W. E. Johns 1893—1968

William Earl Johns was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns, and the creator of the fictional air-adventurer Biggles. In his 46-year writing career he penned over 160 books, including nearly one hundred Biggles books, more than sixty other novels and factual books, and scores of magazine articles and short stories. The first Biggles book, The Camels are Coming (a reference to the Sopwith Camel aeroplane), was published in August 1932 and Johns would continue to write Biggles stories until his death in 1968.