BIGGLES AND THE LOST SOVEREIGNS
Book First Published on 24th February 1964 - 184 pages
Re-published in 1978 as Biggles and the Lost Treasure
This
story was first published, in seven weekly parts, as BIGGLES AND THE LOST
SOVEREIGNS in Look and Learn issues 82 to 88, dated 10th August 1963 to 21st
September 1963
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 8
shillings and 6 pence
Biggles is sent to try to find
20,000 missing gold sovereigns. In 1942, when Singapore was being evacuated
prior to the Japanese invasion, the sovereigns were loaded on a schooner called
the Vagabond, but after putting to sea, the boat was never seen again.
However, a dead native has now been found in his canoe in the Mergui
Archipelago, wearing a necklace made up of the same sovereigns. Flying out with
Ginger and Bertie, Biggles befriends Captain Macdonald, the Captain of the ship
that found the dead native. With his help, and the help of a local man called Chintoo, they begin surveying the islands in search of the
wreck of the Vagabond, which the dead native must have found. Setting up
a base on Hog Island, Biggles falls foul of a corrupt local official called
Captain Yomas. Moving on to Chang Island, Ginger has
a shock when he finds tiger paw prints in the mud. He also finds a sovereign.
After being attacked by Chinese pirates and weathering a storm, Biggles learns
that Captain Macdonald has been arrested by Yomas.
The team go to Mergui to rescue Macdonald and manage to escape in the nick of
time. The next island to be searched is Kampong Island. Here, Biggles and Co.,
are attacked by an apparent madman who tries to steal their aircraft. This
person has canoed over from Shark Island. When Shark Island is searched, the
wreck of the Vagabond is found, but the sovereigns are not there. They
have already been found by the madman, who turns out to be a Japanese pilot who
crashed on the island and has been marooned ever since. There is a desperate
race against time to find the sovereigns before Captain Yomas
arrives to stop them. The picture on the dust cover of the book shows Biggles
and Bertie wading out from the beach to their plane.
With the exception of the frontispiece, there are no story
illustrations in this book.
Biggles and the Lost Sovereigns
Publication Details - published by Brockhampton
Press
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail
“Children’s Book Club” edition reprint – click on the above
picture to find out more details