Biggles Question?

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Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 9

I own a book callled Biggles Flies Again, circa 1934 ish?, in it Biggles and co fly around in a plane callled a Vickers Vandal, I have seached but cannot find a plane of this name, the closest I can find, that looks like the picture in the book is a Walrus. Is this Biggles actual plane??

Original post

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 1,558

Having had a large collection of Biggles now with my son 90% of the types mentioned did'nt exist .Capt W.E.Johns was a very inventfull chap.

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

But this Sunderland certainly existed. It is from my 1954 copy of "Biggles cuts it fine".

Laurence

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc39/apollo-fox/biggles1.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc39/apollo-fox/biggles2.jpg

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 1,433

Wonderful artwork, but of course not by Johns. Some of the earliest covers were by him. Later they were illustrated by Howard Leigh. After Leigh's death in 1942, they were illlustrated by a number of well-known artists including Leslie Stead, who I think would have been responsible for these.

W. E. Johns probably drew on his knowledge as editor of 'Popular Flying' and 'Flying' in the 1930s to compose fictional types which fitted his stories better than the real thing. Once WW2 started, Johns it can be guessed, realised that more people knew more about individual aircraft types and started to again weave real aeroplanes into the plot.

Some great info on the great man, and some of the wonderful 1930s book and magazine cover art can be found at: www.wejohns.com

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

Hello L&S.
Yes, the illustrations are credited to 'Studio' Stead.

Laurence

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

At the Biggles Forum we have often discussed the Vandal in particular. WEJ was great at making up aircraft, but often it seems he had a type in mind. Like the Supermarine Walrus. Though it is often interesting when he used standard types like the Sunderland. Certainly as a kid it was exciting when WEJ put together the latest plane for the mission! Amphibians rule though.

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

This is a model of the vandal made by one of the biggles forum members:

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y484/vickersvandal/IMG_0050_zpsc466fb76.jpg

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Was there really an episode entitled "Biggles' Flies Undone" ?

Moggy

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

Isn't that a Monty Python sketch? :)

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Fun, but I think a paintjob on the Matchbox Supermarine Walrus kit is just a bit anachronistic. :)

The Vickers Vandal was one of W.E. Johns' made-up interwar types, and in the internal chronology, by the mid 30s was a bit long in the tooth, rather than a brand-new military-only production type!

What he was thinking of was probably more like a member of the Supermarine Sea Lion family, or more likely Supermarine Seagull I to III (the fore-runners of the Seagull V, which became the Walrus) but most probably the Vickers Viking family.

While Vandal sounds odd to us, the Vikings and Vandals were both groups who travelled as well as raping & pillaging! Vickers also had a Vulcan and Vagabond, so such an odd (to us) seeming name isn't actually all that outré.

And remember what the Rover cars logo represented...

Regards,

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

Quote from Wikipedia:
Biggles was parodied in a series of skits on the 1970s British comedy television show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, including one titled "Biggles Dictates a Letter"
"The fictional title Biggles Flies Undone was mentioned at the end of "Biggles Dictates a Letter", but it was never produced."

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

What he was thinking of was probably more like a member of the Supermarine Sea Lion family, or more likely Supermarine Seagull I to III (the fore-runners of the Seagull V, which became the Walrus) but most probably the Vickers Viking family.

Sounds spot on to me :D

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 1,566

Was there really an episode entitled "Biggles' Flies Undone" ?

Moggy

No but there should have been. :D

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 5,927

When I read the mention of 'Biggles' Flies Undone', I went off in search of the copy of 'The Brand New Monty Python Papperbok' which I had but, as I cannot find it on my shelves, I must assume that I've disposed of - at some time over the last forty years! I did so because I believed that the 'Biggles' Flies Undone' story appears in that. Having googled the book's title, I note that the wikipedia mentions 'Biggles' as part of the book's content but does not expand on that. Elsewhere there is reference to the book containing a story entitled 'Biggles Flies Down'. Maybe someone with a copy of this book could consult it to ascertain what it contains vis a vis Biggles?

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

Well, at least "Biggles Takes it Rough" was a real title.

Member for

11 years 3 months

Posts: 150

Have gone through all my Dale Brown books again, Looks like i might have to dig the old Biggles books out of the loft and have a read of them again for old times sake!

Member for

11 years 7 months

Posts: 15

Have gone through all my Dale Brown books again, Looks like i might have to dig the old Biggles books out of the loft and have a read of them again for old times sake!

Jolly good idea old bean, they always strike me as being an awful lot better than I remember them when I pick one up for old times sake :)