This table is an attempt to set a date to the various Biggles stories by an analysis of the textual evidence.
Story | Date | Evidence |
---|---|---|
Biggles Learns to Fly! | September 1916 | Stated in the text. |
Biggles' First Flight | September-October 1916 | After two weeks of training, Biggles travels to France over the course of a few days and flies his first patrol on the first day he reports to 169 Squadron. |
Biggles the Scout | September-October 1916 | One week after joining 169 Squadron, which he did after about two weeks of training. |
Spy in the Sky | December 1916-February 1917 | Snowing. |
Crashed Flyers! | April 1917 | See discussion here. |
Knights of the Sky | April 1917 | Inferred from its poisiton in the story sequence |
The Laughing Spy | April 1917 | Mention of "early spring frosts". |
Biggles' Bulls-Eye | April 1917 | |
Biggles Buys the Sky | April 1917 | Bristol Fighter is just being introduced. |
Biggles' Big Battle | April-May 1917 | Timing of the Battle of Arras 1917 |
Biggles' Surprise Packet | June 1917 | See discussion here. |
Biggles' Revenge | June 1917 | Follows Surprise Packet, slightly more than a month after. |
The Dawn Patrol | June 1917 | Follows Biggles' Revenge. At the end Mullen sends Biggles off on his leave to go and visit his friend Mark Way. |
Biggles Goes Ballooning | June 1917 | Takes place before Runaway Tank below. |
Biggles and the Runaway Tank | June 1917 | Stated in text as "middle of June". |
The White Fokker | June-July 1917 | Biggles has just become an acting flight commander |
The Packet | June-July 1917 | Biggles has just been promoted to captain |
J-9982 | June-July 1917 | |
The Balloonatics | June-July 1917 | |
Camouflage | June-July 1917 | |
Spads and Spandaus | June-July 1917 | Summer. Conflicting evidence. See discussion here. |
The Zone Call | July 20 1917 | Stated in text |
The Decoy | Interpolated | |
The Boob | Aug 1917 | |
The Battle of Flowers | Aug 1917 | |
Biggles' Borrowed Plumes | September-October 1917 | After Algy arrives. Major Benson arrives in this story. |
Flying Crusaders | September-October 1917 | After Algy and Major Benson arrive. Appearance of Albatros D.V. |
The Funk | September-October 1917 | Algy has been in France for 6 weeks. |
Biggles Flies East | October 1917 | In the foreword it is stated that Biggles had been in France for 12 months. |
On Leave | November-December 1917 | See analysis here. |
Fog! | ||
Biggles' Christmas Tree! | December 1917 | From context |
Biggles Carves the Turkey | Christmas Eve 1917 | From context |
Biggles' Xmas-Box! | Christmas Day 1917 | From context |
The Professor | January 1918 | Slight fall of snow |
The Joy Ride | January 1918 | Sandwiched between two stories set in Winter of 1918 |
The Bridge Party | January-February 1918 | Biggles kicks the ante-room fire into a blaze. |
The Bomber | late Nov 1917 - Feb 1918 | Mention of the "new" Sopwith Dolphin |
Biggles' Night Out! | February 1918 | "stars were shining brightly in the frosty air...." |
The Carrier | February 1918 | Stated in text. |
Biggles' Day Off | March 1918 | Just before the German Spring Offensive launched on 21st March 1918 |
Scotland for Ever! | 21st March 1918 | First day of the German Spring Offensive launched on 21st March 1918 |
Biggles' Sky High Hat Trick | Shortly after 28th March 1918 | Text states that it is "shortly after" Captain J. L. Trollope's feat of shooting down 6 enemy aircraft (later found to be 7) in one day. This took place on 28th March 1918. |
The Bottle Party | April 1918 | 6 weeks before The Professor Comes Back |
The Trap | April-May 1918 | Presence of the Fokker D.VII |
The Professor Comes Back | May 1918 | Just before The Thought Reader. |
The Thought Reader | June 1918 | Summer. Harvest of wheat in France. |
Biggles Takes the Bait | April - June 1918 | Mention of a "big Hun salient" (the German 1918 Spring Offensive) and the Fokker D.VII. |
The Great Arena | late July-early August 1918 | Mention of a "big push" - the British 100-day offensive launched late July 1918 |
Biggles Finds His Feet | late July-early August 1918 | Takes dressing from the previous story. There is a fluid front with British and German attacks and counter-attacks consistent with the launch of a "push". |
Affaire de Coeur | October-November 1918 | |
The Last Show | November 1918 | The Armistice towards the end of the story. |
The Black Peril | 1934 | Specifically mentioned in Chapter 14. This reference is removed in the Thames editions published in the 1950s. |
Biggles in the Baltic | 3rd September 1939 and a few weeks after | Britain declared war on Germany in Chapter 1. |
Biggles Sees It Through | A few weeks up to 13th March 1940 | The armistice of the Winter War (13th March 1940) was declared in chapter 16 . |
Biggles Sweeps the Desert | late summer-autumn 1941 | Appearance of the Me 109F |
Biggles in Borneo | After May 1942 | Japan completed conquest of the Philippines in May that year. |
Biggles Fails to Return | Nov 1942 | German occupation of Southern France (Case Anton) takes place just as Biggles & Co. make their escape. |
Biggles' Second Case | 1946 | 6 months have elapsed since Sergeant Bigglesworth C.I.D. which could have been set no earlier than September 1945. |
Biggles Hunts Big Game | Nov 1946 - Mar 1947 | See here. |
Biggles Gets His Men | Oct - Nov 1947 | Not plausible in Oct - Nov 1949, improbable in Oct - Nov 1948. |
Biggles Foreign Legionnaire | late 1952 | Earliest May 1952, latest Nov 1954. See here. |
Biggles in Australia | 1953 | Earliest Oct 1952 (when the atomic tests at Montebello Island mentioned in chapter 1 took place), more likely some months after. See here. |
Biggles Sets a Trap | 1961 | Stated in text, esp. Ch. 3 |
Biggles and the Lost Sovereigns | 1959 - 63 | Probably nearer to 1963 than 1959 because it was written later than Biggles Sets a Trap which is set in 1961. |