BIGGLES AND THE NOBLE LORD
Book First Published in August 1969 - 152 pages
I believe this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 12
shillings (and
with the first reference to 60p as decimalisation was coming in 1971)
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
13 – LORD MALBOISE MAKES AN OFFER
Biggles is on the trail of a master-criminal
behind a number of cleverly planned crimes. A plan is hatched to encourage a
robbery with Ginger posing as a rich Indian princess and with Bertie as
"her" chauffeur. Publicity is given to the fact that the princess is
staying at the Savoy Hotel and will be travelling with her case of jewels.
After an initial attempt to bribe Bertie, the anticipated robbery actually
takes place and the thieves get away in a helicopter. Meanwhile, Algy has been
investigating who collects antique French porcelain at the auction houses, as
there is reason to believe that the man they are looking for has a taste for
such items. Lord Malboise buys some porcelain similar to some previously stolen
and Algy goes to Brindon Hall where Lord Malboise lives to make some enquiries
and sees a helicopter arrive. Putting these clues together, Biggles, pays a
visit to Brindon Hall and faking engine trouble lands. Here he meets Lord
Malboise and his brother Clarence and sees a building that he suspects is a
hanger for their aircraft. Checking in Who's Who, Algy finds out that
Clarence is an experienced pilot and ex-SAS. Biggles and Ginger return to
Brindon Hall at night to investigate the mysterious hanger and the helicopter
returns while they are there. Taking Algy with him, Biggles calls on Lord
Malboise for a sherry, having previously been invited to do so. Here, Biggles
sees a strange whitewashed wall with a brick missing. Following another
robbery, Ginger and Bertie fly to investigate and see the helicopter. They
follow it all the way to France where it lands near a Chateau. Landing their
Auster aircraft in a field, Bertie and Ginger find that it has been wired and
their plane is disabled. Captured, they are both imprisoned high up in the
Chateau de Malboise. Marcel Brissac of the French police is informed of the
crash and passes the details to Biggles who realises that Bertie and Ginger
must be prisoners in the Chateau so he goes to France to find them. In the
Chateau, Ginger and Bertie make paper planes with SOS messages on and send them
out of the window. This is the picture on the dust cover of the book. With the
help of a local Gendarme called Antoine Charlot, Biggles and Algy enter the
Chateau by way of an old secret passage and free Bertie and Ginger. However,
they are trapped in the tower when the villains light a fire in order to smoke
them out. They are only saved by the timely arrival of Marcel. Lord Malboise
and his brother Clarence escape in the helicopter and get clean away, but
hordes of stolen gold are found back in England camouflaged as whitewashed
bricks in the suspicious wall.
There are no story illustrations in this book
Biggles and the Noble Lord
Publication Details - published by Brockhampton Press
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail