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Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "Biggles", is a fictional character created by W. E. Johns.
He first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue of Popular Flying magazine. The first collection of Biggles stories, The Camels are Coming, was published in 1932.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
In his first appearances, Biggles was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He was supposedly based on Cyril Lowe. He joined the RFC at the young age of 16, having conveniently "lost" his birth certificate. The original Biggles stories were based on Johns' personal experience - and stories he had heard from other pilots - during his time in France. (Johns did not however fly 'scout' - or fighter - aircraft such as Biggles did, he flew in a bomber squadron.) While the primary purpose of the Biggles stories was to entertain young men at the time, they paid close attention to historical detail and helped recreate the primitive days of early air combat - where most pilots died in their first combat engagement and before devices such as respirators and parachutes had become practical.
During the war, Biggles was a pilot of the fictional RFC Squadron 266, who flew the famed Sopwith Camel aircraft.
Later stories of Biggles' adventures after the War's end, his return to service in World War II, and further adventures in peace time; others filled in his equally adventurous childhood in India and the story of how he came to join the RFC.
Biggles has a small team of friends including Algy (Algernon Lacey), Ginger (Hebblethwaite) and Bertie (Lord Bertie Lissie), who share many of his adventures as pilots in the Special Air Police which they form after WW2, at Scotland Yard, under Air Commodore Raymond's command. Raymond is at this time an Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard.
Biggles' greatest opponent is the German spy officer Erich von Stalhein. They first meet when Biggles acts as a spy in the Middle East, where Biggles has some narrow escapes. Erich returns as an adversary in numerous other adventures. After World War II von Stalhein opts for the Communist bloc, until he gets imprisoned on the isle of Sakhalin from where Biggles helps him escape. And after that he and Biggles are chums.
Johns continued writing Biggles short stories and novels up until his death in 1968; in all, nearly a hundred Biggles books were published.
Most of the Biggles books are currently out of print, but Red Fox is now reprinting many of the titles.
List in alphabetical order
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