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| 1914 1915 1916 | |
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Publishing: THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY begins its 53-year reign. PLUCK publishes a serial in which Will Spearing, Tinker and Pedro have an independent adventure without Sexton Blake. Lewis Jackson (real name Jack Lewis) makes his debut. His most famous contribution to the saga was Leon Kestrel, the Master Mummer. Jackson died in 1958. Blake: THE YELLOW TIGER reveals that Blake owns a self-designed monoplane named The Grey Panther. During the 1920s, this would also be the name of his Rolls-Royce car. | |
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THE BOYS' FRIEND LIBRARY · Issue 302 · Jun. 1915 · Amalgamated Press · 3d THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND BELT by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of the BOYS' JOURNAL serial which ended this same year. Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE BOYS' JOURNAL · Issue 68 · 2/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND BELT (Part 12) by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE BOYS' JOURNAL · Issue 69 · 9/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND BELT (Part 13) by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE BOYS' JOURNAL · Issue 70 · 16/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND BELT (Part 14) by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE BOYS' JOURNAL · Issue 71 · 23/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE DIAMOND BELT (Part 15) by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE BOYS' JOURNAL · Issue 72 · 30/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 1) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This was the final issue of THE BOYS' JOURNAL. The story would be continued in DREADNOUGHT. Story features Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 136 · 2/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press 1d THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 3) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 (see those issues for story notes). Rating: 
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 137 · 9/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press 1d THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 4) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 (see those issues for story notes). Rating:
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 138 · 16/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press 1d THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 5) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 (see those issues for story notes). Rating:
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 139 · 23/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press 1d THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 6) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 (see those issues for story notes). Rating:
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 140 · 30/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press 1d THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 7) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is a reprint of SEXTON BLAKE IN AMERICA which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND issues 252 to 268 in 1906 (see those issues for story notes). Rating:
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 141 · 6/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 1) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis THE SECRET PLOTTER (Part 8) by Anon. (W. J. Lomax) Other content: Chums in Council (ed.); The Remove-Form's Riot! by Frank Richards. Notes: This is the first issue to include the newly absorbed BOYS' JOURNAL. The initial installment of THE MERCHANT'S SECRET had appeared in the final issue of that periodical but was reprinted here for the convenience of the DREADNOUGHT readers. Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 142 · 13/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 2) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 143 · 20/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 3) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 144 · 27/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 4) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 145 · 6/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 5) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 146 · 13/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 6) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 147 · 20/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 7) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 148 · 27/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 8) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 149 · 3/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 9) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 150 · 10/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 10) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 151 · 17/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 11) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 152 · 24/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 12) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 153 · 1/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 13) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 154 · 8/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 14) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 155 · 15/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 15) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 156 · 22/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 16) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 157 · 29/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 17) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 158 · 5/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 18) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE DREADNOUGHT · Issue 159 · 12/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MERCHANT'S SECRET (Part 19) by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Fenlock Fawn, Ezra Q. Maitland and Broadway Kate. Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 117 · 2/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d ROUGH JUSTICE by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Trapped By Three! by Martin Clifford; Major Jenson's Misadventures! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 266 THE STOLEN BLOODHOUND (1908). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 118 · 9/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THWARTING THE HYPNOTIST by Anon. (D. H. Parry) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Nipped in the Bud! by Martin Clifford; Pete's Flirtation! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 268 THE HYPNOTIST (1908). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 119 · 16/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE LAST STAND by Anon. (D. H. Parry) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Circus Chums! by Martin Clifford; The King's Sentence! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 268 THE HYPNOTIST (1908). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 120 · 23/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d A NATION'S FATE by Anon. (D. H. Parry) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Checkmated by Martin Clifford; Laying Down the Law! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 271 THE KAISER'S MISTAKE (1908). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 121 · 30/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AN IMPERIAL BLUNDER by Anon. (D. H. Parry) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Friends in Need! by Martin Clifford; Left Stranded! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 271 THE KAISER'S MISTAKE (1908). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 122 · 6/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GAMBLER'S RUSE by Anon. (L. J. Beeston) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Runaways Return! by Martin Clifford; Getting Rid of Rufus! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 274 THE ADVENTURERS (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 123 · 13/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d FOUL PLAY by Anon. (L. J. Beeston) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Scaring the School! by Martin Clifford; Banished from the Camp! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 274 THE ADVENTURERS (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 124 · 20/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RESTORING A KINGDOM by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Trouble in the Third! by Martin Clifford; A Fight For Freedom! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 276 SEXTON BLAKE IN BORNEO (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 125 · 27/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MAN FROM WINNIPEG by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: For the Honour of the House! by Martin Clifford; Buried Alive! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 275 £.s.d. (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 126 · 6/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d FOILED AT THE FINISH by Anon. (G. Carr) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Football Heroes! by Martin Clifford; Lonely Island! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 278 THE MANHUNT (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 127 · 13/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d CLEARING HIS NAME by Anon. (Norman Goddard) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A Test of Honour! by Martin Clifford; Rounding up the Raiders! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 281 £20,000 BAIL (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 128 · 20/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d A FRESH START by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A Lucky Escape! by Martin Clifford; Don Jose's Dilemma by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 280 THE THREE BROTHERS (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 129 · 27/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SIGNAL OF DISTRESS by Anon. (Edgar Pickering) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Holding Their Own! by Martin Clifford; Sentenced By Pete! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 285 C.Q.D. (THE SIGNAL OF DISTRESS) (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 130 · 3/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RUN TO EARTH by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Fags Triumph! by Martin Clifford; For the Sake of a Comrade! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 284 EAST AND WEST (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 131 · 10/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE WRONG MAN by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Top Dog! by Martin Clifford; The Fortune Finders! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 289 THE FIVE TOWNS (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 132 · 17/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d COLONEL TANFORD'S VALOUR by Anon. (E. J. Gannon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The St. Jim's Investigators! by Martin Clifford; The Mutineers of the Mary Ann! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 291 THE CASE OF THE PUBLIC TRUSTEE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 133 · 24/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE WONDER GUN by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Schoolboy Spendthrift! by Martin Clifford; Barred by the Boarders by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 292 THE NOISELESS GUN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 134 · 1/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE ISLE OF MYSTERY by Anon. (G. Carr) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Shaming the School! by Martin Clifford; The Spectre Ship! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 293 GREGORY SANDERSON'S WILL (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 135 · 8/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RIVALS FOR FORTUNE by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: D'Arcy's Dilemma! by Martin Clifford; The Gold Raiders! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 294 THE GREAT PEERAGE ROMANCE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 136 · 15/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d SIMON LEACH - SWINDLER by Anon. (Norman Goddard) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Bowling Out the Bounder! by Martin Clifford; Pete's Submarine! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 295 THE EMIGRANTS (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 137 · 22/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE HIDDEN HEIRESS by Anon. · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Glyn's Monster Sensation! by Martin Clifford; Routing the Rebels by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is an abridged reprint of UNION JACK issue 297 SEXTON BLAKE, PUBLICAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 138 · 29/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AN ERRAND OF JUSTICE by Anon. (Arthur Steffens) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Under Suspicion! by Martin Clifford; Scheming for a Fortune! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 298 SEXTON BLAKE, SHOWMAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 139 · 5/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d HIS OWN BETRAYER by Anon. (Arthur Steffens) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Tracking a Truant! by Martin Clifford; Pete's Great Race! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 298 SEXTON BLAKE, SHOWMAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 140 · 12/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d REAPING THE WHIRLWIND by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Barred from the Team! by Martin Clifford; Pete's Heroism! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 299 THE BLUE ROOM MYSTERY (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 141 · 19/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d UNVEILING THE PAST by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Rylcombe Steeplechase by Martin Clifford; Rodriguez's Roguery! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 303 THE STEPNEY MYSTERY (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 142 · 26/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE FATAL VERDICT by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Outsider's Daring! by Martin Clifford; Spoofing the Savages! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 300 UNFROCKED (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 143 · 3/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RESTORED TO HIS OWN by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Haunted Mill! by Martin Clifford; A Mistaken Identity! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 300 UNFROCKED (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 144 · 10/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE PENNILESS PLAYWRIGHT by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Redeeming the Past! by Martin Clifford; The Sorrows of Soames! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 314 SEXTON BLAKE, PLAYWRIGHT (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 145 · 17/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE UNFINISHED DRAMA by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A Box of Mystery! by Martin Clifford; The Feud Against the Blacks! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 314 SEXTON BLAKE, PLAYWRIGHT (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 146 · 27/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE RIVER-HOUSE MYSTERY by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Broken Bonds! by Martin Clifford; Rogues of the Road by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 305 SEXTON BLAKE, LOCK-KEEPER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 147 · 31/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d POLICE-CONSTABLE TINKER by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Suspects All! by Martin Clifford; A Stroke of Luck! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 305 SEXTON BLAKE, LOCK-KEEPER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 148 · 7/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THROUGH PRISON BARS by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Rolling in Wealth by Martin Clifford; His Just Deserts by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 302 IN DEADLY GRIP (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 149 · 14/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d A FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Fatty Wynn's Failure by Martin Clifford; Sold Into Slavery by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 302 IN DEADLY GRIP (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 150 · 21/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MISSING SCOUTMASTER by Anon. (Edgar Pickering) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Squaring Accounts by Martin Clifford; The Man Without a Memory! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 319 SEXTON BLAKE, SCOUTMASTER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 151 · 28/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF HIGHDOWN HEATH by Anon. (Edgar Pickering) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Cosin Ethel's Prize! by Martin Clifford; The Captive of the Caves! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 319 SEXTON BLAKE, SCOUTMASTER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 152 · 4/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d PARTNERS IN PERIL by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Ten with a Secret! by Martin Clifford; Rank Cowardice! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 315 THE SWELL MOBSMAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 153 · 11/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE DOORS OF DARTMOOR by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A School Run Riot! by Martin Clifford; At Daggers Drawn! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 315 THE SWELL MOBSMAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 154 · 18/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AT CROSSED SWORDS by Anon. (L. J. Beeston) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Tom Merry's Last Term! by Martin Clifford; The Wonder Cavern! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 318 BRIDGE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 155 · 25/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE NIGHT RIDERS by Anon. (L. J. Beeston) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Farewell to St. Jim's by Martin Clifford; The Palace of Fear! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 318 BRIDGE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 156 · 2/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SECRETARY'S RUSE by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Facing the World! by Martin Clifford; Doctor Pete! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 307 THE MYSTERY OF DUCHY HOLLOW (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 157 · 9/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d TINKER'S DARING by Anon. (Ernest Sempill aka Michael Storm) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Seeking His Fortune! by Martin Clifford; The Unseen Foe! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 307 THE MYSTERY OF DUCHY HOLLOW (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 158 · 16/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE RESCUER'S REWARD by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Shadow of Guilt! by Martin Clifford; The Arab's Vengeance! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 322 SEXTON BLAKE, SANDWICH MAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 159 · 23/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d EXILED FROM ENGLAND by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Tom Merry, Form-Master! by Martin Clifford; The Hindu's Honour! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 322 SEXTON BLAKE, SANDWICH MAN (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 160 · 30/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d FOOLING WITH FATE by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Tom Merry's Protege! by Martin Clifford; Meeting His Match! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 308 SEXTON BLAKE, BOOKMAKER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 161 · 6/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE ROAD TO RUIN by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Holding His Own! by Martin Clifford; The Golden Talisman by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 308 SEXTON BLAKE, BOOKMAKER (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 162 · 13/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RIVALS FOR THE RIGHT by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Outsider's Return! by Martin Clifford; Freed From Bondage! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 323 THE THIRD DEGREE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 163 · 20/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AN AMAZING MASQUERADE by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Black Sheep! by Martin Clifford; Prisoners At Large! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 323 THE THIRD DEGREE (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 164 · 27/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Anon. (A. C. Murray) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Lumley-Lumley's Plot! by Martin Clifford; Baffling the Bushranger! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 301 THE GREAT MOTOR CAR MYSTERY (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 165 · 4/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d IN CONVICT'S GUISE by Anon. (A. C. Murray) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Terrible Three's Task! by Martin Clifford; A Secret Mission by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 301 THE GREAT MOTOR CAR MYSTERY (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 166 · 11/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CHINESE RIVALS by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Outsider's Reformation! by Martin Clifford; Bowled Out! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 310 THE YELLOW CORD (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 167 · 18/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SACRED PARDON by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A Credit to the School! by Martin Clifford; The Ghost at the Grange! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the second half of UNION JACK issue 310 THE YELLOW CORD (1909). Unrated |
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THE PENNY POPULAR · Vol. 5 Issue 168 · 25/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE FATE OF THE 'MERMAID' by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Led Astray! by Martin Clifford; The Persian Plotters! by S. Clarke Hook. Notes: This is a reprint of the first half of UNION JACK issue 325 SEXTON BLAKE IN NEWFOUNDLAND (1910). Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 555 · 19/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE PRIZE SHIP (Part 1) by Anon. (G. H. Teed) · Illustrator: G. M. Dodshon THE MYSTERY OF THE HINDU TEMPLE (Part ?) by Anon. (Norman Goddard) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: Broncho Billy and the Rustlers by Edgar West; The Hidden Marksman by Anon. Notes: The main story features Hammerton Palmer. The serial installment features Will Spearing with Tinker and Pedro but not Sexton Blake. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 556 · 26/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE PRIZE SHIP (Part 2) by Anon. (G. H. Teed) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 567 · 11/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 1) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This is probably a serialisation of the silent film of the same name which was released earlier this same year. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 568 · 18/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 2) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 569 · 25/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 3) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 570 · 2/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 4) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 571 · 9/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 5) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 572 · 16/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 6) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 573 · 23/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 7) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 574 · 30/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 8) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 575 · 6/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 9) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 576 · 13/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 10) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 577 · 20/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 11) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 578 · 27/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 12) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 579 · 4/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 13) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 580 · 11/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 14) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 581 · 18/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 15) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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PLUCK · Issue 582 · 25/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT CHEQUE FRAUD (Part 16) by Anon. (Unknown) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 1 · Sept. 1915 · Amalgamated Press · 3d THE YELLOW TIGER by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: The Great Cup-Tie by Anon. Notes: Wu Ling, working as an agent for Germany, employs Baron Robert de Beauremon and the Council of Eleven to help him kidnap the British Munitions Minister and his friend, Sir Hector Amworth. They are snatched from a golf course in Devon and flown away in a biplane. Commissioned by the Secret Service to find the men, Sexton Blake and Tinker head to the west country; Tinker in the Grey Panther, Blake's self-designed monoplane, while the detective follows in the car. But Blake arrives first; Tinker is delayed after engine trouble forces him to make a landing on a remote island where he is shot at before taking off again only to be pursued by a biplane. Unknowingly, he has stumbled upon de Beauremon's base. He and Blake return there the next day. They find and rescue the two prisoners and discover evidence that suggests the Council of Eleven and the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle have joined forces. Wu Ling, in response to Blake's interference, vows to sacrifice the detective to the god Mo. When Blake tracks the oriental master criminal to an opium den, Wu Ling captures him and plans to transport him to Kaitu, his island base in China. Tinker, meanwhile, falls in with Mademoiselle Yvonne and they set off in pursuit of Wu Ling's steamship. En route to the island, Blake manages to jump ship. Caught in a raging storm in a sinking lifeboat, exposure and lack of food get the better of him and he falls into a fever. Fortunately, Tinker and Mlle. Yvonne rescue him but they are then attacked by Wu Ling's ship and taken prisoner. Blake evades capture and is picked up by a British warship which follows Wu Ling. On Kaitu, Baron de Beauremon objects to Wu Ling's plan to sacrifice Tinker and place Yvonne into his harem. He breaks off his alliance with the oriental and leads Blake and the naval men to the temple where a fierce fight ensues. Blake rescues Tinker and Yvonne but Wu Ling escapes. Tivia: Wu Ling evidently worships the god Mo. This is a real deity; the Chinese god of martial valour. Rating:  The first ever edition of the Sexton Blake Library is a fine example of Blake at his best. This case has everything: chases by air, road and sea; edge-of-death escapades; rough-housing and shoot-outs; evil villains and a strong love interest. The detective's relationship with Mademoiselle Yvonne is intense and moving; they are obviously in love with one another but his dedication to work holds him back, adding much poignancy to the story. Another point of interest: by the 1920's 'the Grey Panther' would be established as the name of Blake's car, rather than of his monoplane.
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 2 · Oct. 1915 · Amalgamated Press · 3d ILLGOTTEN GAINS, OR, THE SECRET OF SALCOTH ISLAND by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: Unknown Notes: Tinker meets a young man named Hector MacLeod whose mentor, a banker named James Phillips, has inexplicably banished him from his home. When Hector receives a plea for help from the banker's daughter, Ruth, whom he loves, he learns that her father has gone into hiding. It seems he is terrified of a man named Marle who is about to be released from gaol. Meanwhile, in Laidstone Prison, Marle dies after revealing to a fellow inmate, Professor Kew (who has been in the gaol for two years), that many years ago he took the rap for £20,000 which was swindled from Hector's now-deceased father. The money was placed in the bank but Phillips used it to pay off an equal amount which he had embezzled. Kew conspires with another prisoner, Count Ivor Carlac to obtain this money. They escape from the gaol and track down Phillips. With Carlac disguised as Marle, they insist that Phillips pays them £20,000 — plus interest. Phillips escapes their clutches and catches a merchant ship to San Francisco. He hopes to make his way to Salcoth Island off the coast of Alaska where evidence is hidden which will prove Marle was the perpetrator of the original crime rather than himself. Ruth engages Sexton Blake to find her father and he discovers that Kew and Carlac intend to sail after Phillips in the Anastor. The detective sends Hector to watch over the ship and, later, sneaks aboard himself. Both are present when the vessel leaves port, as are the two villains. When the latter men overpower Blake and heave him overboard, Hector manages to throw a lifebuoy out to the detective. After spending a day lost at sea, Blake rescued and sets off in pursuit accompanied by Tinker and Ruth Phillips. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Hector is captured and left bound hand and foot in a flooding sewer. Carlac and Kew make their way to Salcoth Island where they find James Phillips who has yet to discover the evidence. The criminals have better luck and, after recovering the records of the original crime, they depart leaving Phillips for dead. Sexton Blake rescues Hector and saves the injured Phillips. When all the parties return to Britain the two villains try to resume their blackmailing of the banker but are defeated when Blake snatches the evidence from Kew. The criminals get away but their plot is foiled. Rating: 
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 3 · Nov. 1915 · Amalgamated Press · 3d THE SHADOW OF HIS CRIME, OR, HOUNDED DOWN by Anon. (John W. Bobin) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: Unknown Notes: Swindler Richard Cavendish betrays his partner, Jasper Clench, and flees the country with their ill-gotten gains. Clench, arrested and imprisoned, vows revenge. Twenty years later, Ezra Q. Maitland and his wife, Broadway Kate, rob Sir Digby Cranston of his collection of precious stones. Sexton Blake and Detective-Inspector Martin attend the crime scene and quickly pick up Maitland's trail. It leads to the Royal Hotel, where their investigations are overheard by a man named Melson. A half-burned note takes Blake from the hotel to a shop owned by a fence named Israel Samuels. Entering in disguise, he finds Maitland offloading the gems and tries to capture him but the criminal flees into the street. Melson appears in a car, urges Maitland to jump in, and drives him to safety. Melson reveals his real identity — he is Jasper Clench. After being released from prison some eleven years ago, he had taken his daughter, Violet, to America where he had amassed a fortune. In the meantime, Richard Cavendish had repented, anonymously returning almost all of the swindled money to its rightful owners. Cavendish had then changed his name to John Riverton and had become a race horse owner. He is now hoping that one of his horses will win the Gold Cup, which will earn him enough money to pay the last of his debts. However, his son, Laurence, is to become the means of Melton's revenge. The ex-swindler wants Maitland to alter a cheque which will make it seem as if Riverton junior is embezzling the bank at which he's employed. This is done and Laurence is duly arrested while visiting his sweetheart, Violet, at the stables which Melson has purchased close to Cavendish's own. Sexton Blake discovers Maitland's fingerprints on the evidence and, after Sir Henry Fairfax gives him permission to interview the imprisoned Laurence, he hears the story of Cavendish and Clench and learns that a disguised Maitland is a guest at Melson's. When the criminal's servant, Wang is spotted lurking at the Riverton stables, Blake pounces but is knocked cold by Maitland and left bound and gagged to starve to death in a nearby quarry. The next day, John Riverton's horse wins the Gold Cup and he can finally pay the last of his debts. After the race, Tinker misses his Guv'nor and uses Pedro to trace him. Blake is rescued and he rushes to Riverton's place where Maitland is in the process of blackmailing the ex-swindler. Maitland is arrested and handed over to the police from whom he then escapes. Riverton and Melson — Cavendish and Clench — are reunited and forgive one another. Laurence and Violet get married. Trivia: Blake has a friend on Villiers Street who keeps a collection of disguises handy for the detective. At Blake's Baker Street house, there are nine pictures on the wall of the Consulting Room. There are twenty stairs leading up from the hall to the landing and five from the hall down to Mrs Bardell's domain. There is also a cellar in which the detective has stored over twenty years worth of newspaper clippings. Sexton Blake claims that he was 'just a lad' twenty years ago (1895). This is plainly untrue, since he was an adult at the time of THE MISSING MILLIONAIRE which was published in 1893. Rating:
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 4 · Dec. 1915 · Amalgamated Press · 3d THE RAJAH'S REVENGE by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: Unknown Notes: The Rajah of Puljara is donating an antique chest filled with gold to Britain's war effort. It is to be transported from India by Colonel Bryce and the Rajah expects to follow his envoy to London a week later. Bryce hires two men as bodyguards — Count Kaldross and Doctor Kay — little realising that they are, in fact, Count Ivor Carlac and Professor Kew. Upon arrival in London, the chest is placed in the Colonel's house in Downe Square. That night, chance takes Tinker to the square where he encounters Bryce's daughter and witnesses the murder of a taxi driver. The passenger, who unknown to Tinker, was Kew, had panicked at the sight of Sexton Blake's assistant. Blake starts investigating the murder and the trail leads him to an antiques shop where a facimile war chest has been recently built to order. This, in turn, leads him back to Downe Square where, together with their cohort, Flash Harry, Carlac and Kew have taken the house next door to the Colonel's. Digging through the fireplace, they steal the chest, replacing it with the forgery. While they prepare to leave the country, Blake exposes the burglary and recovers the chest from the neighbouring house. The Rajah arrives and learns of Carlac and Kew's crime. He vows revenge and sets a trap for them. They fall into it and, captured, are transported to India. Sexton Blake pieces together what happened from the clues and, despite the fact that they are his great enemies, decides to rescue the two villains. He travels to India and there establishes himself in the guise of a wise fakir near the Rajah's palace. Within, Carlac and Kew endure long days of torture as they are tormented by a starved man-killing tiger while the Rajah looks on. As they weaken, their ability to avoid the beast's claws lessens, and they realise that death is not far away. Unknown to them, neither is Sexton Blake. He concocts a clever plan by which he gains entry to the palace, poisons the tiger, and frees the two men. Their successful escape is reported to the Rajah who grudgingly admits that he admire's the detective's audacity. Finally, en route to England, Carlac and Kew flee from Blake leaving him with a note: they have taken back their vow to kill him and now consider that their relationship with him is starting from a clean slate. Trivia: According to the author, Pedro does not live at the Baker Street house but in kennels in the East End. This issue was later adapted as a non-Blake tale (he was replaced by Nelson Lee) entitled THE BEGGAR OF KASHAPORE which appeared in THE BOYS' FRIEND LIBRARY second series issue 646 (1938). Rating:
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 5 · Dec. 1916 · Amalgamated Press · 3d 'MIDST BALKAN PERILS by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Case of the Shrivelled Fingers by Anon. Notes: In the official records at Amalgamated Press, this story was attributed to Edwy Searles Brooks. The reason for this is unclear — the tale is plainly by W. M. Graydon. Story features Laban Creed. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 586 · 2/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE MISSING RESERVIST by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: None Notes: Issue features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 587 · 9/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MILLIONAIRE TRAITOR by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: Unknown (The signature looks like Eric Parker but the style is different and surely this is too early?) Other content: None Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 588 · 16/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE GERMAN COLONY by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 589 · 23/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d PRIVATE TINKER - A.S.C. by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 590 · 30/1/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP by Anon. (Lewis Carlton) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 591 · 6/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE BANANA PLANTATION by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The 21st F. A. Review (article); A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Financier Jacob Thornhill catches a bedraggled and down-on-his-luck Dr Huxton Rymer breaking into his safe. Rather than turning him over to the police, Thornhill commissions Rymer to do a job for him in Costa Rica. In that country, some weeks later, Britisher David Grieg arrives to take possession of a banana plantation he has purchased on Negrito Island — but finds that a Spaniard named Sancho has already claimed it. Sailing to the island, Grieg meets with Sancho and learns that the Spaniard bought the island a month ago from its owners, Thornhill and Meyer. Grieg, though, purchased it six weeks ago from a man named Gilbert, who had been an agent for Thornhill and Meyer. Sancho claims that Gilbert is a crook and has swindled Grieg but invites the Britisher to stay on the island for the night. During the hours of darkness, Grieg is awakened when a deadly snake is thrown onto his bed from the window. He survives, little suspecting that Sancho had arranged the attack. The next morning he leaves the island but, en route to Costa Rica, is thrown overboard. He is picked up by a ship bound for Bristol and, from there, makes his way to Baker Street. Sexton Blake, taking up the case, disguises himself as Grieg and visits Thornhill and Meyer. He is informed by Jacob Thornhill that Gilbert is considered a criminal and had no right to sell the plantation. However, Blake catches sight of Gilbert in the building. Back at Baker Street, he instructs Grieg to return to the Carribean, not knowing that Thornhill wants this and has sent Gilbert there to team up with Sancho in order to kill the young Britisher. All parties gather at Negrito Island — Blake and Tinker disguised as natives, and here the detective learns that his opponent, Sancho, is none other than Dr Huxton Rymer. During the night, Blake creeps into Rymer's house and steals papers which prove his and Gilbert's guilt. However, the black foreman of the plantation, intent on thievery, also sneaks into the house and, when Blake runs for it, gives chase. The two engage in a terrific fight which the detective eventually wins only to find that the noise has attracted Rymer and Gilbert and he must now face them. He manages to knock Rymer unconscious after a fairly fought boxing match but is then, in turn, sent into oblivion when Gilbert, in an unsportsmanlike move, strikes him with the butt of a pistol. Tinker and Grieg arrive in time to overpower Gilbert while Blake recovers and Rymer escapes. Gilbert makes a full confession. Thornhill finds himself facing criminal charges and Grieg finally gets his island. Trivia: This was rewritten for DETECTIVE WEEKLY issue 346 as THE CASE OF THE BLAZING ISLAND (1939). Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 592 · 13/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE HOLDING OF THE KANA PASS by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: H. L. Shindler Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Sexton Blake and Tinker are in Africa with Sir Richard Losely and Lobangu when word reaches them that war has been declared in Europe. They receive a message asking them to gather an army of natives and hold the Kana Pass in south western Africa — on the edge of the Kalahari desert — against the Germans until British troops arrive. Lobangu scouts ahead and finds a German outpost. He also discovers that the Sangani tribe has sided with the enemy. Lobangu suggests that they attack the fort and empty it of its large stockpile of guns. These should be taken to the Mokala tribe — enemies of the Sangani — who should be called upon to help Blake and Co. defend the pass. The plan is agreed and the raid goes ahead successfully. Among the captured Germans is Von Bernstein, who seems an honourable man and who concedes defeat after he is beaten in a duel with Sexton Blake. Lobangu also fights and wins a duel, in this case against a warrior of the Mokala, thus gaining that tribe's respect. The Englishmen and the Zulu train the Mokala in the use of modern firearms and plan a strategy whereby the pass can be defended. When Sexton Blake returns to the fort to check on enemy movements, he is captured but manages to escape and flees back to the Kana Pass with German regiments and Sangali warriors in hot pursuit. The battle is joined and the allied forces manage to hold the Germans at bay despite being pummelled by shrapnel bombs. When they are on the verge of being beaten by the overwhelming odds, the British arrive and the enemy is defeated. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 593 · 20/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d PLUMMER'S DILEMMA by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Auther J. W. Bobin takes over the Plummer character from Lewis Jackson. Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 594 · 27/2/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CONNISTON DIAMONDS by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: To celebrate the coming of age of his eldest son — who is away fighting on the Front — Lord Conniston is planning a lavish party at the family estate in Devon. On the occasion, the Conniston diamonds — a priceless necklace — will be worn by Lady Conniston. What the family don't know is that The Council of Eleven intend to use the occasion to steal the jewels. Sexton Blake is among the invited but, during his journey to Devon, he is inexplicably attacked by a stranger on the train. The man escapes. Shrugging it off as the act of a lunatic, the detective arrives at Conniston Hall and meets his fellow guests who are helping to prepare the banquet. Among them is a Mr Gordon who is wheelchair-bound. There is also a beautiful young woman named Miss Farquhar, who seems strangely familiar to Blake. Later, while strolling in the woods, the detective is nearly hit by a bullet fired from a rifle. Once again, his mystery assailant gets away. That night, the banquet is held and during its course the lights go out and the diamond necklace is stolen. While investigating, another shot narrowly misses Blake. The rifleman flees but leaves behind a knife which was taken from the room in which Gordon is staying. This raises Blake's suspicions and he suddenly pierces the disguises and realises that Gordon is Duke Paul Servitch and Miss Farquhar is Madame Rénée Montara of the Council of Eleven. He sends for Tinker and Pedro but his cablegram is intercepted and his assistant is captured en route. Pedro escapes and, later that night, finds Blake and leads him to the house where the boy is being held captive. There, Blake engages in a terrific fight with Baron Robert de Beauremon. The detective triumphs and takes the Baron and other members of the Council prisoner. He rescues Tinker and recovers the diamonds but, at the last moment, all the Council members escape thanks to a bungling police officer. Trivia: Blake uses his pseudonym of John Carter. This tale was reprinted in DETECTIVE WEEKLY issue 365 as THE CASE OF THE CONISTON DIAMONDS (1940). Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 595 · 6/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d ABDULLA THE HORSE DEALER by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: G. M. Dodshon Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 596 · 13/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE POISONED TELEPHONES by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: A Japanese inventor named Soto has developed a light ray — the H-ray — through which airplanes can be guided remotely. The ray also causes blindness when directed at a person. When his co-inventor, Colonel Temple, is found dead and the blueprints are stolen, Soto calls in Sexton Blake. The investigator discovers that death was caused by a fine poisonous dust placed in the telephone receiver. He also discovers that Temple had frequently visited a woman named Madam Tressidar at a nearby hotel. When Blake goes there, he finds that the woman has been killed. He also discovers that she had travelled extensively in China and that she had rented her house, near the Colonel's, to some Chinamen. Tinker and Soto are both captured and taken to this house — its tenants being Wu Ling and The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. The prisoners are tightly bound and left in a room where wireless equipment has been set up. They manage to get free long enough to transmit a message to Sexton Blake before being recaptured. Meanwhile, at Baker Street, an intruder places poison dust in Blake's telephone but is caught in the act and made a captive. The detective receives the radio message from Tinker and Soto, so leaves the Chinese prisoner guarded by Pedro while he rushes off on a rescue mission. With policemen led by Inspector Thomas, he raids the house, rescues the prisoners and retrieves the H-ray blueprints. Trivia: The author accurately predicts laser technology in this story. The layout of part of the Baker Street house is revealed when Blake passes 'down the corridor running from the laboratory past Tinker's room to the consulting room.' Also, Blake's dressing room is said to adjoin the consulting room. Rating:  A disappointing tale which seems rather too dry and lacking in thrills.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 597 · 20/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE ARMY CONTRACT SCANDAL by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: E.A.S.(?) Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 598 · 27/3/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GREAT REMOUNT SWINDLE by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: Detective-Sergeant Plummer by Anon. (This serial was continued in PLUCK) Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 599 · 3/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE VENGEANCE OF THE ELEVEN by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: Double Easter issue. Upon his marriage, Sir Henry Phildrake receives a gift of precious rubies from an Indian Rajah whose life he once saved. These gems are delivered by a courier named Intrab Ahj but while in London he is taken prisoner by the Council of Eleven and placed on a ship bound for the South Seas. A new member of the Council — Gunda Mingh — then impersonates the courier in order to gain access to the jewels. The following day, Sexton Blake and Detective-inspector Thomas of Scotland Yard are called to the Phildrake estate to investigate the mysterious theft. The jewels have vanished from a sealed room. While Blake is making his initial examinations, Intrab Ahj escapes from the ship and returns to the Venetia Hotel in London where he is murdered by Gunda Mingh, who takes the rubies and flees, intending to betray the Eleven and keep the treasure for himself. However, Baron Robert de Beauremon realises what has happened, has Mingh killed, and takes the gems. Sexton Blake finds evidence of the Eleven's involvement and traces them to a house where he is, unfortunately, captured. Taken to the coast of Cornwall, the detective is bound and placed in a booby-trapped plane. It is sent flying out over the sea with a time-bomb in it's tail. Blake manages to wrest control of it long enough to lower its altitude but when the bomb detonates he is thrown out and plummets into the waves. Fortunately, Tinker is on hand to race to the rescue. The Council members flee with the rubies in their possession. Blake's only triumph is that he manages to work out how the gemstones were stolen in the first place. Trivia: By the time of this story, Herr Schmidt has left the Council of Eleven to join the German army. The Venetia Hotel has featured in the Blake saga before, most notably in THE CASE OF THE POISONED TELEPHONES (UNION JACK issue 596, 1915), which is mentioned in this story. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 600 · 10/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE AGENT FROM AUSTRIA by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: While in Rome, Sexton Blake is approached by the Chancellor and asked to keep an eye on an agent, Guiseppe Gianelli, who is about to deliver top secret documents pertaining to London. An enemy spy named Carl Brunburg is expected to make a play for the documents and the Chancellor wants Blake to ensure that he doesn't succeed. In disguise, the detective traces Gianelli to a cafe where he finds him enjoying the company of Broadway Kate. Also in the cafe and watching this pair are Brunburg and his companion, Ezra Q. Maitland. The American couple are aiding the spy in his attempt to snatch the papers. After the various parties have departed, Maitland's Chinese servant, Wang spots Sexton Blake and sends a trained ape to kill him. The animal stabs the sleeping Blake in the chest but is shot dead by the seriously wounded detective. Bedridden, the injured man gives Tinker the job of following the spies. The lad trails them across Europe to Britain. During the journey, Broadway Kate works her magic on Gianelli and asks him to betray his country in return for £10,000; money they can use to marry and set up life together in a distant country. The Italian agent agrees and sells her the documents. However, he has seen through her game and the papers he hands over are forgeries. Tinker follows Kate as she meets with Maitland and Brunburg and witnesses their discovery of Gianelli's trick. They catch him spying upon them and take him captive. Sexton Blake arrives from Italy and is met by Inspector Martin. In Dover, they discover the dead body of Gianelli; the documents entrusted to him have been stolen, as has the money Kate gave him. A complication causes the finger of suspicion to be pointed at an innocent man but Blake cuts through the fog to reveal the truth that Brunburg was the killer. Realising that Tinker is missing, Blake uses evidence from the crime scene to put Pedro on the scent and arrives at the house where his assistant is held prisoner. The detective organises a police raid during which Ezra Q. Maitland is captured. As a spy, he will face the firing squad. The documents are recovered but Burnburg takes a suicide pill while Broadway Kate and Wang escape. Trivia: A nice quote from this story: “My name is Sexton Blake,” the detective said quietly, looking up from the contemplation of his weed. “You may have heard of me?” Inspector Appleby started, then recovered himself and looked supercilious. “I have heard of you,” he admitted loftily. “You are a private investigator, I believe?” “I must plead guilty to the charge,” Sexton Blake murmured. “I sometimes do a little detective work when the police are kind enough to allow it.” Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 601 · 17/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN; OR, "DOWN UNDER" by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Leonard Shields Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 602 · 24/4/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE CANADIAN BROTHERS by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: H. L. Shindler Other content: The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 603 · 1/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE £10,000 INSURANCE CASE; OR, THE MARCUS SAVILLE MYSTERY by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 604 · 8/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE TURKISH BONDS; OR, THE CLUE OF THE FLATTENED THUMB by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: E. E. Briscoe Other content: The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 605 · 15/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE ABBEY MYSTERY; OR, THE TREASURE OF THE TRENTS by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: W. Tayler Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Story features Sir Richard Losely. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 606 · 22/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE NIHILIST'S DAUGHTER by Anon. (Norman Goddard) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 607 · 29/5/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE QUEST OF THE GREY PANTHER by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: Sexton Blake and Tinker are flying in the Grey Panther, looking out for enemy submarines, when they spot a biplane which, as they draw close, attacks them. They force it down in a terrible storm which conceals its landing place, though they later find out that it descended onto a large estate in Essex owned by a Spaniard named Guitterrez. Later, they return to the estate by night and observe suspicious activity. Almost caught by guards, they manage to escape after a fight during which Blake recognises one of his assailants as San of The Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle. Back in London, the head of the Secret Service ('Sir John') informs the detective that a German of immense importance is believed to be in the country. Clues lead Blake to believe that this mysterious visitor might be hidden at Grindley Hall on the Guitterrez estate. Meanwhile, Tinker explores that locale and discovers a secret passage opening into the hollow trunk of an oak tree. Following this, he comes upon a chamber in which sits, to Tinker's astonishment, Wilhelm, Crown Prince of Germany. He watches as Guitterrez arrives with a guest: Wu Ling. Wilhelm offers the Chinaman a deal; if Wu Ling causes an uprising in the Far East it will split the British forces, allowing Germany to win the war. In return, Germany will support Wu Ling as he claims leadership of the Orient. Wu Ling accepts the offer and Tinker retreats to return to Baker Street with his report. Sexton Blake and his assistant try to leave the house to warn the Secret Service of the plan but find themselves besieged by Wu Ling's agents. The detective fetches pickaxes from the cellar and knocks through the wall to the neighbouring house, escaping, in disguise, through its front door. Gathering men from Scotland Yard, he organises a raid on Grindley Hall. Guitterrez is captured and proof of the plot is recovered but Prince Wilhelm and Wu Ling flee in the biplane. With the evidence in hand, the British government is able to warn the Chinese authorities of Wu Ling's intentions. Trivia: Mrs Bardell's first name is given as Amelia (usually it's 'Martha', though sometimes 'Maria'). Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 608 · 5/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MOB LEADER; OR, THE CASE OF THE PAID AGITATOR by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: E. E. Briscoe Other content: The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 609 · 12/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE MOSQUE by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 610 · 19/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CLUE OF THE KHAKI CLOTH; OR, "CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE" by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: A. Jones Other content: A Word from the Skipper; The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 611 · 26/6/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d HIS GERMAN BROTHER; OR, WHEN BRITAIN FOUGHT FOR RIGHT by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: D. Vine Other content: A Word from the Skipper; The Bogus Policeman (featuring Detective Spearing) by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 612 · 3/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SPECTRE OF THE NORMANVILLES by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Bogus Policeman by Anon. Notes: This story occurs the day after the end of THE CASE OF THE AGENT FROM AUSTRIA (UNION JACK 600). Fenwick Sterling blackmails a jockey into cheating at a race meeting but the jockey is mortally wounded and makes a death bed confession. Disgraced, Sterling is disowned by his uncle, Sir Gregory Normanville. The villain vows revenge not just on Sir Gregory but also on his cousin, Maurice Normanville, who has won the hand of the girl Sterling desires. Meanwhile, an air-raid by a Taube monoplane destroys the wall of a police cell in Dover, allowing Ezra Q. Maitland to escape. Sexton Blake is called and immediately drives to the port with Tinker and Detective-Inspector Martin. They put Pedro on the scent but the criminal manages to evade them by the skin of his teeth and, by sheer  good fortune, finds himself in Normanville Manor where he stumbles upon a secret passage in which Sterling is hiding. The two men are old acquaintances and together plot Sir Gregory's downfall. Two weeks later, Blake hears that Sir Gregory has died of fright having apparently seen the Normanville ghost which is said to appear to members of the family shortly before their demise. The detective becomes convinced that there is a secret passage somewhere in the house and is given, by Maurice Normanville, a 'ritual' which is thought to hold the key to the secret. Unfortunately, a case for the War Office interrupts Blake's investigation and three weeks pass. When he eventually resumes his attempt to decipher the ritual he is visited by Maurice Normanville who claims to have been haunted by the ghost while sleeping in his father's old room. Blake dons a disguise and accompanies the young man back to the manor where Maitland holds sway in the guise of a new butler. A cunning trap laid by the detective exposes Sterling as the ghost and the villain dies while attempting to flee. Maitland has more luck and makes a successful escape.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 613 · 10/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d SCOUNDRELS ALL; OR, STRANG THE SILENT by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Bogus Policeman by Anon.; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: An unscrupulous financier employs Baron de Beauremon, of the Council of Eleven, to secure concessions from the troubled South American state of Costa Blanca. The main rival in this endeavour is Dr. Huxton Rymer, who is acting independently. Meanwhile, John Strang — aka Strang the Silent — commissions Sexton Blake to protect his business interests in the revolution-torn country. Blake teams up with New York police officer Captain Kelly to raid a vessel that Beauremon has chartered to illegally ship armaments to Costa Blanca. Unfortunately it manages to get away with Tinker as a prisoner. However, when it reaches the South American coast and unloads its cargo, Tinker sets fire to it and escapes. From hiding, he witnesses Beauremon and Rymer meeting and forming an alliance. The next morning, Blake arrives at the country's main town, Puerto Blanco, in Strang's yacht and Tinker reports to him. The detective allies himself to the country's ousted president and asks him to gather those loyal to him. With this small army, he takes control of the town's water source and cuts off the supply. A poster campaign informs the inhabitants of their current regime's illegal activities and warns that water won't be available until the government is overthrown. Beauremon and Rymer lead the army against Blake but are defeated. They flee and the president surrenders. The ousted president regains his post and the concessions revert to Strang. Trivia: John Strang first appeared in THE YELLOW SPHINX, Union Jack issue 512, 1913. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 614 · 17/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SECRET OF KILCHESTER TOWERS; OR, YVONNE TO THE RESCUE by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman by Anon. Notes: Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 615 · 24/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d IN LONDON'S LABYRINTH by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: H. L. Schindler Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); The Bogus Policeman by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 616 · 31/7/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 2d BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Case of the Missing Banknotes by Anon.; The Bogus Policeman by Anon.; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Summer double issue featuring Hammerton Palmer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 617 · 7/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE PRISONER OF THE DARDANELLES by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 618 · 14/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d SEXTON BLAKE - PIRATE; OR, OUTSIDE THE THREE MILE LIMIT by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Bogus Policeman by Anon. Notes: Story features Dr. Huxton Rymer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 619 · 21/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MARK OF THE MAIMED HAND by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Bogus Policeman by Anon.; The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Sir James Alastair is the only survivor out of six men who went on an expedition to Africa. At his home, he is confronted by Jack Morton — who intends to marry his ward, Lena Ashford — and is accused of using her inheritance for his own ends. Though this is true, Sir James denies it and the two men argue before Morton is sent from the house. That night, Sir James interrupts Aubrey Dexter in the act of stealing a solid gold African idol from his safe. The same evening, Sexton Blake and Detective-Inspector Martin are passing the house when they see the shadow of two struggling men outlined against the window blinds. When one shadow is seen to stab the other, they rush into the house's garden and apprehend Jack Morton. Sir James is found in his study critically injured and Morton immediately becomes Martin's top suspect. Blake reads the explorer's diary and learns how the other five men of the expedition had been sacrificed by the priests of the Mogwlgir tribe, all of whom possess a maimed hand. Sir James had escaped and had taken with him the golden idol. Now, Blake finds evidence which suggests that one of the priests has arrived in England and attacked the explorer. However, he believes this evidence has been faked. Dexter, who has been hiding in the house, steals a taxi and flees. Morton escapes from custody and pursues him on a bicycle. He catches up and causes the taxi to crash. Blake and Martin follow and find Morton recovering consciousness in the road. The Scotland Yard man immediately arrests him. Blake sets Pedro on the track of Dexter, who is traced to a train station. As the cracksman climbs aboard the train, Tinker tackles him and Blake and Martin make the arrest. Dexter is sentenced to fifteen years in prison. He vows to kill Sexton Blake. Meanwhile, Sir James recovers from his injury and Morton pays off the explorer's debt to Lena. Trivia: This marks a turning point in Aubrey Dexter's career. His attempted murder of Sir James, followed by his capture and imprisonment, exposes a much uglier side of his character than we have hitherto seen. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 620 · 28/8/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE CATALEPTIC by Anon. (Jack Lewis) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John Notes: This marks the first appearance of Leon Kestrel, the Master Mummer. A young army medical officer, Norman Grant, consults Sexton Blake after his wealthy uncle is strangled to death. The evening before the murder, Grant had quarrelled with his relative — Ezra Grant — about the man's young ward, Elma Travers, who Norman wants to marry. Because of this, Detective Harker of Scotland Yard suspects him of the crime. Blake travels to Ezra Grant's home and examines the body and the evidence surrounding it. He quickly concludes that someone is actively trying to frame Norman for the murder. Furthermore, the criminal is still in the vicinity, as is proven when someone shoots at the detective when he's walking in the woods. Later that night, Blake encounters a group of shadowy figures gathered around a car in the woods. They capture him and, binding weights to his ankles, throw him into a nearby pond. Norman comes to his rescue and the mysterious men flee. Next morning, at the inquest into Ezra Grant's death, it is discovered that the body has gone missing. Amid the confusion, a figure steps into the room — it is Ezra Grant! The old man explains that he is a cataleptic and had a seizure when he was attacked in his study. Lapsing into unconsciousness, his state was so death-like that his assailant, as well as everybody else, was fooled into thinking him deceased. He makes it clear that Norman was the attacker in question but refuses to prosecute. A few days later, Blake receives a letter from Norman in which the young man explains that his uncle, unable to bear the fact that his nephew tried to murder him, has taken his own life; Norman saw his body in the pond. Blake reveals that he has cracked the case :— Working with Ezra Grant's valet, a criminal gang had killed the old man. When the detective arrived on the scene, they needed to throw him off the scent. So they had removed the body and the head of the gang, an incredibly talented actor and master of disguise named Leon Kestrel, had entered the house in the guise of the supposedly dead man. The aim of the crime was to have one of Ezra's less reputable relative's inherit the estate; thus the subsequent 'suicide' (it is the real Ezra Grant in the pond). Blake uses this to draw Kestrel into a trap at Ezra's lawyer's office. It works, to an extent... the detective catches the gang and proves Norman Grant's innocence. But Leon Kestrel eludes him. Rating: Impossible to put down, this story is a fantastic debut for one of Sexton Blake's trickiest opponents.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 621 · 4/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE VENGEANCE OF THE BLACK HAND by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 622 · 11/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE CABINET MINISTER by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 623 · 18/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE 'FRISCO LEPER; OR, THE LIVING DEATH by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Story features Dr. Huxton Rymer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 624 · 25/9/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d AT 4 O'CLOCK by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: W. Tayler Other content: The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John Notes: Sexton Blake receives a visit from the strange and seemingly timid Humble Begge (here making his first appearance in the Blake saga). Begge runs the Eastern Brethrens' Hostel and has found there a mysterious postcard which seems to suggest that something is going to happen to a man named Julian Wells. Furthermore, ever since finding the postcard, Begge has been repeatedly attacked by Japanese thugs — attacks which he fends off with remarkable ease. The two men visit Wells and discover that he was once part of a consortium of English and Japanese men who invested money and made a vast fortune. However, the Englishmen cheated their Japanese partners (though Wells had objected to this) and made off with the money. These few years later, Wells is the sole surviving Englishman and a man named Yoli Mitsugi the last of the Japanese. The latter is now out for vengeance. Tinker disguises himself as a Lascar and moves into the room next to Yoli Mitsugi's at the hostel. He learns that an attack on Wells is imminent. Meanwhile, Mitsugi's Chinese henchman, Wu Li, plans to kidnap Wells's daughter, Marian. Begge prevents this and Blake, in disguise, takes Wu Li's place, accompanying another of the gang to Wells's home. After the girl is taken, Blake reveals his hand and rescues her. Mitsugi, not knowinbg that his plot has gone awry, informs Julian Wells that unless he signs over his entire fortune, Marian will be forced to marry Wu Li. Before Wells can sign, Begge appears and chases Mitsugi off. The Japanese man returns to his hideaway just in time to witness Blake making his getaway with the girl. Tinker does not fare so well, though, and is captured. The Japanese gang attack Begge, tie him up, and then take Wells prisoner. He is locked in a basement room with Tinker and, when a nearby canal lock is opened, water rushes into it, threatening to drown them both. Blake finds Begge and the two men use Pedro to trace and rescue Wells and Tinker. Yoli Mitsugi is crushed to death by a barge but Wu Li escapes and vows vengeance upon Begge. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 625 · 2/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d IN TIME OF WAR; OR, IN THE INTERESTS OF THE ALLIES by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: G. M. Dodshon Other content: The Diamond Dwarfs by Henry St. John; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 626 · 9/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE DEATH SLEEP by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Humble Begge. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 627 · 16/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE JUNIOR CASHIER; OR, THE MYSTERY AT GARROWAY'S BANK by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 628 · 23/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MAN WHO MADE GOOD; OR, A SOLDIER'S ATONEMENT by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: E. E. Briscoe Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: Lieutenant Brian Kildare of the Red Dragoons has a problem: Neville Harcourt, his rival for the love of Daphne Vernon, has tempted him into gambling and now he has debts he can't pay. In desperation, Kildare tries to steal the jewellery he had previously given to Daphne, intending to pawn it. But she catches him in the act and faints with shock. He attempts to escape but is knocked out in the garden. His unseen assailant is Neville Harcourt who takes the jewels and slips away, leaving Kildare to face the music. When the young Lieutenant recovers, he evades the police and goes to Baker Street where he tells the whole story to Sexton Blake. The detective is sympathetic and clears Kildare's debts... but he has also been commissioned to investigate the burglary. Daphne keeps quiet about having witnessed Kildare in her room but her loyalty is to no avail. Harcourt sends letters which denounce the young soldier and Kildare is cast out of society and his regiment. A month later, Blake is still on the trail of Harcourt, who he believes to be responsible for a number of burglaries in high society. He sends Tinker to follow him and the lad overhears Harcourt plotting with two accomplices. But before he can take the news back to his master, he is caught and imprisoned in a warehouse. It takes Blake and Inspector Widgeon three days to find him, doing so in the nick of time, just as Tinker is nearly drowned in the Thames after making his own getaway. Harcourt and his gang are finally caught and sentenced to a long prison sentence. But what has become of Brian Kildare? After spending weeks living in poverty in London's East End, he has joined up as a Private and is fighting on the Western Front. There, he distinguishes himself in battle and is wounded. While recuperating, he is amazed to find himself visited by Sexton Blake. The detective informs Kildare that he has inherited a large estate, his name has been cleared, and Daphne still loves him. A happy ending! Rating:  Blake, Tinker and Pedro are the perfectly balanced team here; each playing to their own specific strengths: Tinker is the expert tail, able to follow a suspect for days without being spotted; Pedro is the faultless tracker; and Blake, of course, is the man of action and peerless intelligence. And while this adventure may lack the thrills and spills of car/plane/boat/bicycle chases, it makes up for it by being very well plotted up until the final section, where it loses momentum.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 629 · 30/10/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d SELF ACCUSED by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: E. E. Briscoe Other content: His Little Lordship by Anon.; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: In the village of Appelford, Sir Richard Carrisbrooke is tricked by a doctor named Cryps into believing that he has killed his uncle. Cryps then reveals to Carrisbrooke that he intends to blackmail him. The young man responds to this by 'disappearing'. He let's it be known that he is to travel to America on a liner, boards the ship, but then sneaks off in disguise. Later that evening, he is hit by a taxi and knocked unconscious. He is placed in the care of a doctor ... which, unfortunately, happens to be Cryps. When Carrisbrooke is declared lost at sea — having 'vanished' from the liner — his fiance, Eleanor, visits Sexton Blake and expresses her her suspicions of Cryps and her belief that Carrisbrooke is alive. Blake agrees to visit Appelford where Cryps has a nursing home. He takes Tinker and Humble Begge with him and the latter soon gets into a fight with the doctor. Blake meets with Eleanor who shows him a suicide note written by Carrisbrooke. In it, he confesses to his uncle's murder. Blake immediately spots that Cryps' claim that the note was sent from Liverpool on the eve of the liner's departure is a lie; in fact, it has been written very recently. While Blake is with Eleanor, Tinker spies on Cryps and witnesses an encounter between the doctor and Carrisbrooke, who is being held prisoner. Cryps hypnotises the young baron and reinforces the idea that he has murdered his own uncle. Tinker is captured and put into a strait-jacket. He sends a supposedly 'mad' inmate of the nursing home to fetch Begge but the 'man of peace' is shot in the shoulder by Cryps, who sets the nursing home on fire and escapes with Carrisbrooke. Blake, after rescuing Begge and Tinker, travels to London to fetch Pedro. Meanwhile, Cryps tries to hypnotise Carrisbrooke again but a distraction causes the spell to break and the two men fight. Cryps strangles his prisoner before taking to his heels. Blake, Pedro and the inmate get onto his trail and find the stricken baron. Blake tends to him while the inmate and Pedro continue the chase. When Cryps tries to shoot Pedro, the inmate leaps to his defence and kills Cryps. The truth comes out and Carrisbrooke is found innocent of all charges. Trivia: Begge is described as 'tall' whereas in his first appearance he was said to be 'little'. When Blake goes to London to fetch Pedro, he gets the bloodhound from a 'shabby mews' in the East End. What was Pedro doing there? Training? At a vets? We are not informed. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 630 · 6/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE AUDLEY TIARA; OR, PLUMMER DECEASED? by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: His Little Lordship by Anon.; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 631 · 13/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MAN WITH THE SCARRED NECK; OR, SEVERED BONDS by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: His Little Lordship by Anon.; A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: On the cover, this is entitled THE MAN WITH THE SCARRED NECK, but on the title page it's called THE MAN WITH THE SCARRED THROAT. Story features Mlle. Yvonne Cartier. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 632 · 20/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE COUNTERFEITERS by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: Detective-Inspector Martin is being driven to his wit's end by the amount of counterfeit money that's flooding the country. He reluctantly seeks help from Sexton Blake only to discover that the detective himself has fallen victim to the fraud, having found himself in possession of a forged £100 note. This had been given to him by a bookmaker named Frank Fox. In reality, though, Fox is Jack Clifton, a man who is desperate to make money in order to marry his sweetheart. The following day, Tinker follows Clifton from the Newmarket races and finds evidence that his quarry is, at heart, an honest man. Meanwhile, Blake attends court to watch the trial of Eugenie Weller, a woman Martin has arrested for passing a forged note. She is set free and the detective follows her, not realising that she is actually Broadway Kate. She leads him into a trap and he is left knocked unconscious in an alleyway. Kate then proceeds to an old abandoned watermill — the HQ of the counterfeiting operation — where she meets her husband, Ezra Q. Maitland. Clifton is fishing nearby and when Kate, observing him from the mill, sees that he has a large amount of money, she exchanges it for counterfeir notes while he is distracted. He later presents these at a restaurant and is promptly arrested. Blake is convinced of his innocence and organises a raid on the mill but Martin and his men are delayed, leaving Blake and Tinker to fall into Maitland's hands. The villain binds the detective to the waterwheel and his assistant to a sluice gate and leaves them to die. The police come to the rescue and Maitland is arrested, though Kate gets away. Trivia: In the next story concerning these characters (THE CASE OF THE CINEMA STAR, UNION JACK 667, 1916), we learn that Ezra Q. Maitland was sent to trial, convicted as a spy and executed by firing squad. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 633 · 27/11/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 2d FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE by Anon. (George Hamilton Teed) · Illustrator: Val Reading and R. Kessell Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: Double Christmas issue featuring Mlle. Yvonne Cartier. Trivia: The cover calls the story FUGITIVES OF JUSTICE, though 'from' is used internally. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 634 · 4/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d IN THE HEART OF LONDON; OR, THE SUPER-SPY by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 635 · 11/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE ENGLEBY EARRINGS by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 636 · 18/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE AFRICAN MISSIONARY by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: E. E. Briscoe Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.); His Little Lordship by Anon. Notes: Story features Humble Begge. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 637 · 25/12/1915 · Amalgamated Press · 1d TRIED IN CAMERA; OR, THE GOVERNOR'S SON by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: A Word from the Skipper (ed.) Notes: My copy is missing the cover. Unrated |
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