BIGGLES GOES TO WAR

by Captain W. E. Johns

First published May 1938

CONTENTS

List of illustrations – Page 7 (Frontispiece by Howard Leigh and six illustrations by Martin Tyas)

I. BIGGLES HAS VISITORS (Pages 9 – 21)

“Major James Bigglesworth, D.S.O., more often known as Biggles, turned down the page of the book he was reading” (Don’t you just hate it when people do that to books?!) and tells Algy that he, Algy, smokes too much. Algy says he needs some excitement. Ginger is also bored. Mrs. Symes enters and then tells Biggles that there is a gentleman to see him. “Ah-ha!” ejaculated Biggles, tossing the book aside again. (He rose to his feet to greet the man who walked slowly into the room - is the illustration on page 13). The man, who appears to be not less than sixty years of age, introduces himself as Max Stanhauser. He is the Maltovian Ambassador in London. Biggles can’t place the country. “Maltovia is a principality lying slightly to the north-east of the Black Sea”, in Europe. On their northern frontier is another state, called Lovitzna “our hereditary enemies” explains Stanhauser. (When this story was first published in ‘Modern Boy’ in ten parts, starting with issue number 503, dated 25^th September 1937 and finishing with issue number 512, dated 27^th November 1937, Stanhauser was the Grussian Ambassador from a country called Grusse. Their enemy was still called Lovitzna. For some reason – presumably because it sounds too much like Russia? - before the book was published in May 1938, Johns changed the name of the country to Maltovia). “They have recently made a secret pact with one of the great Powers, (the power is not named but is obviously Germany), in return for which Maltovia is to be theirs”. Maltovia’s Sovereign is Princess Mariana. Biggles shook his head sadly. “You need a man in times like this”. Lovitzna are sending aircraft over Maltovian air space and photographing their defences. Maltovia is unable to stop them. Biggles perceives what it is that he is going to be asked to do and turns it down. “I should get into trouble here if I got mixed up in European affairs, possibly lose my licence. In any case, I would rather not get entangled in a continental fracas”. “Fracas! You call the extermination of a home-loving people a fracas?” says Stanhauser. “To you, Maltovia is – just a small – affair. I see. Perhaps you are right”. Biggles says “I’ve finished with war-flying” and this is not quite the same. “Then I was fighting for my own country, which is something every man must be prepared to do”. “Ah, I understand” says Stanhauser and he leaves. (In the original ‘Modern Boy’ version, Biggles actually said an additional line before Stanhauser said he understood. Biggles said “I have no love of war, but if my country was dragged into another, I would not hesitate to play my part. But it is only for my own country that I will fight”). Biggles tells Algy and Ginger that he liked him as he kept off the question of money. “He was too much of a gentleman to try to bribe me”. There is a sharp rap on the door and another man enters, uninvited. He asks for Bigglesworth and says “I came to advise you to keep out of other people’s business”. This man is called Zarovitch and he is from Lovitzna. After a brief and icy conversation, he asks Biggles if he may ask what Biggles doesn’t like about him. Biggles says “You may. I don’t like anything about you. I don’t like your country, I don’t like your face, I don’t like your manners, and I don’t like your name. I trust I have made myself clear?” Zarovitch replies that perhaps one day he may find an opportunity of making himself just as clear. “Your opinion then, as now, will be a matter of complete indifference to me”, Biggles tells him. The man leaves and Biggles rings up the Maltovian Embassy to say that he will accept their offer and will go. He says to Algy and Ginger “You look like getting all the excitement you’ve been craving for, the pair of you”.