November
1936
Volume
5 Number 8 (56 of 88)
This issue of Popular Flying magazine features NO “Biggles” story. The last “Biggles” story was published in the May 1934 issue
Contents
This issue runs from page 385 to page 440 (56 pages)
Page 386 – Contents Page
(The contents page is by a advert for cigarettes but does not have the usual aircraft related photograph with it)
Page
388 – The More We Are Together – Bulldogs of the Bristol breed flying “on the
sunny side” near London during the recent air operations
Page
389 – The Editor’s Cockpit – W. E. Johns
(Subtitled
– Here and There – “My wife maintains that the most dignified way of arriving
at a place is by private yacht – always assuming, of course, that there is a
drop or two of water handy. She may be
right. I have never arrived anywhere by
private yacht ……….” Johns talks about
the speed and efficiency of air travel and his three week holiday. He has visited the grave of Richard the
Lionheart and asks “How many people in the land for which he fought could name
his grave? Not on in ten thousand. No, I’m not going to tell you where it is”.
NB
- For the curious, I understand that his brain was buried at the abbey of
Charroux in Poitou, his heart was buried at Rouen in Normandy and the rest of
his body was buried at the feet of his father at Fontevraund Abbey in Anjou
Johns goes on to talk about women. “I know very little about women. There have been times when I thought I
should like to know more. That I ought
to know more, in fact ……There are many things a woman can do and still remain
what poets have so often told us women are.
Flying is one of them. Go to it,
madam. We’d sooner be left guessing
about what is underneath your Sidcot than have it flaunted, mud bespattered, in
our faces.”
Page
391 – Facts about the Record and Equipment
(“On
28th September (1936) Squadron Leader F. R. D. Swaine of the Royal
Air Force established a new World’s altitude record with a height of 49,967
feet”)
Page
392 – The Johannesburg Air Race – Charles W. A. Scott (Aviation Editor of the
“News Chronicle”)
Page
395 – Air Fighting in Spain – Charles Kennett
(“who
has just returned to England after fighting for a month in the Spanish Air
Force”)
Page
397 – Aviation as a Career – From a Woman’s Point of View – Pauline Gower
(The
author explains why it is “a career to which are temperamentally suited. Piloting needs little physical strength, and
indeed is the better for a light hand.
I would add here that a woman who knows herself to be excitable,
hysterical or nervous should never take up aviation; and a word to the
absent-minded would not be out of place.
A moment’s mental aberration may cause not only inconvenience, but loss
of life”)
Page
399 – Modern Aircraft – The A. S. 6 “Envoy” Series II
Page
400 – The Growth of Civil Aviation in India – I. G. P. Singh
Page
404 – The British Burnelli Aeroplane – William Courtenay
Page
406 – Shooting the ‘Chute – Parachute Jumping as a Sport – H. and B. von Roemer
(adapted by Carmichael Earl (John’s son)
(This
article about parachuting and using trainer towers abroad has the ominous
sentence “With the increasing number of large-capacity troop-carriers available
in all the major air forces of the world, the parachute landing of troops in
enemy territories is becoming every year a more practical proposition ……….”)
Page
408 – Would You Believe It? – Nigel Tangye
(This
article is about the development of Civil Aviation since 1919)
Page 411 – Pick Your Stars – Shots from the
new films
(The
shots are from “The Sky Parade” and “It’s in the Air”)
Pages
412 and 413 – The Centre Pages – Official Squadron Crests of the Royal Air
Force
Page 414 – Heinrich Gontermann – Pour le Merite – A German Balloon Specialist – John Hook
Page
416 – My Most Thrilling Flight – Flight-Lieut W. E. Knowlden
(This account was not published in 1936 in the book ‘Thrilling Flights’)
Page 418 – Flying Wires – Interesting News from All Quarters
(Still
no mention of the Spitfire)
Page
419 – More Memories – The Coward – W. E. J(ohns)
(This is Johns account of how a new recruit – Seeley – is too scared to fight as John’s rear gunner and is eventually sent home. But later Johns recalls seeing him in hospital – dying - and he finds out how Seeley had returned to the front and fought in an aircraft with extreme bravery. Was Seeley his real name? If so, was the name the inspiration for Johns character “Steeley”? (two “Steeley” books were published in 1936 and the following three books in the series were published in 1937, 1938 and 1939). This incident is certainly the inspiration behind the short story “The Funk” published in ‘Biggles of the Camel Squadron’ in 1934 where “Harcourt” is the coward who later fights like a demon.)
Page 422 – The Air Mail – Francis J. Field
Page 423 – A “Shell” Advert celebrating “9 ½ Miles Up” – the World’s Height Record Using Shell Lubricating Oil”
Page 424 – Under the Windstocking
(“Readers’ Correspondence, conducted by the
Editor”)
Page 432 – The Aviation Bookshelf
(Four books are reviewed – including “Biggles in Africa”
by W. E. Johns
“In his latest Biggles story W. E. J. has taken his popular hero, and his companions, to the Dark Continent – as may be gathered from the title. Harry Marton sets off on a record-breaking flight to the Cape, but fails to arrive, and mystery surrounds his fate. A year later Biggles is commissioned by Mr. Marton senior to find his missing son, or the wreck of his machine. Biggles goes, and quickly finds himself involved in a much grimmer undertaking than he expected. He was prepared to find adventures in Africa, but not quite so many as he actually encountered. Biggles fans will welcome this rattling good story, which is well up to the standard of the previous ones. J.C. E.”) (John’s son)
Page 437 – News Items
(This refers to the Three Countries Air Race at Hereford on the 18th September amongst other items)
Page 440 – The Buyers’ Log
Back Cover – An Advert for “Men Only” “By Men! For Men! About Men!
(This
is a magazine to which W. E. Johns
regularly contributed but in the 1930’s did not feature the naked ladies that
the title tends to bring to mind)
Click here
to see a much larger picture of the cover artwork – the artist is Howard Leigh
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