Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "Biggles", is a fictional character created by W. E. Johns. He first appeared in the story "The White Fokker", published in the first issue of Popular Flying magazine. The first collection of Biggles stories, The Camels are Coming, was published in 1932.
In his first appearances, Biggles was a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Later stories told of his adventures after the War's end, his return to service in World War II, and further adventures in peace time; others filled in his equally adventurous childhood in India and the story of how he came to join the RFC.
Biggles' greatest opponent is the German spy officer Erich von Stalhein. They first meet when Biggles acts as a spy in the Middle East, where Biggles has some narrow escapes. Erich returns as an adversary in numerous other adventures. After World War II von Stalhein opts for the Communist bloc, until he gets imprisoned on the isle of Sakhalin from where Biggles helps him escape.
Biggles has a small team of friends including Algy (Algernon Lacey), Ginger (Hebbelthwaite) and Bertie (Lord Bertie Lis), who share many of his adventures as pilots in the Special Air Police.
Johns continued writing Biggles short stories and novels up until his death in 1968; in all, nearly a hundred Biggles books were published.
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