A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF CAPTAIN W. E. JOHNS [from http://www.wejohns.com/Biography/Biography1/] HIS EARLY LIFE: --------------- William Earl Johns (his name is often incorrectly spelt with an 'E' on the end of Earl) was born on Sunday 5th February 1893 at Mole Wood Road, Bengeo in Hertfordshire. He father, Richard Eastman Johns was a tailor and his mother Elizabeth Johns (nee Earl) was the daughter of a master butcher. Johns had a younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, who was born on 24th October 1895. Johns' early ambition was to be a soldier. In January 1905, Johns went to Hertford Grammar School (now the Richard Hale School, Hertford) where the headmaster was Major Kinman. Some of his experiences here went into his book BIGGLES GOES TO SCHOOL. Not a particularly able scholar, Johns was a crack shot with a rifle. In the summer of 1907 Johns 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. Johns soon spotted a "pretty girl" called Maude Hunt who was the daughter of the Reverend John Hunt, a vicar at Little Dunham. Maude was actually eleven years older than Johns. On 4th October 1913, Johns joined the Territorial Army as a Private in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry). This was a cavalry regiment so Johns had his own horse. In August 1914 the Great War began and Johns' regiment was mobilised. Johns later wrote that he "galloped down the drive to what, in my youthful folly, I supposed was going to be death or glory. I had yet to learn that in war there is plenty of death but little glory; that in war only death is real; that glory is simply gilt and tinsel to wrap around the other so that it looks less like what it really is". Like many other couples, faced with an uncertain future, Bill Johns and Maude Hunt got married on Tuesday 6th October 1914. His brother, Russell was his best man. Johns' regiment was in training and on home defence duties until September 1915 when they received embarkation orders for duty overseas. THE FIRST WORLD WAR: -------------------- Travelling in the SS Olympic to Gallipoli, Johns' regiment went to fight alongside the ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) against the Turks and the Germans. Disease was the biggest problems for Johns' regiment but he served under fire in the trenches until the regiment was withdrawn in December 1915. Johns was to recount a number of tales of instant death from these times. Sent initially to Alexandria, the regiment next went to form part of the defences to the Suez Canal. On 18th March 1916, Maude gave birth to Johns' son who was christened William Earl Carmichael Johns but known as 'Jack' to distinguish him from his father. Johns trained as a machine gunner and was transferred on 1st September 1916 to a new force, (only founded in October 1915), the Machine Gun Corps. He was also promoted to Lance Corporal. After brief leave in England, Johns was then sent to Salonika in Greece. Here he served in the trenches and fought in a number of battles. In April 1917 he took part in the spring offensive. Johns came down with malaria and whilst in hospital in Salonika he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps. On 26th September 1917, Johns was granted a temporary commission as Second Lieutenant and posted back to England to learn to fly. Johns learnt to fly at No. 1 School of Aeronautics at Reading, taught by a Captain Ashton. He learnt in "an old Rumpity"; a Maurice Farman Shorthorn and many of his experiences were to go into the book BIGGLES LEARNS TO FLY. Johns had an aptitude for flying and soon went solo, but stalled and crashed on his first flight. On 20th January 1918, Johns was posted to No. 25 Flying Training School at Theford, close to where his wife and son lived. A Home Establishment posting sounds very cushy but in fact Flying School was dangerous. People crashed and died on a weekly basis and sometimes there were fatalities on a daily basis. There are many astonishing tales of death and disaster from this time, which make fascinating reading. Johns himself had a number of spectacular crashes and forced landings from failed engines. He once wrote off three planes in three days due to engine failure and the planes he destroyed must number in double figures. Had he been a German pilot he would have been an Ace! (For that was the status granted to German pilots who destroyed 10 enemy aircraft). It has to be said that this was not uncommon and many planes were destroyed by various accidents. In April 1918, Johns was posted to Marske-on-Sea in Yorkshire. The CO here was a Major Champion, who was nicknamed 'Gimlet', a nickname Johns was to later borrow for one of his characters. On 20th July 1918, Johns received notification that he was being posted to the front in France. BIGGLES GOES TO WAR: -------------------- It is a common misconception that William Earl Johns was a fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps. In fact, on 1st April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps had merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the Royal Air Force and Johns was actually a bomber pilot. Johns effectively posted himself to No. 55 (Day) Bombing Squadron stationed at Azelot, near Nancy in France. Here they shared an airfield with No. 99 Squadron and No. 104 Squadron. No. 55 Squadron was equipped with De Havilland DH4 aircraft. These two-seater aircraft were heavy bombers with 275 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. They were nicknamed "flaming coffins" because the petrol tank was between the pilot and his rear observer and a good target for enemy aircraft. It has to be said that life expectancy was low for many First World War pilots. At one stage, average life expectancy was 11 days. Johns arrived in late July 1918 (although due to various paperwork problems he wasn't officially posted to the squadron until 21st August 1918). Johns only had to last until 11th November 1918 and the war would be over but such was the nature of his job, that like many others, he didn't make it. He flew on numerous bombing raids on an almost daily basis and had a number of close shaves with enemy aircraft. It was on Monday 16th September 1918 that Johns "failed to return". The night before had been spent in Nancy but for various reasons he got lost on the return journey and stopped at a magnificent French house at 3.00 a.m. to ask for directions. Here he met a beautiful French girl and was able to spend some time with her. She was to become the inspiration for the love of Biggles' life, Marie Janis in THE CAMELS ARE COMING. On Monday 16th September 1918, whilst flying in formation on a bombing raid to Mannheim, Johns, together with his observer and rear gunner, 2nd Lt. A. E. Amey, were hit by German anti aircraft fire ("archie") and their fuel tank holed. Forced to drop out of formation they were then easy prey for a dozen or so German fighters and shot to pieces. Amey was killed and Johns hit in the thigh and had his goggles smashed by bullets. Eventually his engine was hit and stopped, spraying petrol vapour everywhere. The flames held off and Johns crashed in a German field and passed out. Coming round, Johns was able to get out of the plane but couldn't get Amey's body out. He was captured by the Germans and given a rough time, due to the recent bombing of a Sunday school and the death of a number of local children. The pilots who shot him down came to see him and he was treated with great camaraderie. The pilot who claimed to have eventually got him wore the Blue Max and in later years, Johns became convinced he had been shot down by Ernst Udet, the famous German Ace who scored 62 kills (second only to the infamous Red Baron who scored 80). This cannot be correct, as Udet was not there at that time. Johns was sentenced to be shot by a firing squad, but this was never carried out and he was sent to a Strasbourg gaol. After an initial escape attempt here, he was sent to another camp at Landshut, 30 miles east of Munich. From here he escaped, towards the end of October 1918, and was at liberty for four or five days before being recaptured whilst stealing apples. He was then transferred to a 'bad boys' camp at Ingolstadt and it was whilst Johns was here that the war ended on 11th November 1918. Johns returned to his family on Christmas Day 1918, much to their astonishment as he had been listed as missing and they had presumed that he had been killed, until the moment he walked through the door. BACK TO CIVILIAN LIFE: ---------------------- After the war, Johns didn't want to return to life as a sanitary inspector but wanted to stay in the Royal Air Force. However, the Armed Forces were being drastically reduced to peacetime levels. Initially Johns was posted as a flying instructor to Cranwell but by 11th April 1919 he was transferred to the 'Unemployed List' which meant no pay. His marriage to his wife Maude, was breaking down. Maude had developed acute arthritis and Jack was a sickly child. Johns took up painting, a childhood hobby, until on 23rd November 1920 he was reinstated on the RAF Active List for a three-year commission and promoted to the new RAF rank of full Lieutenant. He was sent to join the Inspectorate of Recruiting in London's Covent Garden and the family moved to Lancaster Gate. It was here that Johns recruited 'John Hume Ross' into the RAF. Hume was really Lawrence of Arabia. Johns actually rejected Lawrence because he didn't like his attitude but was forced to take him by higher authority. Between 1921 and 1924, Johns claims that he spent time serving in Iraq and India, but his RAF records do not show that he served outside the UK. Friends from that time have said that Johns did not serve in Iraq and India and he was simply 'gilding the lily'. Speaking of which, this may be the appropriate time to mention that Johns' title 'Captain' was self-imposed. If asked, he would say it was his old RFC rank, but Johns was a 'Flying Officer' which was the equivalent of Lieutenant. It appears that Johns gave himself a promotion purely because children would more easily understand what a Captain was, rather than a 'Flying Officer'. It is not known whether Johns really did serve in India and Iraq, or whether he merely picked up stories from other officers who had served there. His books, a number of which are set in those countries, certainly have the ring of authenticity about them, as if they were written by someone who was familiar with those countries. Johns also produced artwork from those places, which may indicate his claims are true, but the real truth is something of a mystery. In 1922 Johns wrote his first novel, "MOSSYFACE". It was published by the Weekly Telegraph Novel under the pseudonym William Earle (Johns adding the "E"). In 1923 his RAF commission was extended another four years and Johns was in Birmingham working on RAF recruitment. By this time, his wife and son had moved back to live with her father, the Reverend Hunt, the marriage having completely broken down. Johns wanted a divorce, but the Reverend would have none of it and Maude wouldn't go against her father's wishes. Whilst living in a hotel in Hackney Road, Edgbaston, Johns got friendly with the Leigh family next door. He fell in love with Doris May Leigh (born 6th September 1900) and explained his situation to her. When Johns was posted to Newcastle, Doris went with him, calling herself Doris Johns, they were inseparable until the day he died. Johns continued to pay for his wife and son's upkeep as well as for nurses to look after Maude. ILLUSTRATOR AND AUTHOR: ----------------------- In 1927, Johns' commission in the RAF was coming to an end and Johns had started making a living by selling his artwork to various magazines such as the Illustrated London News. He specialised in aviation art. Johns moved to Lingfield in Sussex to a cottage with a studio. Doris's family moved nearby and her brother Howard Leigh, then 18, joined Johns to learn to be an artist as well. Howard Leigh was to become a famous aviation artist, and illustrated many of the Biggles books. Johns began selling aviation illustrations to THE MODERN BOY magazine, published by Amalgamated Press from 11th February 1928 and soon after started writing aviation articles. These were initially credited to 'Our Aviation Expert' but by 1930, were being credited to Flying Officer Johns. In 1931, Johns edited two books, THE MODERN BOY'S BOOK OF AIRCRAFT and WINGS: A BOOK OF FLYING ADVENTURES. John Hamilton Ltd, a publisher that specialised in aviation books, published the latter. Johns then illustrated THE PICTORIAL FLYING COURSE with text by Harry Schofield. A few months later Johns wrote FIGHTING PLANES AND ACES. John Hamilton Ltd decided to launch a new aviation magazine and they asked Johns to edit it. POPULAR FLYING, aimed at an adult market, was first published on 16th March 1932 (cover dated April 1932). Wanting to write authentic stories about flying in the Great War, Johns decided to create a fictional airman for the first issue and James Bigglesworth, known as 'Biggles' was born. Biggles first appeared in Popular Flying Volume 1, No 1, April 1932 credited as being written by 'William Earle'. If you click on the turquoise 'Popular Flying' above you will find a list of all his appearances in the magazine. In August 1932, John Hamilton published a collection of Biggles stories as THE CAMELS ARE COMING. This was the first Biggles book and Biggles was to become a British Institution. THE INTER-WAR YEARS: -------------------- As editor of POPULAR FLYING magazine, Johns was an outspoken critic of the Government's air policy in the 1930's. Appeasement could only lead to war and of course, he was right. The monthly 'Popular Flying' soon became the best selling aviation magazine in the world. By 1934, its circulation was 24,500 a month. In 1935, John Hamilton sold Popular Flying Ltd, as it then was, to George Newnes Ltd and Johns was asked to stay on as editor. Johns also began to contribute regular articles to 'My Garden' magazine and his regular column was called 'The Passing Show'. In 1937 Doris and Bill Johns moved to Colley Chase, Reigate Hill, Surrey. On 2nd April 1938, George Newnes Ltd launched a sister paper to 'Popular Flying'. It was a weekly magazine called 'Flying' and Johns was asked to edit that as well. It took many of the spill over articles for which there was no room in the monthly. From 19th February 1938, Johns was also writing a regular weekly column for 'The Modern Boy' called 'Let's Look Around'. As well as all these commitments, Johns was also writing books at an astonishing rate, some 40 between 1931 and 1939!. He wrote many short stories, both for adult magazines as well as for juvenile ones and many of these stories were later collected into books. Johns' continued attacks on the Government upset prominent politicians and they brought pressure to bear on George Newnes Ltd to have him removed as editor of both of their flying magazines. His last editorial for the weekly 'Flying' magazine was on 21st January 1939. Both magazines were to later fold during the Wartime paper shortages. THE SECOND WORLD WAR: --------------------- At 46 Johns was too old for active service. Johns became a lecturer to the Air Defence Cadet Corp (later to become the Air Training Corps in 1941). His biggest contribution to the War was the encouragement of young men to train to be pilots by virtue of his Biggles books. Recognising this, the Air Ministry asked Johns to create a female counter-part to aid recruitment to the W.A.A.F. (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) and so Worrals appeared in 1941. The War Office didn't want to be left out of this excellent recruiting method and so in 1943, commando officer Gimlet appeared. The effect of Johns' books is not to be underestimated. Many pilots were to say that their inspiration had been the Biggles books of W. E. Johns. On 3rd October 1939, Johns' son, Jack, married Sabena Hammond, a nurse who looked after his mother. In 1941 John Hamilton Ltd ceased trading, effectively being bombed out of business. Doris' brother Howard Leigh, the artist, died at the age of 32 of cancer on 6th February 1942. Doris was worried about the Johns' business dealings. At this time, he wrote and sold his Biggles books for a one off payment of £250 and received no royalties. She persuaded him to employ a literary agent and Johns went to see Peter Watt of A. P. Watt. Their first move was to persuade Oxford University Press to give Johns royalty payments but the phenomenal sales that Biggles books were to achieve did not really happen until after the Second World War, so they chose to let the books be taken over by Hodder and Stoughton. In the Autumn of 1944, after 5 years of bombing, Doris and Bill Johns moved to Pitchroy Lodge, Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire. The September 1944 issue of 'My Garden' magazine carried no Johns column for the first time since 1936 and in February 1947 Johns wrote his last article for that periodical called 'The Show has Passed' to explain his departure. THE POST WAR YEARS: ------------------- Johns continued to write his books. For the post-war Biggles stories, Biggles was to join the 'Air Police' which was not an original Johns' idea. The Air Police had been created by writer, John Templer, author of 'Jaggers of the Air Police' in 1936). Templer was a friend and former business partner of Johns. Johns sold serial rights to various newspapers and magazines as well as one-off stories to the vast number of children's annuals being published. Compilations of these stories were regularly published in book form. In 1953, Johns moved back from Scotland to a mansion at Park House, Hampton Court, which overlooked the Royal Paddock. Johns often saw and heard the Queen and her family. On 15th March 1954, Johns' son, Jack, died from a combination of multiple sclerosis, diabetes and tuberculosis. Jack's mother was not to die until 1st April 1961. By this time, it was not really possible for Doris and Bill Johns to marry without creating a scandal because it would reveal that they were not married. A scandal would have damaged Johns' reputation and also his book sales. The post-war years saw the sale of translation rights to the Biggles books to many countries. They were extremely successful. In 1954, Johns wrote the first of a series of science fiction stories and as a result stopped writing Worrals and Gimlet stories. By 1964, the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook placed Biggles books 29th on a list of the most translated books in the world and Biggles was the most popular juvenile hero in the world. However, sales in North America were low and Johns never really cracked the American market. The books were considered just 'too British'. Biggles stories were serialised on the radio and also appeared in 1960 in a television series (although Johns' actual stories were not used). In the mid 1960's Johns began to face criticism that his books were racist and sexist as well as jingoistic although anybody who has read all of the books knows that such criticisms cannot be sustained. It was on the 21st June 1968 at 8.30 a.m. that William Earl Johns (born 5th February 1893) stopped mid-sentence, whilst writing 'Biggles Does Some Homework' in order to make himself and Doris a cup of tea. He went upstairs to her and sat in his armchair and suffered a fatal heart attack and died immediately. He was 75 years old. Doris was to die on 26th September 1969 from cancer.