W. E. Johns
Encyclopedia
William Earl Johns was an English pilot
and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles
.
, Hertfordshire
, England
, the son of a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née
Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. His brother, Russell Ernest Johns, was born on 24 October 1895. Johns' early ambition was to be a soldier, being a crack shot with a rifle. In January 1905, he attended Hertford Grammar School (now the Richard Hale School
). He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
Johns was not a natural scholar. He included some of his experiences at this school in his book Biggles Goes to School (1951). In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed
to a county municipal surveyor
for four years and in 1912 was appointed as a sanitary inspector in Swaffham
in Norfolk
. Soon after, his father died of tuberculosis
at the age of 47. On 6 October 1914 Johns married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Rev. John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham
in Norfolk. Their only son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, was born in March 1916.
). The regiment was mobilised in August 1914 and was sent overseas in September 1915, embarking on RMS Olympic
. The Norfolk Yeomanry fought at Gallipoli
until December when they were withdrawn to Egypt. In September 1916 Johns transferred to the Machine Gun Corps
. While serving on the Macedonian front
in Greece
he was hospitalised with malaria
. After recovering he was commissioned into the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC) in September 1917 and posted back to England for flight training.
Johns undertook his initial flying training at the short-lived airfield at Coley Park
in Reading
, flying the Farman MF.11 Shorthorn
aircraft. He was then posted to No.25 Flying Training School at Thetford
in Norfolk, closer to where his wife Maude, and son Jack lived.
On 1 April 1918, Johns was appointed flying instructor at Marske-by-the-Sea
in Cleveland
. Aircraft were very unreliable in those days and he wrote off three planes in three days due to engine failure - crashing into the sea, then the sand, and then through a fellow officer’s back door. Later, he was caught in fog over the Tees, missed Hartlepool
and narrowly escaped flying into a cliff. Shooting one’s own propeller off with the synchronised
forward-mounted machine-gun was an accident, but it happened to Johns twice. The Commanding Officer at Marske was a Major Champion, known as 'Gimlet', a name used later by Johns for the hero of a series of stories. Johns served as a flying instructor until August 1918 when he transferred to the Western Front
.
He only performed six weeks of active duty as a bomber pilot before his De Havilland DH4 was shot down, his observer Second Lieutenant Alfred Edward Amey was killed and Johns was taken prisoner on 16 September 1918; he remained imprisoned until the end of the war.
After the war, Johns remained in the Royal Air Force
. He was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer
on 23 November 1920. By 1923 he had left his wife and met Doris 'Dol' May Leigh (1900–1969), daughter of Alfred Broughton Leigh. In 1924 they set up home together in Newcastle
. Although he never divorced Maude Hunt, Doris Leigh was known as 'Mrs Johns' until her death.
He stayed with the RAF until 1927, retiring with the rank of Flying Officer. As a recruiting officer, Johns initially rejected T. E. Lawrence
(of Arabia) as an RAF recruit for obviously giving a false name, but was later ordered to accept him.
magazine in the late 1930s as well as editing and writing for both Popular Flying and Flying
in this period. His other multi-volume fiction series were:
Besides the above-mentioned children's book series, Johns also wrote eight other books of juvenile fiction, twelve books of fiction for adults, and eight factual books, including several books on aviation, books on pirates and treasure hunting, and a book on gardening, The Passing Show.
Johns' first novel, Mossyface, was published in 1922 under the pen-name William Earle. After leaving the RAF, Johns became a newspaper air correspondent, as well as editing and illustrating books about flying. At the request of John Hammond Ltd, he created the magazine Popular Flying which first appeared in March 1932. It was in the pages of Popular Flying that Biggles first appeared.
The first Biggles book, The Camels are Coming, was published in August 1932. At first, the Biggles stories were credited to "William Earle", but later Johns adopted the more familiar byline "Capt. W. E. Johns". The rank was self-awarded; his actual rank of RAF Flying Officer
was equivalent to an army Lieutenant.
Johns edited Popular Flying and later its weekly sister Flying until the beginning of 1939. He was removed as editor because of pressure from the government as he opposed the policy of appeasement. During World War II
the propaganda value of Johns' books was seen by the Air Ministry
. This opposition to appeasement is reflected in some of his books. For example, in Biggles & Co (1936) the story line revolves around German preparations for conquest. Even more advanced in his thinking, for that time, was the story Biggles Air Commodore (1937) which alludes to Japanese preparations for conquest of British colonies in the Far East.
Johns continued writing Biggles stories until his death in 1968.
The original for the character of Biggles was speculated to have been Air Commander Cecil George Wigglesworth
. Apparently Johns had known Wigglesworth in World War I.
Unique among children’s writers of the time, from 1935 Johns employed a working-class character as an equal member of the Biggles team - "Ginger" Habblethwaite, later Hebblethwaite, the son of a Northumberland miner (we never learn his real Christian name, and he proclaims himself a Yorkshireman once or twice).
By Jove, Biggles!, a biography of Johns was published in 1981, written by Peter Berresford Ellis
and Piers Williams.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles
Biggles
"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....
.
Early life
He was born in BengeoBengeo
Bengeo is a parish in Hertfordshire, England. It is referenced in the Domesday Book, where it is called "Belingehou". It is situated on a rise between the River Beane and River Rib overlooking Hartham Common and the rest of the town of Hertford.-Name:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of a tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. His brother, Russell Ernest Johns, was born on 24 October 1895. Johns' early ambition was to be a soldier, being a crack shot with a rifle. In January 1905, he attended Hertford Grammar School (now the Richard Hale School
Richard Hale School
Richard Hale School is a boys' school located in Hertford, Hertfordshire, in the south east of England. In the 2007 – 2008 academic year the school had over 1,000 pupils, including students attending the optional sixth form, which is also open to girls....
). He also attended evening classes at the local art school.
Johns was not a natural scholar. He included some of his experiences at this school in his book Biggles Goes to School (1951). In the summer of 1907 he was apprenticed
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
to a county municipal surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
for four years and in 1912 was appointed as a sanitary inspector in Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Soon after, his father died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
at the age of 47. On 6 October 1914 Johns married Maude Penelope Hunt (1882–1961), the daughter of the Rev. John Hunt, the vicar at Little Dunham
Little Dunham
Little Dunham is a village situated in the Breckland District of Norfolk and covers an area of 749 hectares with a population of 309 as of the 2001 census...
in Norfolk. Their only son, William Earl Carmichael Johns, was born in March 1916.
War and flying
In 1913, while living in Swaffham, and working as a sanitary inspector, he enlisted in the Territorial Army as a private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk YeomanryNorfolk Yeomanry
The Norfolk Yeomanry was a regiment of the British Army.In 1901, the Norfolk Yeomanry were raised at the express wish of King Edward VII, after a gap of 33 years, and titled the King's Own Royal Regiment with the Royal cipher as their badge.In September 1915, the regiment embarked on RMS Olympic...
). The regiment was mobilised in August 1914 and was sent overseas in September 1915, embarking on RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic...
. The Norfolk Yeomanry fought at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
until December when they were withdrawn to Egypt. In September 1916 Johns transferred to the Machine Gun Corps
Machine Gun Corps
The Machine Gun Corps was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in World War I. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tanks in combat, and the branch was subsequently turned into the Tank...
. While serving on the Macedonian front
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
he was hospitalised with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. After recovering he was commissioned into the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC) in September 1917 and posted back to England for flight training.
Johns undertook his initial flying training at the short-lived airfield at Coley Park
Coley Park
Coley Park is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is largely built on the estate of a country house of the same name.-Location:...
in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, flying the Farman MF.11 Shorthorn
Farman MF.11
|-See also:-External links:* * *...
aircraft. He was then posted to No.25 Flying Training School at Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
in Norfolk, closer to where his wife Maude, and son Jack lived.
On 1 April 1918, Johns was appointed flying instructor at Marske-by-the-Sea
Marske-by-the-Sea
Marske-by-the-Sea is a village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.It is located on the coast, in an area sometimes referred to as East Cleveland, between the seaside resorts of Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea although it is not...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
. Aircraft were very unreliable in those days and he wrote off three planes in three days due to engine failure - crashing into the sea, then the sand, and then through a fellow officer’s back door. Later, he was caught in fog over the Tees, missed Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
and narrowly escaped flying into a cliff. Shooting one’s own propeller off with the synchronised
Interrupter gear
An interrupter gear is a device used on military aircraft and warships in order to allow them to target opponents without damaging themselves....
forward-mounted machine-gun was an accident, but it happened to Johns twice. The Commanding Officer at Marske was a Major Champion, known as 'Gimlet', a name used later by Johns for the hero of a series of stories. Johns served as a flying instructor until August 1918 when he transferred to the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
.
He only performed six weeks of active duty as a bomber pilot before his De Havilland DH4 was shot down, his observer Second Lieutenant Alfred Edward Amey was killed and Johns was taken prisoner on 16 September 1918; he remained imprisoned until the end of the war.
After the war, Johns remained in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
on 23 November 1920. By 1923 he had left his wife and met Doris 'Dol' May Leigh (1900–1969), daughter of Alfred Broughton Leigh. In 1924 they set up home together in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. Although he never divorced Maude Hunt, Doris Leigh was known as 'Mrs Johns' until her death.
He stayed with the RAF until 1927, retiring with the rank of Flying Officer. As a recruiting officer, Johns initially rejected T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
(of Arabia) as an RAF recruit for obviously giving a false name, but was later ordered to accept him.
Writing
W. E. Johns was an extraordinarily productive author and editor. In his 56-year writing career he penned over 160 books, including nearly one hundred Biggles books, more than sixty other novels and factual books, and scores of magazine articles and short stories. He was also a regular contributor to Modern BoyModern Boy
Modern Boy is a 2008 South Korean film.- Plot :Seoul, 1937. Lee Hae-myeong is a rich and hedonistic playboy who cares little for the Japanese colonization of his homeland. But things change when he falls in love with bar singer Jo Nan-sil, who turns out to be a member of the Korean independence...
magazine in the late 1930s as well as editing and writing for both Popular Flying and Flying
Flying (magazine)
Flying is an aviation magazine published since 1927 . It is read by pilots, aircraft owners, and aviation-oriented executives in business and general aviation markets worldwide....
in this period. His other multi-volume fiction series were:
- the 11-volume "WorralsWorralsFlight Officer Joan Worralson, better known as "Worrals", is a fictional character created by W. E. Johns, more famous for his series of books about Biggles.Worrals was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in the Second World War...
" series (1941-1950), detailing the exploits of plucky WAAF Flight Officer Joan "Worrals" Worralson (who was also the subject of three short stories); these were created at the request of the Air Ministry to inspire more young women to join the Women's Auxiliary Air ForceWomen's Auxiliary Air ForceThe Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
;
- the 10-volume "Gimlet" series (1943-1954), whose hero is the dashing British commandoCommandoIn English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
Captain Lorrington "Gimlet" KingCaptain Lorrington "Gimlet" KingCaptain Lorrington "Gimlet" King, is a character created by the British author, W.E. Johns, best known as the creator of Biggles and Worrals.The books which were published during and after World War II, are about the adventures of explorer-soldier "Gimlet" King, and his intrepid band of followers...
;
- the 6-volume "Steeley" series (1936-1939), featuring former WWI pilot turned crime-fighter Deeley Montfort Delaroy (nicknamed "Steeley");
- a 10-volume science fiction series (1954-1963) that follows the interplanetary adventures of retired RAF Group Captain Timothy 'Tiger' Clinton, his son Rex, scientist Professor Lucius Brane (who invents a spaceship powered by cosmic rays) and Brane's resourceful butler Judkins.
Besides the above-mentioned children's book series, Johns also wrote eight other books of juvenile fiction, twelve books of fiction for adults, and eight factual books, including several books on aviation, books on pirates and treasure hunting, and a book on gardening, The Passing Show.
Johns' first novel, Mossyface, was published in 1922 under the pen-name William Earle. After leaving the RAF, Johns became a newspaper air correspondent, as well as editing and illustrating books about flying. At the request of John Hammond Ltd, he created the magazine Popular Flying which first appeared in March 1932. It was in the pages of Popular Flying that Biggles first appeared.
The first Biggles book, The Camels are Coming, was published in August 1932. At first, the Biggles stories were credited to "William Earle", but later Johns adopted the more familiar byline "Capt. W. E. Johns". The rank was self-awarded; his actual rank of RAF Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
was equivalent to an army Lieutenant.
Johns edited Popular Flying and later its weekly sister Flying until the beginning of 1939. He was removed as editor because of pressure from the government as he opposed the policy of appeasement. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the propaganda value of Johns' books was seen by the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
. This opposition to appeasement is reflected in some of his books. For example, in Biggles & Co (1936) the story line revolves around German preparations for conquest. Even more advanced in his thinking, for that time, was the story Biggles Air Commodore (1937) which alludes to Japanese preparations for conquest of British colonies in the Far East.
Johns continued writing Biggles stories until his death in 1968.
The original for the character of Biggles was speculated to have been Air Commander Cecil George Wigglesworth
Cecil Wigglesworth
Cecil George Wigglesworth was an English RAF officer and cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played a first-class match for the Royal Air Force against the Royal Navy in August 1927. In 1930, he played for the Straits Settlements against the Federated Malay States in Kuala Lumpur.In the RAF he...
. Apparently Johns had known Wigglesworth in World War I.
Unique among children’s writers of the time, from 1935 Johns employed a working-class character as an equal member of the Biggles team - "Ginger" Habblethwaite, later Hebblethwaite, the son of a Northumberland miner (we never learn his real Christian name, and he proclaims himself a Yorkshireman once or twice).
By Jove, Biggles!, a biography of Johns was published in 1981, written by Peter Berresford Ellis
Peter Berresford Ellis
Peter Berresford Ellis is an English historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories...
and Piers Williams.
External links
- Website covering all W. E. Johns's books
- The Biggles Information website
- Biggles Forum Biggles Forum: Capt W. E. Johns reference and community
- W. E. Johns and Biggles on the Collecting Books and Magazines website
- wejas.org.uk, Website celebrating W E Johns - the man and his work