THE RESCUE FLIGHT

by Captain W. E. Johns

IX. FORTY MAKES A PROPOSITION (Pages 111 – 119)

Forty and Rip also climb down. Thirty finds out that Biggles had arranged for Mahoney to meet them. Major Mullen arrives and asks who Forty is. “Fortymore, sir, of eighty-four squadron,” answered Biggles. Biggles explains that they have been over and picked him up – from Germany. Forty goes for a bath and food, whilst Major Mullen contacts Wing and then Major Raymond, the Wing Intelligence Officer comes over to meet with the pilots. “Thereafter, for the benefit of the C.O. and the Wing officer, the whole story was related from the beginning, omitting, of course, all reference to Thirty and Rip’s irregular arrival in France, which was something Forty himself did not yet know, since with being occupied by an extensive toilet and a square meal, Thirty had not had time to tell him”. At the end, Raymond says “Well, that’s the most astonishing tale I’ve heard since I came to France”. Forty is told he can never fly over the Lines again. “You know the rules of war,” says Major Raymond. “If an escaped prisoner is ever retaken by the enemy he can be shot, since he comes into the category of a spy”. Major Raymond says it should be possible to get other escaped prisoners out as “Officers of experience are very valuable just now, and there are hundreds in German prison camps”. “A number of rendezvous could be pin-pointed, and officers made acquainted with them”. Forty says his original plan was to establish food dumps as well, with maps and other equipment. Major Raymond says they would need volunteers to run such a show. “Well, you wouldn’t have to look very far, sir”, put in Biggles”. The problem is how to let officers already in prison camps know where the rescue sites are. Forty says “I could go back”. “I could be dumped back over the lines – and get myself recaptured. I should be put back into prison. I would then pass the necessary information to fellows whom I knew”. Forty says he could go under an alias – John Smithson – a hundred miles further north. The matter has to be discussed with Wing and Major Raymond says he will get back to them if anything is to become of it.