Algy, Ginger and Bertie.
Was it of the modest attempt to include some romance? Perhaps.
What surprised me was the outspoken voice of the Monegasks against the French, and Sicilian against Italian, and a common dislike against fascist regime.
I really like this Biggles-book. It is one of the few where Biggles didn't play the main role.
It is equally shared between Algy, Ginger and Bertie.
Was it of the modest attempt to include some romance? Perhaps.
What surprised me was the outspoken voice of the Monegasks against the French, and Sicilian against Italian, and a common dislike against fascist regime.
January 1, 2020
An exellent story and mystery, which I enjoy more, because it allows the other characters to shine. However, it has little of the glorious Biggles air fighting and piloting of old, and the story takes place more on the ground than in the air.
November 4, 2025
First published in 1943, 'Biggles Fails to Return' is a brilliant Biggles adventure set against the background of a clandestine mission during WW2. The plot flaws are great gaping ones, and everyone speaks English as if they learned it from Bertie Wooster, yet it is great fun.
Read
November 30, 2019it's a reread project
June 20, 2020
Great!
August 13, 2021
An awesome story, however sadly not so much of Biggles or flying. But still great.
August 30, 2022
Wow. Perfect Biggles. A joyful romp of a read
Read
September 23, 2022Another cracker of a book but also delightfully different too with Algy, Ginger and Bertie taking the lead for a change.
Read
May 28, 2023absolutely incredible hijinks in this one. i think when i grow up i would like to be an itinerant onion seller
July 23, 2025
This book was very interesting and like to way they talk and the character dynamics
I enjoyed the additional characters apart from the maid group and overall this book was a great read 😊
I enjoyed the additional characters apart from the maid group and overall this book was a great read 😊
May 11, 2014
It is 1942, and Biggles has vanished on a secret mission in Monaco. Algy, Ginger and Bertie set off to look for him, but without the boss to keep them in line they soon go off the rails, strumming guitars, swilling wine and dallying, believe it or not, with women. Ginger falls in love with a girl who gives him shelter. Algy stalks a woman in a blue shawl for absolutely miles. Bertie reveals unsuspected musical abilities as well as an entirely believable familiarity with pre-war Monegasque society. All seems lost, but then Biggles appears, reminds them of what they've been missing by doing some ace flying in his underpants, all wet and hunky, and they return to England firm friends again. Really, really firm friends.
Oh, all right. The four stars are contextual, of course, but this really is one of the best Biggles books. There are the usual implausible coincidences, impossibly lucky escapes and a positive Olympus of deorum ex machina, but it also contains affectionate and knowledgeable descriptions of Monaco and the surrounding Alpes Maritimes (Johns was always at his best as a writer when describing scenery, particularly desolate places) and yes, there are actually women participating in the story as characters. The French setting seems to have obliged Biggles and crew to deviate from their usual Kipling-at-Sunday-School code of conduct. I loved the Biggles books as a small boy and wanted to see how they held up when read as an adult. Mostly they don't, but I actually enjoyed this one more than I did as a child.
Oh, all right. The four stars are contextual, of course, but this really is one of the best Biggles books. There are the usual implausible coincidences, impossibly lucky escapes and a positive Olympus of deorum ex machina, but it also contains affectionate and knowledgeable descriptions of Monaco and the surrounding Alpes Maritimes (Johns was always at his best as a writer when describing scenery, particularly desolate places) and yes, there are actually women participating in the story as characters. The French setting seems to have obliged Biggles and crew to deviate from their usual Kipling-at-Sunday-School code of conduct. I loved the Biggles books as a small boy and wanted to see how they held up when read as an adult. Mostly they don't, but I actually enjoyed this one more than I did as a child.
September 25, 2014
Biggles Fails to Return
By W.E. Johns
This book is about the imfamous Biggles accepting a mission to do privately and then failing to return.
Question 1. What was the most exciting part and why?
The most exciting part in my opinion is when the allies all meet up and escape. This group includes Biggles, (He has been found) the Princess Marietta Loretto de Palma who Biggles was sent to rescue and who helped Biggles recover from a bullet wound, a man named Mario, (the princesses assistant) Algy, Ginger and Bertie who are all Air detectives and friends with Biggles and some new (not so important) friends. What got me excited was when Biggles and Ginger stole a plane at the wharf of Monaco in France and picked up the rest of the group. They managed to just get out off the coast after bullets and bombs were fired from everywhere at them...
Question 2. In what ways is this text similar to others i have read?
It is similar to other Biggles books i have read. In most W.E Johns books Biggles and his crew get caught or lost in the most extreme cases from one another and in the end all get out together in the most crazy way possible. Very similar to many Biggles books but not boring! They're similar but very different. In this one the group of nine narrowly escape in a stolen plane and in others... Biggles, Algy, Bertie and Ginger will escape somehow. Whether it's on foot, in an aeroplane or in a boat they all sound like realistic getaways....
August 24, 2016
The special thing with this book is that it's missing Biggles. Or Biggles is missing. It starts by Algy being assigned the WWII RAF squadron Biggles is running and him going to London to figure out what has happened to Biggles. Then the story brings us to southern Europe in a chase for Biggles, together with Algy, Ginger and Bertie (there has to be three).
This story is also a bit different in that it contains women. And W. E. Johns doesn't seem to know anything about that half of humanity. He should not even try.
This story is also a bit different in that it contains women. And W. E. Johns doesn't seem to know anything about that half of humanity. He should not even try.
December 19, 2014
A very good one.
March 7, 2013
Another great Biggles book! Always loved and still love to read these!
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