Oct16 Gallery

Flying Officer W E Johns - Biggles stories in Modern Boy

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. Date: 1932

© Mary Evans Picture Library

Russian Soldiers - Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

Harbin, China - the largest city of Heilongjiang Province - Russian Troops. In the territory which was formerly Northern Manchuria and which was heavily populated by Russians as well as Chinese. Almost a Wild West town with transient populations and shifting spheres of demographic influence. Many self-exiled Civil War White Russians ended up living in Harbin. During the Russo-Japanese War (19041905 - the exact date of this card), Russia used Harbin as its base for military operations in Northeastern China. Following the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (financed by the Russian Empire), the Russians selected Harbin as the base of their administration over this railway and the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone. The Chinese Eastern Railway extended the Trans-Siberian Railway: substantially reducing the distance from Chita to Vladivostok and also linking the new port city of Dalny (Dalian) and the Russian Naval Base Port Arthur (Lushun). Date: 1905

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

H.R.H. Prince George in California

H.R.H. Prince George at the Monetery Peninsula Country Club, California. Prince George (20 December 1902 25 August 1942) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary and the younger brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI. He held the title of Duke of Kent from 1934 until his death in a military air-crash on 25 August 1942. The prince was passing through California to join his ship, H.M.S "Durban", on which he was serving as French interpreter. After leaving California, H.M.S "Durban" traveled at high speed to relieve the sufferers from the tornado which affected the West Indies, Miami Beach and the Coast of Florida. Date: 1928

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans