Who is the fictional pilot created by W. E. Johns?
W. E. Johns W. E. Johns William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns. He was the creator of the fictional air-adventurer "Biggles". Johns was born in Bengeo, Hertford, England, the son of Richard Eastman Johns, a fabric tailor, and Elizabeth Johns (née Earl), the daughter of a master butcher. A younger brother, Russell Ernest Johns, was born on 24 October 1895. Johns' early ambition was to be a soldier, and he was a crack shot with a rifle. From January
W. E. Johns the end of the war (November 1918). After the war, Johns remained in the Royal Air Force, apparently with the substantive rank of Pilot Officer. His promotion to the rank of Flying Officer was gazetted on 23 November 1920. Johns worked in central London as a recruiting officer and rejected T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) as an RAF recruit for obviously giving a false name, but was later ordered to accept him. By 1923, Johns had left his wife. His RAF commission had been extended a further four years and he had moved to Birmingham, again working as a recruitment