COMRADES IN ARMS
First Published in August 1947 - 227 pages
Original price 6 shillings 0 d (72 pennies)
This contains six short stories. Three of the stories are
Gimlet, Worrals and Biggles stories respectively, then there are three other
war stories. The Gimlet, Worrals and Biggles stories are unique to this
collection and are not to be found in any other W. E. Johns' books published.
AN ORIENTAL ASSIGNMENT
A "King" of the Commandos story.
This story runs from pages 7 to
61. Gimlet, Cub, Copper and Trapper are asked to go to French Indo-China (now
Vietnam) in this war time story. The reason is to collect an unusual form of Hevea
braziliensis or rubber tree. Sir Lionel Radnor had cultivated a strain of
sufficient hardiness to be grown in a temperate climate. He destroyed the lot
apart from 20 seeds, which he hid. Later, he was captured and tortured by the
Japanese until he died. Word has reached British Intelligence via Radnor's
chief native assistant, Charla Song, as to where the seeds are hidden. They
have been hidden in a hollow elephant in the Oriente Hotel in Saigon, but that
is now being used by Japanese Officers. Gimlet and his men fly out with Biggles and Ginger (so this is
technically a Biggles story as well) who will return to pick them up in two days. Making their way to
the Oriente Hotel proves easy but the seeds are not in the hollow elephant.
Contacted by a Chinese relative of Charla Song's, Chang Chu, our heroes learn
that Charla had moved the seeds and re-hidden them. He too had been tortured
and executed by the Japanese. In Charla's demolished house, a Chinese proverb -
"By still water in a garden is happiness found" leads Cub to
twenty planted rubber tree saplings. These are the missing and priceless seeds!
Chased by the Japanese, Gimlet and his commandos, accompanied by Chang Chu
escape to rendezvous with
Biggles, Ginger and Algy (both Biggles and Ginger get a few lines on the last pages
of the book) and to a lengthy
flight home.
(This story was originally published in three parts as "Seeds
of Trouble" in "Boy's Own" Magazine dated July 1945, August 1945
and September 1945)
ON THE HOME FRONT
A "Worrals" of the W.A.A.F. story.
This story runs from pages 63 to
103. Worrals is sent to investigate the story of Aircraftwoman Norma Day, whose
friend Doris Marchant has been found drowned. They both worked on a barrage
balloon and had witnessed strange things happening, particularly when a piece
of their balloon had appeared to 'break off'. Doris had been investigating
alone when she disappeared and was later found drowned in the river. Worrals
works out the direction of the prevailing winds and flies around to investigate
the lie of the land. Frecks sees something suspicious at a nearby mansion
house, Gresham Grange, and the girls decide to concentrate further enquiries
there. Investigating the supposedly abandoned house at night, Worrals and
Frecks take Norma with them, to act as look out. They see a German plane fly
over the house and also what appears to be some sort of signal. Later a balloon
is released from the top of the house. Sending for help, Worrals and Frecks
unexpectedly find themselves in a confrontation when four men are seen with a
car. The men are speaking in German. Worrals shoots out the tyres on the car,
to stop the men escaping. A gun battle takes place and Worrals and Frecks
retreat to the river, which has bricked up sides. Frecks is injured and both girls
end up in the river. After being swept downstream, Worrals is able to get
Frecks out, only to be confronted by one of the Germans with a gun. Norma Day
shoots him dead just as Air Commodore Raymond arrives with reinforcements to
catch the spies.
THUNDER OVER GERMANY
A "Biggles" adventure.
This story runs from pages 105 to 135. Air
Commodore Raymond brings a 16-year-old Air Training Corps cadet called Peter
Masters to see Biggles. Peter knows the location of a huge German petrol store
in the Black Forest as he used to live in Germany when his father was in the
Diplomatic Service. Taking three Mosquito Aircraft and Peter with him, to act
as guide, Biggles leads Flight Lieutenants Algy Lacy and Bertie Lissie and
Flying Officers Ginger Hebblethwaite and Tug Carrington on a bombing raid. The
dump is successfully bombed. Biggles estimates that it contained a million
gallons of oil. Attacked on the return journey by a Focke-Wulf 190 and then 18
Messerschmitts, Biggles and his colleagues have to use all their flying skills
to get home safely. As they reach the English Channel they meet a huge force of
German aircraft but Biggles still has a surprise in store.
(This story was subsequently published in the Daily Mail Newspaper
in 1950 - Exact details not known)
THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
A story of U-boat warfare.
17 year old Jack Carrington lives
on the island of Trinidad. When exploring the remote Porpoise Island for
coconuts, Jack comes across a hidden German U-boat refuelling. Seen by the
Germans, Jack flees under fire and dives off a cliff. He hides in an underwater
cave he discovers. Later, he ties a punctured can of oil to the submarine, in
order for the leaking oil to leave a trace in the sea as a method of locating
it and then gets back to a Fleet Air Arm marine aircraft base to report his
findings. They send out ships and aircraft and sink the submarine. Returning to
Porpoise Island and the hidden cave, Jack finds the skeleton of a dead pirate
and just over a hundred gold coins.
A NIGHT OUT
A story of a sabotage raid.
Pilot Officer Kazi Mahomet meets
up again with his old childhood friend, Flying Officer Lance Lorimer. Both of
their fathers had fought side by side, and died fighting for their regiment in
India. Lance now carries out sabotage operations in Germany and Kazi gets to go
with him. They fly to Germany, land and then blow up a Railway Bridge just as
an ammunition train goes through. They then have to fight off the Germans to
get back to their plane and fly back to England out running German planes.
Ditching in the sea just off the English coast with a holed fuel tank, Lance
and Kazi are picked up by the Navy. As they are close to the coast they are
able to tow in and save their plane before it sinks.
A ROUTINE JOB
A story of the commandos.
When 15 year old Hubert Fairfax
is rescued from a canoe on the Mediterranean Sea he has an interesting story to
tell. His father had been working in Rome at the outbreak of the Second World
War and had been arrested and interned. Hubert, who spoke fluent English and
Italian, has been forced to join a Fascist propaganda department but used the
opportunity to gather useful intelligence. Learning of a new secret submarine
base being built by the Germans at Casagrande, Hubert had stolen the plans for
the base and set off for Malta to bring the important information to the
attention of the British. Hubert is asked by Colonel "Buster" Brown,
of "Buster's Bulldogs" to act as scout on a commando raid on the
submarine base. Hubert suggests that they could also use the raid to liberate
his father and other internees from Castelvero, just 4 miles away from the
base. The extra men could then be armed to help in the attack. The plan is for
a two pronged assault, Hubert, going with a dozen commandos to free the
internees and then attack the submarine base from the rear. Whilst the Germans
are distracted, the main commando force will then attack from the sea. This
happens, the base is destroyed and Hubert is reunited with his father.
The dust cover of the book shows pictures of Biggles, Worrals and
Gimlet.
Comrades in Arms
Publication Details - published by Hodder and Stoughton
Cover
Frontispiece
Click on either the Cover or the Frontispiece to enlarge it