Advertisement in The Modern Boy magazine for the forthcoming series of stories written by Flying Officer W. E. Johns concerning the wartime adventures of Captain James Bigglesworth, known to his comrades as Biggles. William Earl Johns (5 February 1893 ? 21 June 1968) was an English pilot and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles.