BIGGLES PRESSES ON

More Adventures of Biggles and the Special Air Police

by Captain W. E. Johns

11. THE CASE OF THE STOLEN TRUCK (Pages 182 – 192)

“It was purely by chance that Biggles ran into Inspector Gaskin in one of the corridors near his office”. “Hello, Inspector,” greeted Biggles, cheerfully. “Why so glum?” Are you off to dig your grave, or something?” “I might as well,” growled the detective. “What’s biting you now?” “Oh, it’s these truck bandits at it again”. Gaskin explains that a truck was pinched last night carrying ten tons of potatoes. Biggles burst out laughing. “Even if the crooks only get ten pound a ton for ‘em that’s a hundred quid – not to be sniffed at for a night’s work if you can get away with it" says Gaskin. Gaskin says that crooks have a market for everything and the truck may just be abandoned somewhere – empty, of course – or it can end up at one of these shady scrap yards where it’s broken up for spare parts. Biggles is sorry he can’t help, then he thinks that he can help as he “can see more than you can, at a glance, from up topsides”. Going to the Inspector’s department, they look at a map of the Great North Road. “Here’s A.1., otherwise the main road north”. Gaskin points out Stamford and twenty-one miles north, Grantham. The truck vanished somewhere in that sector. The driver had stopped for a break and was not away from the truck for more than a quarter of an hour. When he realised the truck had been stolen, he phoned the police at both Grantham and Stanford, but the truck did not arrive at either. “Somewhere on that stretch of road the truck must have turned off,” said Gaskin. “On the east side you have Lincolnshire. To the west, Rutland and Leicestershire”. Biggles suspects the truck has been hidden and suggests he should look round from the air. Gaskin says the truck is “Dark red, with a black tarpaulin over the load. The number is XKZ 969. (To my amazement, a quick check on the Internet on August Bank Holiday 2025 shows that this number plate is available to buy from https://www.carreg.co.uk/reg-search/xkz969 for £399!). The name of the company that owns the truck, Long Loco Ltd., is painted on the bonnet”. Gaskins adds “Lunch is on me if you find that lorry”. Biggles returns to his office to explain the situation to his team. Said Algy, with cutting sarcasm, “With several thousand trucks whistling up and down that road, how are you going to spot the one you’re looking for?” “For being so pessimistic about it you can stay here and hold the fort till I come back,” answered Biggles. “Ring the Ops. Room and tell them to pull out the Auster, top up the tanks and get her warmed up. Bertie, Ginger, grab your caps. This is urgent”. “Why all this fuss about a few spuds?” demanded Algy. “If we can find ‘em Gaskin pays for lunch,” Biggles tells him. Inside five minutes, the Air Police car is on its way to the airport and Biggles tells Ginger and Bertie what has happened and what his plan is. “We’ll quarter the whole area within forty or fifty miles of where it disappeared, looking for anything that looks like a black tarpaulin”. Biggles recognises that the lorry may be camouflaged from the ground but it is unlikely to be camouflaged from the air. At the airport, Biggles takes off and heads for the Great North Road with its teeming traffic. They follow it to Stamford then take the east side first. “Then began one of those tedious flights know to air survey units and photographic pilots. Up and down, turn, and down again parallel. This went on for an hour and yielded nothing more than an occasional false alarm when, Biggles having taken the machine low, the object turned out to be a farm vehicle”. Searching to the west, the same procedure was followed, up and down, round, down and up, with an occasional low turn over a wood or a track. It was over a wooden lane that dived at an angle from a secondary road that Ginger let out a cry. “Steady! Take her back over that piece you’ve just covered”. There is something black in a gravel pit just off the lane. Landing in a field nearby, they go to investigate and find the missing lorry, still loaded. Even before they reached the truck, they could see it was the one they were seeking. The name on the bonnet and the registration number confirmed it. There was no one there. “This’ll kill Gaskin,” said Biggles grinning. “I don’t think he took me seriously. I thought there was just a chance we might spot it but I wouldn’t have bet on it. Well – well!” Biggles says that he and Ginger will watch the lorry so it doesn’t disappear again and Bertie can fly back home. Biggles tells him “As soon as you’re in the air call the Yard and give Gaskin the pin-point. Tell him to get here as quickly as he can”. Biggles and Ginger find a seat in some bushes close at hand and the day wears on. After six o’clock, a car arrives. A young man, roughly dressed, gets out and surveys the scene. He then waves the car in and two more men get out. “One carried spare registration number plates. The other, a pot of paint, which turned out to be dark green, and some brushes”. “Sit still,” breathed Biggles in Ginger’s ear. “This is how it’s done. In half an hour you won’t recognize that truck”. Biggles adds “I’d rather wait than rush things and have a fist-fight with those three toughs who may have coshes in their pockets”. As the men finish the painting, Ginger hear noises which they presume are Gaskin looking for the track. Biggles sends Ginger to the road to stop him in case he goes past then Biggles goes to confront the villains. “This your truck?” asked Biggles, casually. A man answered “Yes”. “Funny place to choose to paint it” says Biggles. “What’s that got to do with you?” rasped one of the men. “This is private ground,” announced Biggles. “So what? We’re just going, anyway”. Biggles shook his head. “You’re going, but not where you think”. “What are you talking about?” “I’m a police officer and you’re under arrest for taking this truck without asking the owner’s permission,” stated Biggles, imperturbably. One of the men whipped out a short length of lead pipe but another gasps “Look out! Cops!” He darted off, but Biggles put out a foot and he fell heavily. Biggles himself then had to retire, fighting off the other two as they tried to reach their car. Then suddenly, it was all over. Dark figures materialized in the gloom. There were some blows, a scuffle, some heavy breathing, then a lull. “Nice work, Bigglesworth,” said the voice of Inspector Gaskin. “I must hand it to you for this”. Gaskin looks at the number plate of the car the men arrived in and says “It was pinched this morning, at Hendon”. Biggles says he will drive the car back and follow Gaskin. “We have a lunch date to-morrow – remember?” “You’re not likely to allow me to forget,” answered Gaskin, sadly.