Biggles Solves a Burglary is the first of two stories in Issue 8 of the Adventures of Biggles comic series published by Action Comics of Sydney, Australia and released in March 1954. Aftert adaptations from short stories original written by W. E. Johns, this is the first story which has an original plot. The story carries a byline for the artist Albert de Vine.
In issue 8, the story is followed by The Gunnery Range Murders.
Synopsis[]
Biggles is asked to help solve the mystery of how the safe of a ship still at sea has been burgled.
Plot summary[]
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A British passenger liner, the Albertania has been burgled while at sea. Half a million pounds of money and jewellery had been taken from its strongroom. A search of the ship had yielded nothing. Raymond believes it is likely an aircraft was involved and sends Biggles to investigate.
Biggles and Ginger fly out to the ship which is still enroute to Liverpool. They learn the essential facts from the captain and purser. In fact the strongroom of the ship had two separate locking mechanisms: the code of the combination lock was known only to the captain, the purser and senior executives of the line. However th strongroom also had a time lock which the purser had set to open one hour before docking. However someone had interfered with the mechanism, causing it to open at midnight, giving the thief access to the valuables.
Back in London, Biggles goes to Hercules safe company, the safe manufacturer where he learns that the safe was installed by their sub-contractor, the Ajax Electrical Company. It took expert knowledge to tamper with the time lock mechanism. Ajax had an ex-employee Herbert George Uplin, one of their best technicians. Uplin happened to be one of the passengers on the ship!
Biggles, Ginger and Algy hurry to Liverpool to meet the ship which is about to dock. Biggles decides to use a fast aircraft--their Boulton Paul Balliol--in case there should be air chase.
At Liverpool, they spot Uplin and follow him as he disembarks and then travels to the airport to board an amphibian (a Short Sealand). Following the Sealand discreetly in their Balliol, Biggles, Ginger and Algy watch their quarry land on a small airstrip at one of the lonelier Channel Islands. Uplin gets out and meets up with two other men.
Biggles lands the Balliol on the airstrip and taxys to the men. They are taken by surprise but Uplin dashes off to a hut and grabs a rifle when Biggles arrests the other two mean. They refuse to tell Biggles where Uplin has gone.
From inside the hut, Uplin takes aim at Biggles with a rifle. He decides he might as well shoot his other two accomplices to keep the loot to himself. But Ginger has gone around the hut and now appears behind him with a warning to drop the rifle. Uplin is however unfazed and spins around and knocks Ginger out with his rifle butt. Uplin turns again to take aim at the party on the airstrip but by now it had broken up. Algy is taking the two gang members to lock them up in the Sealand. Meanwhile Biggles is heading to the hut to check what has become of Ginger.
Uplin fires at Biggles, forcing him to take cover. Biggles returns fire. Knowing he is outnumbered, Uplin decides to withdraw and head for the coast where he has a launch. Biggles follows hard. He is about to catch up when he hears a scream. It sounds like Uplin has fallen off the cliff. Biggles looks down and sees that Uplin's briefcase of loot is wedged among some rocks on the cliff face. Biggles climbs down to recover it.
Everything has been a ruse! Uplin has been hiding away and now emerges. He will now roll a rock on Biggles who is helpless on the cliff face. If he can--a shot rings out and Uplin staggers and falls over the cliff. Ginger had recovered and followed Uplin and shot him just in time. Biggles, Ginger and Algy head back to base with their prisoners and the recovered loot.
Characters[]
The Special Air Police[]
- Air Commodore Raymond
- Biggles
- Ginger Hebblethwaite
- Algy Lacey
- Bertie Lissie
Others[]
- Captain Ferguson
- Mr Galwin
- Mr Wayne
- Herbert George Uplin
Mentioned[]
Aircraft[]
Gallery[]
