SPITFIRE PARADE
Subtitled - BIGGLES AT WAR
Book First Published in August 1941 - 256 pages
The first edition dust jacket showing
the original price of 4 shillings.
This contains thirteen chapters, many of which are rewrites of
World War I Royal Flying Corps short stories, rewritten as World War II Royal
Air Force short stories.
The stories are:-
Chapter I BIGGLES TAKES OVER
Biggles has been given command of 666 Fighter Squadron which
consists of officers who do not take too kindly to discipline and for the first
time we meet Lord Bertie Lissie (although the character was in the two short
stories SO
THIS IS WAR and SPITFIRE
PARADE published in Air Stories in February 1940 and March
1940 - click here for more details).
Bertie will become a regular and popular companion for almost all of the
future Biggles books. This chapter then goes on to introduce two of 666
Squadron's pilots, George 'Ferocity' Ferris (from Liverpool) and Tex O'Hara
(from Texas, U.S.A.) when Bertie is detailed to take B flight out (consisting
of himself, Ferris and OHara) to escort a Blenheim back from taking photographs
over Calais.
(With the exception of the first 10 pages, which is original
work to set the scene, the original version of this story was published in Air Stories in February 1940 and called SO
THIS IS WAR)
Chapter II THE COMING OF CARRINGTON
Another pilot, Tug Carrington arrives and immediately shows his
abilities by shooting down a German Junkers bomber.
(The original version of this story was published in Air Stories in October 1939 and called "HARD
CASE" CARRINGTON")
This story can also be found in Volume 1, Issue 3 of the Air Training Corps Gazette (May
1941)
Chapter III THE ARRIVAL OF ANGUS
Angus Mackail is flying down to join 666 Squadron but due to bad
weather, he is forced to land in a field and charged by a bull. Later in a
farmhouse he meets a jealous Canadian pilot called 'Nutty' Armand who takes him
on a ride to remember. When both arrive at 666 Squadron, 'Nutty' finds that he
is going to be joining the Squadron as well.
(The original version of this story was published in two chapters
called BIGGLES GETS
A BULL and LOST IN THE SKY in BIGGLES
IN FRANCE)
This story is a re-write of "Flying
Luck" from 'The Modern Boy' - issue number 337 - 21st July 1934
This story can also be found in Volume 1, Issue 4 of the Air Training Corps Gazette (June
1941)
Chapter IV TAFFY TRUNDLES IN
Taffy Hughes 'the Buster' is next to arrive and does so in some
style. Taffy tries out a British tank and wreaks havoc
(The original version of this story was published in a
chapter called
'STAND CLEAR - I'M COMING' in BIGGLES
IN FRANCE)
This story is a re-write of
"Biggles and the Runaway Tank" from 'The Modern Boy' - issue number
336 - 14th July
1934
Chapter V ONE GOOD TURN
When Ginger gets into trouble with Flight Lieutenant Bitmore, Algy pretends to be an Air Commodore and Bertie
pretends to be a Wing Commander to teach Bitmore a
lesson.
(The original version of this story was published in two chapters
called UNDER OPEN
ARREST! and THE LAUGH'S WITH US in BIGGLES
IN FRANCE and then it
was republished as
REPRISALS in BIGGLES OF 266)
This story is a re-write of
"Biggles' Borrowed Plumes" from 'The Modern Boy' - issue number 363 -
19th January 1935
This story
is NOT to be confused with the story Two Good Turns found in Volume 1, Issue
5 of the Air
Training Corps Gazette (July 1941)
as that is a DIFFERENT story! See THE RECORD BREAKERS below.
Chapter VI SO THIS IS WAR!
A Hurricane with the number K-4 shoots at and kills a British
pilot and Biggles is out for revenge
This story has a number of similarities with J-9982 in THE CAMELS ARE COMING but a large part of the descriptive
writing is taken from
"Knights of the Sky!" from 'The
Modern Boy' - issue number 328 19th May 1934
Chapter VII CUTHBERT COMES AND GOES
Cuthbert Mooney joins 666 squadron and he has a talent for
mimicking machines.
Biggles takes Cuthbert on a flight over the channel and discovers
that he also has other talents.
(This story was originally published in two chapters called THE HUMAN RAILWAY and ORANGE FIRE! in BIGGLES IN FRANCE)
This story is a re-write of
"Biggles and the Mad Hatter" from 'The Modern Boy' - issue number 338
- 28th July 1934
Chapter VIII THE LOVE SONG
Biggles is sent by Raymond to France to recover plans for a
special supercharger for radial engines.
(I can't identify this story as a re-write of anything - but I
suspect that it must be, bearing in mind the rest of them are!)
Chapter IX THE COWARD
Henry Harcourt joins the Squadron and his bravery is questioned
until the Germans kill his pet pig.
This story is a re-write of "The Funk" from 'The
Modern Boy' - issue number 289 - 19th August
1933
Chapter X THE FLYING SPY
Biggles suspects that a visiting pilot is really a German spy. A
trap is set, but all is not as it seems and it is left to Algy to save Biggles
from making a tragic mistake.
(The original version of this story was published in two chapters
called SUSPICIONS
and OFF AND AWAY in BIGGLES IN FRANCE)
This story is a re-write of
"Biggles' Sky High Spy" from 'The Modern
Boy' - issue number 357 - 8th December 1934
Chapter XI THE RECORD BREAKERS
Biggles and Wilkinson compete to see who can shoot down the most
Germans in one day.
(The original version of this story was published in two chapters
called OUT FOR
RECORDS! and BIGGLES' BOMBSHELL in BIGGLES
IN FRANCE)
This story is a re-write of
"Biggles' Sky High Hat Trick" from 'The
Modern Boy' - issue number 339 - 4th August
1935
This story was published in an edited format as the story Two Good
Turns found in Volume 1, Issue 5 of the Air Training
Corps Gazette (July 1941)
Chapter XII THE FORTUNE OF WAR
Biggles tells the tragic tale of what happened to young Tony Luke
and the trick fate played on him.
This story is a re-write of
"Reunion" - originally published in "Britannia and Eve" in
November 1941 - it can also be found as the first story in 'Sky Fever'
Chapter XIII BERTIE PICKS THE LOCK
Bertie takes a secret agent on a mission. When the agent loses his
nerve Bertie has to do his job.
(The
original version of this particular story was called BIGGLES' EXCITING NIGHT
and was first published in MODERN BOYS ANNUAL 1937
and this original version
was not published in any book at all until 1999 when a collection of all
previously unpublished stories
were finally published in a limited edition of 300 books called BIGGLES - AIR ACE)
If you wanted to read another short story set at 666 Squadron,
there is one to be found in BIGGLES TAKES THE CASE called THE HARE
AND THE TORTOISE
Click here to see the story illustrations from the original HARDBACK first edition of this book
Spitfire Parade
Subtitle - Biggles at War
Publication Details - published by Oxford University Press
The spine and cover illustrations from the original Oxford first
edition
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
Dust jacket of the 1960 Brockhampton Press reprint (NB This is
one of only FOUR Oxford books that were reprinted by Brockhampton Press)
Click on the above to see it in more detail
Frontispiece of the 1960 Brockhampton Press reprint
Click on the above to see it in more detail