BIGGLES FLIES TO WORK

Some unusual cases of Biggles and his Air Police

by Captain W. E. Johns

3. MYSTERY ON THE MOOR (Pages 47 – 68)

“From a comparatively low altitude of fifteen hundred feet Police Pilot “Ginger” Hebblethwaite, flying solo in a Service Auster, surveyed methodically in turn the cloudless sky above and around him, the sparkling waters of the English Channel on his left and the undulating panorama of the county of Devonshire on the right. The season was high summer. The time, five a.m. He was on a regular patrol, not looking for anything in particular but prepared to investigate, within the province of his duties, such matters as might call for explanation. That was his purpose for being in the air. He did not expect to see anything unusual; should he do so, that in itself would be unusual on what was a regular routine task with no particular objective – in the manner of an ordinary constable on his beat”. He sees a rubber raft adrift off Sidmouth and signals its position to base for the guidance of the local police. Ahead lies the broad expanse of Dartmoor, which is the western extremity of his beat, so he begins a wide turn and is surprised to see an aircraft half hidden by trees. The shadows the trees cast prevent him from seeing if anyone is near it or from being able to make out any registration letters. A red-painted tractor, a conspicuous spot of colour suggests the place is a farm. Dropping off five hundred feet Ginger flies past again, in case a pilot has had to make a forced landing, but this time he sees nothing. Now he is a little suspicious and he pinpoints the spot on his map and takes a couple of oblique photographs with his pistol-grip camera and makes his way home.

Back at base he finds Biggles alone in the Operations Room and Ginger informs him what he has seen. Biggles asks if it occurred to Ginger to land and find out exactly what was going on. Ginger explains that there was no landing track and he didn’t really want to crack his undercart for no purpose, particularly when he had no grounds for interfering anyway. Biggles asks where the place was. “About ten miles south of Okehampton. The nearest main road I made out to be the A386 from Okehampton to Tavistock (a real road and real towns). That would be roughly five miles from the farm”. Biggles thinks that flying over again, or flying and landing would make any people there take fright and suspend operations should anything improper be going on. He thinks it is better to make discreet enquiries from ground level by posing as hikers. “If there’s nothing wrong the farmer’s wife should ask you in for a cup of tea. If she’s short with you – well, you’d better have a closer look”. The photos Ginger took appear to show two animals near the barn. Biggles thinks they could be dogs. Biggles suggests Ginger gets Bertie to run him down in his Jag. “After dark it’ll be easier to pretend you’ve lost your way”. “Take a compass – and don’t forget the dogs. They might be vicious”. Biggles tells Ginger to ascertain if an aircraft is being kept at the farm and if so to get its registration. “Okay. It shouldn’t take long to get this sorted out,” concluded Ginger.

“Half an hour later he and Sergeant-Pilot Bertie Lissie were on their way to Devon, the immediate objective being Highway A386”. “With a stop for lunch and a fill-up with oil and petrol it was little after seven o’clock when they passed through Okehampton and presently took the left fork on to A386”. When they reach the track that Ginger thinks leads to the farm, Bertie parks up on the verge. They take two haversacks and two walking sticks before locking the doors. Ginger says its “About five miles. We ought to do it in an hour”. They set of in the direction of the farm. After about half an hour it begins to rain, “what is known locally as Dartmoor drizzle”. In due course they reach the farm and go to explore a big barn. “If we encounter anyone we’ll ask for directions to the nearest main road” says Ginger. The barn doors are not locked but inside there is no aircraft. Ginger sniffed. “I smell doped fabric,” he breathed. “There has been a plane in here and not so long ago”. On a shelf, Ginger finds a photograph of a man standing beside an Auster aircraft. They then hear the clamour of ferocious snarls and growls as dogs approach. Bertie shuts the barn doors to stop them getting in. Next an authoritative voice calls off the dogs and tells them to “Come on out”. Ginger and Bertie step out and are dazzled by the beam of a torch. “What’s the game?” inquired the voice curtly. “We were looking for shelter,” explained Bertie meekly. “The barn seemed just the job. Hope you don’t mind”. “The light was switched off as the man who held it was joined by three others advancing from the house, apparently curious to know what was going on. Their faces appeared curiously white until it could be observed that they were more or less covered by bandages”. Ginger asks for directions to the nearest main road and is told to follow back the track they came on. Bertie asks if they have a old torch they could sell them or lend them. The man hesitated. “All right. You can have this one. Don’t come back or I won’t be responsible for the dogs”. They set off back to the car and Ginger asks Bertie why he asked for a torch when they had one. Bertie thought they could get the man’s fingerprints. Bertie had noticed one man had his hands bandaged as well as his face. On reaching the car, they decide to journey back home and go to bed. They leave the photo and torch out with a note for Biggles so he won’t have to wake them early.

“When Ginger and Bertie got out of bed at ten o’clock the next morning, not surprisingly having overslept, it was to find that Biggles has gone early to the office at Scotland Yard taking the “exhibits” with him. There, an hour later, they joined him”. Ginger and Bertie tell Biggles what they discovered on Dartmoor. The photograph of the aircraft has enabled Biggles to check on it. It is owned by a Doctor Alton Bentworth, who lives in London and is a member of the Longborne Flying Club, where he does a fair amount of flying, mostly early mornings. He specializes in plastic surgery, “which hooks up with what you now tell me about men in bandages”. The Fingerprint Department has told Biggles the torch had been handled by a Manton Rushling, once a solicitor, who recently did five years for forgery. Biggles goes to ask the Chief if they are justified in applying for a search warrant. Biggles returns with Inspector Gaskin. Gaskin has told Biggles that Dr. Bentworth was struck off the Medical Register for improper practices, so he can’t legally be running a nursing home on Dartmoor. Gaskin has a search warrant and they intend to execute it tomorrow morning, “that apparently being the usual time he makes his visit”.

“Shortly after daylight the next morning the police Auster was cruising high in the air within sight of the club airfield at Longborne. In due course they watch an Auster take off, which they conclude must be Dr Bentworth on his morning run. Biggles follows the Auster and stays in the glare of the sun so he can’t be seen should Dr. Bentworth look back. When the Auster lands at the farm, Biggles follows it down and lands as well. They find the pilot to be a pale-faced, slightly-built man in his early thirties. Gaskin opened the conversation. “We’re police officers,” he announced bluntly. “Are you Doctor Alton Bentworth?” The man confirms his is. “I’m going to ask you some questions,” went on the Inspector. “You’re not compelled to answer them but it will save time and trouble all round if you do. What are you doing here?” Bentworth says he is calling on friends. Gaskin asks their names and says he will find out if he isn’t told. He already knows one is called Rushling. Bentworth says “Leston, Gunther and Gallinsky”. Gaskin says in an aside to Biggles, “These are the wide boys who pulled off a twenty-thousand pay snatch a couple of month ago”. Biggles stepped in. “The game’s up, Bentworth, so you might as well talk. Who arranged this party?” Bentworth says it was Rushling, they were at school together. “I had to make a living somehow”. Biggles says “And the proposition was that he should run an establishment where crooks can lie low and at the same time have their faces altered so they would not be recognised by the police. Right?” The doctor’s face was now ashen. “How did you know?” he manged to get out. “I guessed,” says Biggles, adding “What about the bandaged hands? Are you faking new fingerprints for them, too?” Bentworth accepts that is the case and it has been going on for six months. He has been paid in cash, with the stolen money. Bentworth says that it will be dangerous to move the men in their present state. “Now I’ve started I shall have to compete the job”. “Let’s see what they have to say about it,” growled Gaskin, walking towards the house.

“There is no need to go into the details of what followed. Never were criminals found in a more helpless state. The stolen notes were found in the house so the law took its usual course. Dr. Bentworth, bitter at having been drawn into the unsavoury business, turned Queen’s Evidence. All the culprits went to prison for conspiracy, the three wage bandits getting the longer sentences for robbery with violence”. Biggles has the last word. “The case should convince the Chief Commissioner that the Air Police are worth their petrol”. (This comment refers back to the second story – THE CASE OF THE OLD MASTERS – Where the Chief was asking what are the air police for? This helps to confirm my theory that the first three stories in this book were written especially for it, whereas the rest of the stories are collected from other publications).