BIGGLES PRESSES ON

More Adventures of Biggles and the Special Air Police

by Captain W. E. Johns

10. MISCHIEF BY MOONLIGHT (Pages 171 – 181)

This story was originally published in THE BOY’S BOOK OF SCOUTING AND THE OPEN AIR (1956) by Edmund Ward (Publishers) Ltd and ran from pages 10 to 20 in that book. There are some minor differences between the original version and the version in Biggles Presses On as noted in the summary below.

“Listen to this”. Air Detective-Inspector Bigglesworth read from a letter he had just opened.

“Five Elms Farm, Shingleton, Suffolk, (Shingleton is a fictional town),

“You may remember me – Corporal Norden, Driver Petrol, (the word “petrol” is the same word in both versions of the story so doesn’t appear to be a typing error. While there isn't a rank called "Driver Petrol," the role of a "Petroleum Operator" exists in the Royal Logistic Corps, responsible for managing fuel supplies for troops), who served in your squadron during the War. I am now back at the family business of farming, at the above address.

Seeing in the paper the other day that you are now head of the Air Police, I thought I’d drop you a line to let you know that something queer in the flying line is going on here, on my land. As it’s rather a long story I think you’d better run down and see for yourself. Fly down if you like; there’s plenty of room to land, as someone else has discovered. I’d come to see you, but at the moment I’m single-handed and am busy with the lambs.

Yours respectfully,

John Norden, ex R.A.F.

P.S. I attach sketch map showing my place and the landing ground”.

“I remember Norden,” said Ginger. “Nice chap. Intelligent type”. Biggles nodded. “His flying experience might put him on the track of something an ordinary man might miss. It’s a fine day. Let’s waffle along and see what it’s all about. Get the Auster out”. In a little over half an hour the Police Auster lands in the pasture marked on the map and after greetings had been exchanged Biggles asks “What’s going on?” Norden leads them to the far side of the field and the only building in sight is “a derelict windmill with one tattered arm pointing at the sky”. (In the original published version this line read “a derelict windmill with tattered arms). Beyond that is the North Sea. Norden says “You see that stick in line with the old mill, near the edge of the rushes. I put it there a couple of days ago to mark the spot where a plane landed during the night”. Norden explains this was not the first time. One day in February, about daylight, when the ground was white from a sharp frost he noticed the wheel marks of a plane. They began and ended in the field, so whatever it was must have dropped out of the sky. Exactly a month later, the same happened with the frost on the ground showing the marks. Norden remembers it as the moon was full. Two nights ago, Norden heard the plane land but it had gone by the time he got there. “All I could find was a little patch of oil that must have seeped from the engine. I stuck my stick in it – where you can see it now. I’m getting fed up with people using my ground for an aerodrome without paying landing fees, so I thought I’d drop you a line”. Biggles nodded. “Quite right. It’s pretty obvious that dirty work is going on. Aircraft still occasionally make forced landings; but for that to happen three times at the same place doesn’t sound like an accident to me”. “Nor me,” rejoined Norden. “I thought of stretching a wire across the field to trip the blighter up, but then I realized I might kill a chap making a genuine forced landing”. Biggles asks Norden if he measured the width of the landing track as it might identify the plane, but Norden didn’t think to do so. While Biggles is speaking, Ginger circles the spot where the plane had landed and he finds an early Australian stamp. Biggles puts the stamp in his wallet. They all walk over to the old abandoned mill. “Entering it, Biggles looked askance at the crumbling steps that led to the upper part; then, treading warily, he led the way up to a small octagonal chamber well festooned with cobwebs”. There were two windows. Over one, facing inland, hung a piece of black material which Ginger took to be a war-time blackout curtain. The other overlooked the sea. The glass was filthy. The middle pane was missing. Biggles says they might as well be getting back to headquarters. “Should there be any more landings before you hear from me again, Norden, you might ring me up at Scotland Yard”. “I will,” promised the farmer, as they descended. “By the way,” concluded Biggles, pointing to the track, “do you ever use this?” “No. It hasn’t been used since the mill was closed, as far as I know,” replied Norden, as they walked on towards the Auster.

“What’s the next move?” asked Ginger, when, shortly after lunch, they returned to Biggles’ office. Biggles suggests they find out how much the stamp is worth. “That shouldn’t take long,” averred Ginger, reaching for a well-known catalogue and quickly thumbing the pages. (The well-known catalogue must be the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue). Ginger informs Biggles that the book value is seven hundred pounds because only a few examples are known to exist. Inspector Gaskin is called in and asked if he has any record of valuable postage stamps going astray recently. “Too true I have”, he says. “Nice little lot worth five thousand quid disappeared with the family silver and jewels from Nutsford Grange a week or two ago”. Gaskin rings Colonel Rushby, who owns the Grange, at Biggles’ request to ask if his collection included an early olive green Australian catalogued at seven hundred pounds and if so, would he describe the mounts he used? This telephone call confirms the stamp belongs to Colonel Rushby. Biggles explains to Gaskin where he got the stamp and says he has reason to believe that the rest of the collection is somewhere in Europe, probably broken up. “What I suspect is this,” he concluded. “You’ve got a new kind of “fence” (in the original version of the story, this word has an * by it and a footnote reads ‘Slang for dealer in stolen property’. There is no such explanation in the book version) to deal with; one who has realized the possibilities of an aeroplane for moving stuff abroad without irritating Customs formalities. In a word, there’s a shuttle service working across the North Sea. The end of it over this side is on Norden’s farm in Suffolk. It’s perfect for the job”. Biggles says that they will have to be on the spot the next time the plane lands and that will be “May the seventh”. (In the original version of the story this is expressed as “7^th May” but not in the book version). Biggles ask Gaskin to come along with them; “bring one or two of your strong men”. After Gaskin has gone, Ginger asks Biggles how he worked that out. Biggles shrugged. “You saw what I saw, and heard what I heard”. Biggles explains that the plane is coming on the night of a full moon and the next one is May the seventh. The pilot has a confederate at the old mill to show a light and possibly signal all clear. The line between the mill and the five elms that give the farm its name are both ready-made landmarks for a pilot making an approach from the sea. The window in the mill that can be seen from the farm is blacked out and the one looking out to sea has been broken. Finally, the track leading to the mill had been used recently by a vehicle as some briars have been dragged, and the leaves torn off.

“There is little more to be said, except that events were to prove that Biggles’ deductions had been correct”. On the night of May seventh (In the original version of the story this is again expressed as “7^th May” but not in the book version), the night with its full moon was fine and clear. Biggles, Ginger and Gaskin were waiting in a convenient ‘hide’ and the Inspector’s men posted at strategical points. At eleven o’clock a car, showing no lights, arrives and the driver takes a heavy suitcase into the mill. Half an hour passes and then the distant drone of a low-flying aircraft can be heard. The beam of a torch starts winking from the upper seaward-facing window of the mill. The aircraft, showing no lights comes in to land. The man in the mill emerges only to be arrested and handcuffed by Biggles and Gaskin. In the torchlight, Gaskin recognises the man as “Charlie”, a professional ‘fence’, well known to the police. The plane lands and the pilot climbs out and is confronted by Biggles. His hand goes to his pocket but Biggles has his gun out first. “I wouldn’t try anything like that,” warned Biggles grimly. The man says “Okay, I know when I’m beat”. “So ended the affair at Five Elms Farm”. The suitcase contained the spoils of several burglaries. The pilot turned out to be a deserter from the United States Air Force who, with the help of two member of his squadron, stationed in Germany, actually had the audacity to use a service machine for his criminal purposes. He went to prison. “As Biggles remarked to his old corporal after it was all over, it might be a good thing if more farmers did a spell in the Royal Air Force. (In the original version of the story this is expressed with an exclamation mark at the end, but not in the book version).