“BIGGLES”
OF THE CAMEL SQUADRON
by Capt. W. E.
Johns
X. BIGGLES
FINDS HIS FEET (Pages
175 – 193)
Cruising over the Somme at fifteen thousand
feet, Biggles finds himself battling a head wind in order to get back over his
side of the Lines. Shelled by archie
(anti-aircraft fire) his engine begins to make an unusual sound and then
catches fire. Biggles has to go down
“preferring to land behind the German Lines rather than be burnt to a cinder in
the air”. Crashing in ‘no man’s land’
Biggles finds himself “staring stupidly at the inferno raging about him” and
under machine gun fire. He jumps into a
shell-crater where he finds a wounded Cockney soldier, “Bert Smart, ‘A’
Company, Twenty-third Londons”. Bert has a knee wound and explains that “Jerry’ll be coming back in a minute” as the Germans have
just been driven out. Biggles admits
“I’m no Samson to carry you, much as I should like to. I’ll nip across and tell our fellows you’re
here. Then we’ll come and fetch
you”. “Biggles knew that in spite of his
casual pose the Tommy was badly wounded, and would soon die from loss of blood
if medical aid was delayed”. Leaving his
coat over the wounded man, Biggles goes down a ‘sap’ trench towards the British
trenches as directed by Bert. Entering
the British trench he is nearly bayoneted. Biggles “leapt aside and then flung himself
into the trench”, knocking down a Colonel who snarls “Where the dickens have
you come from?”. “My Camel landed me in
this mess,” complained Biggles bitterly.
The Colonel started violently.
“Camel?” he gasped. “Have they
brought up the Camel Corps?” “That’s
right. That’s why everyone’s got the
‘hump’! punned Biggles sarcastically. “A
Camel’s an aeroplane in this war, not a dromedary!” The Germans counter-attack and Biggles seizes
a rifle. However, Biggles wants to leave
the trench to go and get Bert but the Colonel orders him to stay. ‘A’ Company are ordered to retire whilst ‘B’
Company stand fast to cover their retreat.
Biggles is told they are surrounded.
“But I’m due for another patrol at six!” protested Biggles, aghast. “You’ll be patrolling the Milky Way by that
time, me lad!” observed the sergeant bitterly.
Biggles gets hold of a messenger and gives him a note, saying “Get
through the Huns somehow, and don’t stop for anyone. Grab the first motor-cyclist you see, and
tell him it’s urgent!” The Colonel
rallies his men to defend the trench and Biggles takes over a Vickers gun where
the crew are already dead. “A line of
grey-clad men in coal-scuttle steel helmets was advancing stealthily up a
nearby trench, and Biggles’ lips parted in his famous fighting smile as he
seized the spade-grips of the gun, thumbs seeking the trigger”. A German Albatros
plane flies over and Biggles machine guns it, knowing “what few infantrymen
knew – the distance it is necessary to shoot in front of a rapidly-moving
target in order to hit it”. The plane
flies straight into Biggles’ line of fire and is shot down. “I wonder will that one count on my score?”
he asked the Colonel. “Although I don’t
suppose they’ll believe it, anyway”.
“I’ll confirm it,” said the Colonel vigorously. “That is, if we get out alive. We’re in a nasty hole!” The Colonel says they need a miracle “- and
the day of miracles has passed”. Biggles
is not so sure having seen some specks in the sky. “Give me a Very pistol, so that I can fire a
light to show them where we are”.
Biggles recognises Mahoney’s plane and Mac’s – and also a squadron of
S.E.s, with old Wilks leading! “The C.O.
must have ‘phoned 287 Squadron after he got my message”. The British planes dive down and attack the
German infantry. Biggles says “Now,
sergeant, I’ve got you out of a hole, and I want you to help me get someone
else out of one”. He gets the sergeant
to help him go and get Bert. Dodging
grenades, they reach Bert and carry him back to the British trench. The Colonel says that the machines have
opened up the communication trenches and they can get through now, so they are
all able to pull-out. When being
congratulated for getting the aeroplanes to hold up the German advance Biggles
says he only did it “So that I could go and fetch Bert. What else do you think? I promised him I would, so I had to,” replied
Biggles, grinning broadly.