“BIGGLES” OF THE CAMEL SQUADRON

by Capt. W. E. Johns

VI. THE FUNK (Pages 97 – 114)

Biggles is told by Major Mullen that “the new fellows have just arrived” and have been posted to his flight. There are three of them and their names are Harcourt, Howell and Sylvester. When they see Biggles we are given the following description of him. “They beheld a slim, boyish figure, clad in khaki slacks and a tunic soiled with innumerable oil stains. The left shoulder of the tunic was black with oil. His feet and legs were in sheepskin boots that had once reached to the thigh, but had been cut short to the knees. The strap that bound them just above the calf had been left unfastened and flapped untidily as he walked. Over his arm he carried a leather coat, greasy beyond description, with a pair of singed gauntlets hanging from the pocket”. Harcourt, who only has eleven and a half hours experience in the air, is only concerned about getting ants’ eggs for his goldfish. Howell has only ten hours and Sylvester only fourteen hours flying experience. Biggles says that Algy has been there six weeks “and he can call himself a veteran”. Biggles tells them they will do six hours flying a day for three days. “To send you over the Line alone, now, would be like committing murder”. Four days later, Biggles takes his three new pilots, together with Algy, over the Lines. They all fly to the aid of a lone Bristol Fighter battling four enemy Albatros scouts. Harcourt’s machine flies away, back to the Lines. Biggles shoots down an Albatros but a Camel is shot down. (The Albatros zoomed high into the air with a quick jerk - is the illustration opposite page 104). We are later told it was Sylvester. Back at their aerodrome, Biggles goes and finds Harcourt and confronts him about fleeing. Harcourt says “You might as well know the truth. I’m finished. I can’t stand it. I’ll never fly again – never – never – never!” His voice became an hysterical scream. “Stop that!” Biggles’ voice cracked like a whip-lash. Then he went on more quietly: “Take it easy, kid,” he said kindly. “You won’t be the first to go home after one show over the Line. Don’t sit here and brood. Take a walk – you may feel better to-morrow”. Biggles tries to encourage Harcourt and then goes to see Major Mullen, but they are interrupted by a Fokker D.VII. flying over and dropping a pair of boots. “Boots!” snarled Biggles. “Boots! Boots – so that we can join the infantry!” In a rage, Biggles gets into his Camel and with Algy and Howell they fly after the departing red-and-yellow Fokker. Biggles is astonished to see that Harcourt has joined them as well. The enemy plane is soon joined by eight more, so it is 4 British against 9 Germans. Biggles knew it was madness but he took them on: “Kill or be killed was the motto of to-day!” Two Fokkers collide. A Camel goes past Biggles in a sheet of flame. We are later told it was Howell. Another Fokker sheds its wings as it pulls up in a vertical zoom. A Camel attacks the red-and-yellow Fokker like a madman, trying to ram it. The Camel shoots the Fokker down and Biggles is astonished to see that the Camel pilot is Harcourt and not Algy. The remaining five Fokkers flee and Biggles sees, with a sigh of relief, that Algy’s machine is standing on its nose among the shell-holes around the (British) reserve trenches and he is standing unharmed beside it. Back at base, Biggles asks Harcourt what came over him. The boots dropped by the German had gone through the roof of Harcourt’s hut and killed Percy, his goldfish. Harcourt says “Let’s do some more flying. I’ll teach the hounds to go about killing goldfish!”