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| 1917 1918 1919 | |
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Publishing: Halfway through the year, UNION JACK initiates a 'war time price' of 1½d. Blake: Rupert Waldo makes his debut. Throughout the year, the lives of Dirk Dolland and Mr. Reece start to converge until they eventually spark off what would become Sexton Blake's longest case; the fight with the Criminals' Confederation. As on many other occasions, this year Blake pushes himself to the point of mental and physical collapse and is forced, under advisement from a Harley Street specialist, to take a two-week break (see THE VANISHED POLICE). | |
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THE BOYS' FRIEND LIBRARY · Issue 433 · Sep. 1918 · Amalgamated Press · 4d IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Sir Richard Losely and Lobangu. Sexton Blake and Tinker don't appear until the final chapters. This is an abridged reprint of a serial that appeared in UNION JACK issue 727 to 756 (1917-18). Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 47 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE CASE OF THE GIRL REPORTER by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Glory Gale. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 48 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d TEN DAYS LEAVE by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 49 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE CASE OF THE TWO BROTHERS by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 50 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d WHOSE WAS THE HAND? OR, THE SECRET OF THE STOLEN PILLAR-BOX by Anon. (William J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 51 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d IN THE SHADOW OF THE GUILLOTINE by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Glory Gale. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 52 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE MOSQUE OF THE MAHDI by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Hon. John Lawless. It was later adapted as a non-Blake story (he was replaced by Ferrers Locke) and appeared as WAR IN THE DESERT in THE BOYS' FRIEND LIBRARY second series issue 289 (1930). Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 53 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE ORDEAL OF ALICK HILLERSDON by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 54 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE STOLEN CROWN by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 55 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE MISSING SHIPS by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: A Fellow of His Word by Anon. Notes: Story features Count Ivor Carlac, Professor Kew and Hon. John Lawless. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 56 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE GREAT ABDUCTION MYSTERY by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 57 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE CASE OF THE TWO BANKERS; OR, WHO WAS THE THIEF? by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: None Notes: After being released from prison, 'Larry the Badger' is approached by Theodore Ranger, a bank manager who wants to hire him to rob his own bank in order to conceal his illegal 'borrowing'. Larry agrees to the plan and recruits a team for the job. On the day they break in, accompanied by Ranger, they find two safes. Ranger tells them to crack the smaller one, as the larger doesn't contain any worthwhile booty. Larry misjudges the explosives and nearly blows his own head off. Injured and burned, he collects the cash and makes his getaway, leaving Ranger behind. Next morning, it's discovered that both safes have been rifled, thermite having been used to break into the larger one. The police suspect that young called Valentine Thorne, a cashier at the bank, may be an 'inside man'. Thorne happens to be engaged to Ranger's daughter, so he stands to lose everything if found guilty. Inspector Martin is assigned the case but quickly pays a visit to Sexton Blake after being stumped by the fact that two different methods were used to open the safes. The subsequent investigation follows a twisting and turning path with many a red herring to deceive Blake, Martin and the reader. However, when a certain person emerges from the tangled web, the question changes from 'who?' to 'how?'... George Marsden Plummer is in town! Rating:  This is a classic whodunnit tale that sees Sexton Blake at his most Holmesian. It's been said that Blake hasn't the deductive powers of his Baker Street neighbour... this story proves otherwise. His eye is sharp, his wits are sharper and he pieces together a solution to the mystery with great style. There are some truly touching moments in this story when Plummer becomes very inward-looking and wonders what his life would have been like had he not crossed to the dark side. He seems like a man in search of redemption. There's a hugely entertaining court scene towards the end of the adventure in which the accusing finger finally points at Theodore Ranger. The poor man is absolutely flabbergasted to find himself under suspicion. Indeed, he soon supplies a completely cast-iron alibi. But didn't we witness him at the scene of the crime? Well, as we know, Plummer is a master of diguise...
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 58 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE REFORMATION OF ROYCE REMINGTON by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 59 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d A MATTER OF MILLIONS by Anon. (William J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 60 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE LUCK OF THE DARRELLS by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Hon. John Lawless. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 61 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d SEXTON BLAKE'S VOW by Anon. (Arthur Steffens) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 62 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d CAMOUFLAGE by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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THE SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY · 1st series · Issue 63 · Date unknown · Amalgamated Press · 4d THE SECRET OF THE HULK by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: This was rewritten under the same title in SEXTON BLAKE LIBRARY 2nd series issue 708 (1940). Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 743 · 5/1/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE CASE OF THE HIDDEN FORTUNE; OR, THE MYSTERY OF THE LITTLE RED BOOK by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: P. S. IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 14) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 744 · 12/1/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE STANDARD SHIPS by Anon. (E. J. Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 15) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Story features Ferrers Lord. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 745 · 19/1/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SECRET OF THE ALLOTMENT by Anon. (E. W. Alais) · Illustrator: Ernest G. Fryn IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 16) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 746 · 26/1/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d HIS LORDSHIP'S VALET; OR, THE CASE OF THE JADE EARRINGS by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 17) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 747 · 2/2/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE VANISHED MAN by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 18) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Professor Phineas Gorges and his secretary, John Carruthers, who is engaged to the professor's daughter, Victoria, return from Thebes with the mummy of Ramen-Ka. The morning after their arrival, Gorges is found on his study floor, nearly dead from a stab wound in his back. Carruthers is missing. The wounded man informs Detective-Inspector Coutts that the mummy had been stuffed with Ramen-Ka's crown jewels and that Carruthers had attacked him and made off with them. But when Victoria commissions Sexton Blake to look into the matter, the detective finds a wealth of contradictory evidence. It's not until he receives a visit from Dirk Dolland that matters become less confusing. Dolland explains that he had been following Max Marx, a thief who had cheated him during a shared heist. He had witnessed Marx burgling the Gorges house and saw him get away with the mummy's jewels. Following the lead, Blake corners Marx in a hotel room. The crook admits to stabbing the professor and the detective hands him over to the police. Blake and Coutts go to question the recuperating Gorges to find out why he had accused Carruthers of the crime but when they reach the house Victoria informs them that her father has gone missing. The mummy has also vanished. Blake discovers that the professor has taken the mummy to a cottage he owns 23 miles out of London. He, Coutts and Tinker driver there and witness Gorges lowering the mummy into a well. Blake realises that the bandaged figure is actually the corpse of Carruthers — who had been murdered by the professor during a fit of lust brought on by the discovery of the jewels. Gorges falls into the well and makes a full confession while lying on his death bed. Rating: 
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 748 · 9/2/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE OIL KING'S SECRET by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 19) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 749 · 16/2/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE AFFAIR OF THE PREMIUM BONDS by Anon. (E. J. Murray) · Illustrator: Val Reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 20) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Story features Ferrers Lord. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 750 · 23/2/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d RESCUED BY AEROPLANE; OR, THE TREASURE CITY by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Vine Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 751 · 2/3/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE BOGUS BAT by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 21) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: A series of robberies seem to mark the reappearance of Dirk Dolland aka The Bat in London. Detective-Inspector Coutts manages to catch the ace cracksman's lady assistant, The Butterfly, but when Sexton Blake visits her in her cell he finds that she's an imposter. A telegram from Dolland confirms this; someone is committing burglaries in his name. Coutts allows the woman to go free, hoping to follow her to her criminal partner, but she gives him the slip. Blake, meanwhile, traces her to an address in Chiswick. Watching the house, he spots Dolland. He follows the cracksman into the premises and finds himself held at gunpoint by a criminal named Sam Salton and his henchman, Max. They bind him hand and foot and leave him in a drainage-sewer where he is attacked by rats before being swept out into the River Thames by a flood of water. Swimming to a nearby tug-boat, he hears through its porthole Salton, Max and a man named Jepson plotting to burgle the Universal Bank. Blake returns to Baker Street where Coutts is waiting for him. The two men fetch a squad of policemen from Scotland Yard and head for the Universal Bank, which they surround. Blake enters the building but is captured by the Salton gang and locked in a safe. Just as his air is running out, the safe is opened by Dirk Dolland. The Bat had eavesdropped at Salton's Chiswick house and had learned of the villain's plan to rob the bank. He had been hiding in the next room when Blake arrived. The detective thanks him and tells the gentleman cracksman to flee before Coutts and his men raid the premises... but too late, Coutts bursts in and claps handcuffs onto Dolland. Leaving a constable to guard his prisoner, Coutts leads his men, with Blake in tow, up to the roof in pursuit of Salton. A gunfight ensues and the criminal falls to his death. When the group re-enters the bank, they find that Dolland has escaped. Blake can't help but feel pleased. Trivia: Detective-Inspector Coutts introduces himself to a fellow police officer as Jim Coutts during this story. Rating: 
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 752 · 9/3/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE GOLDEN REEF by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 22) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Story features Sir Richard Losely and Lobangu. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 753 · 16/3/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE MYSTERY OF THE VLAO VASE by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: Unknown IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 23) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: Septimus Smythe, the youthful secretary to Professor Jordan Cane and, like his employer, an expert in the field of antique procelains and china, discovers a genuine Vlao vase among a set of fakes in a bazaar in Tunis. The companion to the one owned by Cane, it is worth £10,000. He purchases the vase for £10 but it is subsequently stolen by a man who calls himself Guy Cavendish. Weeks later, after Professor Cane learns that his secretary is penniless and stranded in Tunis, he receives a visit from a man named Theodore Flax who has with him a genuine Vlao vase. Cane buys it for £10,000. Later, an American millionaire named John D. Rogan purchases two genuine Vlao vases from a young man named David Lascelles. Sexton Blake, Tinker and Detective-Inspector Coutts respond to a call for help from Professor Cane's butler. Cane has been knocked unconscious by an intruder and his two Vlao vases have been stolen and replaced by imitations. The following day, Blake receives a call from Rogan. He, too, has been attacked and his vases replaced. Blake realises that both men have fallen for the same swindle — a fact that becomes even more apparent when Septimus Smythe finally arrives home to reveal that he, too, has been robbed of a vase. The detective is quick to surmise that Cavendish, Flax and Lascelles are all one man — Dirk Dolland aka The Bat! The ace-cracksman's brand of cigarettes put Blake on his trail and he arrives at Dolland's flat in time to find the young crook being attacked by a hindu. The detective knocks the assailant out and learns from The Bat that someone else has been responsible for the crimes against Cane and Rogan. Dolland had, indeed, sold the genuine vase then substituted it for a fake... but the subsequent robberies were nothing to do with him. The hindu reveals that he was the thief — he was trying to recover the original vase on behalf of his master, the bazaar owner. Dolland and the hindu escape (Dolland a considerably richer man) but the vases are left behind for Blake to return to Cane and Smythe. Rating:  A brief but thoroughly enjoyable tale.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 754 · 23/3/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1d THE SECRET OF HIS BIRTH; OR, A TRAITOR TO THE FATHERLAND by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 24) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 755 · 30/3/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Val Reading IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 25) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: None Notes: With this issue the price rises to 1½d. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 756 · 6/4/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE MYSTERY OF ALAZION by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: Unknown IN THE HANDS OF THE HEAD HUNTERS; OR, INTO THE UNKNOWN (part 26) by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) Other content: The Reformation of Reggie Wren by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 757 · 13/4/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d FOR POLITICAL REASONS; OR, THE CASE OF THE KIDNAPPED PRINCE by Anon. (E. J. Murray) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: Story features Ferrers Lord. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 758 · 20/4/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE AMAZING MYSTERY OF FREDERICK FENNELL by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 759 · 27/4/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE TRAGEDY OF THE TOP-FLOOR FLAT by Anon. (W. J. Bayfield) · Illustrator: Philip Swinnerton Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 760 · 4/5/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d A DEAD MAN'S HATE by Anon. (E. J. Murray) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: Story features Ferrers Lord and takes place at Calcroft School. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 761 · 11/5/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE BAKER STREET MYSTERY; OR, LABAN CREED'S HAZARD by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: Story features Laban Creed. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 762 · 18/5/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING; OR, THE MOLLAN CASE by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 763 · 25/5/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d A MID-OCEAN MYSTERY; OR, THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK BOX by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raisers! by Anon. Notes: This can be considered a prequel to the Criminals' Confederation story arc. Blake and Tinker are due in America on business but before they sail they're approached by a shifty-looking lawyer who commissions Blake to act as courier, transporting a small black box full of legal documents across the Atlantic. The detective accepts the job and the following day he and his assistant are aboard the Lustania bound for the States. Also aboard is a heavily disguised Detective-Inspector Coutts who's on the track of a jewel thief named Joe Banks. When a passenger's emerald necklace goes missing, the culprit seems obvious but then Banks is murdered and the case becomes much more complex. The thief was strangled in his cabin - which was locked on the inside. A card left behind by the mysterious murderer reveals that Mr. Reece is out to revenge himself upon those who previously defeated him. But why Banks? The answer becomes clear when Blake realises that the thief's cabin-mate is Dirk Dolland aka The Bat. Dolland was the target; Banks had been killed by mistake. When Coutts is almost done away with by the same inexplicable method, Blake realises that he himself is also a target. The expected attack comes, catching the detective by surprise and he is almost defeated. After a last-minute escape, he joins forces with Dolland to catch the culprit. They identify their man but he jumps overboard rather than allowing himself to fall into their hands. Mr Reece, as ever, remains unseen - the guiding hand behind the crimes. Reaching America, Blake and Dolland part company on good - though wary - terms. But, after handing over the black box to a man who meets him at the docks, the detective receives a letter from Dolland which reveals that the stolen emeralds had been hidden in it and were now in the hands of The Bat. Trivia: Mrs Bardell has an uncle. Detective-Inspector Coutts's first names are John William (elsewhere he's George). Rating: A truly entertaining tale marred only by the fact that Tinker sleeps through most of the action scenes!
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 764 · 1/6/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE LEARMOUTH CHAMBERS MYSTERY; OR, THE CASE OF THE THREE RED DISCS by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 765 · 8/6/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d A GOLDEN STRATAGEM; OR, THE CASE OF THE STOLEN CONCESSIONS by Anon. (E. J. Murray) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: Story features Ferrers Lord. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 766 · 15/6/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d NO. 13 BROUGHTON SQUARE by Anon. (Cecil Hayter) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 767 · 22/6/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE LOST LETTER by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: While eating out in one of London's French restaurants, Sexton Blake notices a man who seems to want to approach him. But as the man gets to his feet, he collapses and is found to be dead: shot with a silent air-gun. Pushing through the crowd that gathers around, the detective retrieves a note from the man's fist... but half of it has already been grabbed by an unknown person among the onlookers. The note seems to warn of imminent danger and suggests that full details have been sent to Blake by registered post. But when he returns to Baker Street, Blake finds that his postman has been murdered on his doorstep, apparently by a woman who Mrs. Bardell had let into the house. The registered letter is missing. Later the same evening, a man named Frederick Ross consults the investigator. He believes that his eldest brother is being slowly poisoned by his own secretary and wants Blake to come to their house in High Wycombe to look into the matter. The detective realises that the story is fabricated and that a trap is being set. He decides to purposely walk into it, and so agrees to go, bidding Tinker to stay put. Sure enough, upon arriving at the house, he is taken prisoner and discovers that he has fallen into the hands of Mr. Reece. He is locked in the cellar where he finds another captive: Dirk Dolland aka The Bat. Dolland explains that he had stolen an emerald which Reece had himself wanted. He and his assistant, Mademoiselle Miguet, known as The Butterfly had been captured and Dolland was tortured but refused to reveal where he had hidden the gem. One of Reece's men, who owed a debt to Mlle Miguet, allowed her to write a letter pleading for Blake's help. When he tried to deliver it, he was murdered in the restaurant by Ross. Miguet had managed to get free and fled to Baker Street only to arrive in time to witness Ross killing the postman and retreiving the letter. Mr. Reece, who remains unseen throughout, now instructs Ross to kill the two men. The villain leaves them standing on a precariously balanced plank of wood with nooses around their necks. When a candle burns through a rope, the plank will collapse and they will hang. This happens just as Tinker and Inspector Coutts lead a raid on the house. Blake and Dolland are saved, but the gang and Mr. Reece get away. Trivia: Blake reveals that he first met Coutts, who was a Detective-Sergeant at the time, in Frascadero, one of London's French restaurants. Rating: Another excellent lead up the the Criminals' Confederation story arc.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 768 · 29/6/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE MOUNT STONHAM MURDER MYSTERY by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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Amalgamated Press · 1d UNION JACK · New series · Issue 769 · 6/7/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE SHIRKER by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: H. M. Lewis Other content: The Red Raiders by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 770 · 13/7/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE STOLEN NEGATIVE by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: Story features Hon. John Lawless, Professor Kew and Count Ivor Carlac. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 771 · 20/7/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE MYSTIC CYPHER; OR, THE LONE HOUSE IN THE FOREST by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story, which is recounted by Tinker. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 772 · 27/7/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE MYSTERY OF THE APPEAL TRIBUNAL by Anon. (J. W. Bobin) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Story features George Marsden Plummer. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 773 · 3/8/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CLUE OF THE FOOD CARD; OR, THE KING'S COURTENAY MYSTERY by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 774 · 10/8/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE DUAL DETECTIVES by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 775 · 17/8/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CASE OF THE CLUBFOOTED MAN by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: G. M. Dodshan Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Sexton Blake and Tinker are roused in the early hours of the morning by Detective-Inspector Coutts who wants them to come to Scotland Yard to identify a prisoner. They accede and are surprised to find that the Yard man has caught Dirk Dolland, The Bat. But the cracksman seems strangely dazed, as if drugged. After giving a positive identification, Blake and Tinker begin walking home. In Hyde Street, they hear a cry for help and, by following a trail of blood, find a man stabbed in a large house. A club-footed man appears on the scene and flees in a car when the detective attempts to question him. Blake and Tinker appropriate a vehicle and give chase but their quarry crashes and is killed. However, when the detective examines the corpse he is astounded to find that it is not his man! At some point, the club-footed villain had run over a bicyclist, put the body in the car, and sent it careening off the road while he made a getaway on foot. Blake returns to his own vehicle only to discover that it — and Tinker — have vanished; the lad obviously kidnapped by the villain. The detective takes the train back to London and, at Baker Street, is met by Coutts who despondantly informs him that The Bat has escaped. Blake tells Coutts of his own adventure and is surprised to hear that the police have not learned of the stabbed man... which means he might still be at the house. The two men race to the scene of the crime — and upon arrival Coutts declares that this is the very house where he had arrested Dolland the night before. Inside, they find Tinker bound to a chair; but the residence is otherwise empty. The detective and his assistant return to Baker Street where they are surprised to find The Bat waiting for them. He explains that he had first met the club-footed man when the latter commissioned him to steal jewels from the safe in the Hyde Street house (this belongs to a man who is currently abroad). He had done the job but his employer had then drugged him, left him there, and tipped off Scotland Yard — thus his arrest. Dolland gives Blake a clue which leads the detective to identify the club-footed man's hideaway. He tips off Coutts who leads a raid and rounds up the criminals. Captive among them is the stabbed man, who was the Hyde Street house owner's secretary. The Bat, meanwhile, eludes the police once again. Trivia: Blake owns and plays a Stradivarius. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 776 · 24/8/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK; OR, A TALE OF THE "DEFENCE OF THE REALM ACT" by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Vine Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Story features Cavendish Doyle. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 777 · 31/8/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE FLASHLIGHT CLUE by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 778 · 7/9/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE VANISHED POLICE by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Under orders from a Harley Street specialist, Sexton Blake has been on a two-week holiday in the West country, accompanied by his assistant, Tinker. Upon his return, he finds that London is in the grip of a massive crime wave. Detective-Inspector Coutts brings worse news: Chief Commissioner Sir Henry Fairfax has been kidnapped and sixteen members of the London Metropolitan Police Force have vanished! Coutts has discovered that at least six expert cracksmen must be a part of the gang responsible; six men who were recently released from prison and who then disappeared without a trace. Blake decides to replace a bobby on his beat near a bank that has yet to be robbed. The move pays off; that night the bank is broken into and Sexton Blake vanishes! Tinker, following up his Guv'nor's investigation, follows a cracksman who has just been released from gaol. He sees the man approached by Frederick Ross, and trails them to a metalwork factory. Here he is captured and presented to Mr. Reece. This is the first time he has ever seen the criminal mastermind in the flesh. Reece has the lad imprisoned in a cell. Unknown to Tinker, Sexton Blake is in another cell nearby after having been knocked unconscious by the bank raiders. Blake escapes and frees Tinker, the missing police constables and Sir Henry Fairfax. They fall upon the gang and take them into custody but, after Blake and Reece confront one another, the brains behind the operation escapes. Trivia: Once again, Sexton Blake is under doctor's orders to take it easy after overworking to the point of mental and physical collapse. This story dates itself as beginning on August 17th (though the year is given as '19—'). Rating: Although this isn't the first Mr. Reece story, it does mark the first time the criminal and Sexton Blake meet face to face. This tale can be considered a prequel to the Criminals' Confederation series.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 779 · 14/9/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d SUSPENDED FROM DUTY by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Sexton Blake receives three visitors; representatives from the London, Paris and New York police forces. The leader of this deputation, Detective-Inspector Sark of Scotland Yard, informs him that Detective-Inspector Coutts has been suspended from duty due to his lack of progress with regard to the apprehension of The Bat. Dirk Dolland has been running rings around him for two years; now Sark has taken on the case instead... and he wants to know everything Blake knows about Dolland! The interview is interrupted by a telephone call from the gentleman cracksman himself. Dolland informs Sark that he intends that very night to steal the Danesby Murillo — a valuable painting owned the collector Simon Kneller — and he challenges the Inspector to stop him. That evening, the three policemen, Blake, Tinker and Kneller stand guard over the painting. When the house catches fire, they find themselves trapped on an upper storey. Fortunately, the fire brigade arrives and a fireman ascends a ladder to their window. Between them, Sark and Blake hand him the painting to take to safety. Before they can climb out and follow him down, more firemen burst into the room. Their chief declares that the fire was faked with smoke bombs and incendary chemicals. Furthermore, none of his men had been up a ladder to the window. The man Sark and Blake handed the painting to was The Bat! Hours later, when Sark leaves the scene of the crime, he hails a convenient taxi and promptly finds himself kidnapped and rendered unconscious. Sexton Blake, meanwhile, visits the Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry Fairfax, at Scotland Yard and learns that Sark had indicated to his superior that Coutts was in collusion with The Bat. Their meeting is interrupted when a taxi arrives with Sark tied up in the back; a mocking note from Dirk Dolland pinned to his coat. Sir Henry begins to tear him off a strip but is interrupted once again, this time by the arrival of Inspector Coutts. He has a parcel with him which had been delivered with instructions to take it to Sir Henry. It turns out to be the stolen painting. Coutts has also brought with him the man who delivered it... and, despite the disguise, that man turns out to be The Bat. Coutts makes the arrest, redeeming himself and winning a £4,000 reward. Blake realises that Dirk Dolland has deliberately let himself be caught in order to help Coutts. Trivia: Blake's club is named 'The United States'. Detective-Inspector Coutts, at this stage of his career, lives at No. 54 Wyatt Road on the opposite side of Westminster Bridge from the Houses of Parliament. Rating: A superbly written and very entertaining story with a surprise ending — The Bat in police custody!
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 780 · 21/9/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE ONLY CLUE by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 781 · 28/9/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CASE OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Vine Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 782 · 5/10/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE STEEL CLAW; OR, THE MYSTERY OF DEEPGRANGE MANOR by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: W. Reading Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: A police detective named Durant has been missing for two days. Then Detective-Inspector Coutts receives a telegram from the man, sent from the Essex village of Cattenham. In it, Durant claims to be on the trail of something big and requests that Coutts should bring Sexton Blake. Coutts, Blake, Tinker and Pedro arrive at Cattenham late in the evening. There is no sign of Durant at the local inn where he's supposedly lodging. Tinker turns in for the night. The two detectives go for a walk and, on the periphery of the grounds of Deepgrange Manor, are startled to hear the roar of a lion followed by a terrified scream. A police constable runs out of the darkness and tells them that he saw a man climb over the wall into the grounds of the manor. The estate belongs to Sir Henry Carles, an explorer known to keep wild animals on his property. Blake picks the lock of the gate and the three men enter the overgrown gardens. They find the corpse of Durant; he has been killed by a lion. Sir Henry arrives on the scene and helps them carry the corpse back to his house. He shows them his lioness — now returned to her cage — and Blake examines her claws, noting that they are clean. While the constable remains behind to take charge of the body, Sexton Blake and Detective-Inspector Coutts return to the village inn. Blake hears that Durant's papers are in his room and asks the landlord to show him to it. It's locked from the inside! Hearing someone within, the detective breaks down the door but stumbles in the dark. He just catches site of a figure leaving through the window. Using Pedro, he tracks the intruder back to Deepgrange Manor. There, in the pitch dark, Pedro runs off after something. Alone, Blake is suddenly confronted by two glowing green eyes. Believing the lioness is about to attack, he falls backwards just as claws rip through the front of his jacket. Then he hears Pedro return to attack the creature and see it off. Sir Henry approaches and Blake hides. When the man has passed, the detective heads for the Manor where he finds a man bound to a chair. This turns out to be the real Sir Henry. The imposter is his evil half-brother, Raven, who has been torturing him and stealing his money. But the guiding hand behind Raven's actions belongs to Mr. Reece! Blake calls the police then hides behind a curtain. Raven returns accompanied by Reece and they begin to force Sir Henry to sign a cheque. But Reece has no further need of Raven and poisons him. Suddenly, the police arrive in force and Reece is cornered. But he threatens them with a glass ball holding nitro-glycerine. They back off and he runs from the room, throwing the bomb in behind him. It bounces harmlessly on the floor: a mere decanter stopper! Blake discovers the truth behind the 'lion' attacks (which is given away by the story's title!). Mr. Reece remains at large. Rating:  A tale of fairly inconsequential events which occur in a single night and which Tinker sleeps through.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 783 · 12/10/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d BEHIND THE LINES; OR, THE CLUE OF THE CRYSTAL PHIAL by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Story features Matthew Quinn. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 784 · 19/10/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CROOKS OF RAPID HOLLOW by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Vine Other content: None Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 785 · 26/10/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE TEN MILE CHAMPION; OR, THE FACTORY MYSTERY by Anon. (Andrew Murray) · Illustrator: Harry Lane Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 786 · 2/11/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE TERROR OF TREVIS WOLD by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 787 · 9/11/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE SILENT PARTNER; OR, THE CASE OF THE STOLEN HEIRLOOMS by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Four months ago, Dirk Dolland gave himself up to the police to save the reputation of Detective-Inspector Coutts. Since then, he has resided in Moorlands Prison. But now, the priceless Canvey diamonds have been stolen and a card signed 'The Bat' is left behind. Sexton Blake believes that Dolland's partner, Mademoiselle Mignon aka The Butterfly, is responsible. Later that afternoon, Coutts turns up at Baker Street bearing a written invitation for himself and Blake to dine with The Bat. They keep the appointment and are astonished to find themselves with Dirk Dolland, a man they know for sure to be in prison. Coutts arrests him and they all go to Scotland Yard where Dolland's identity is confirmed by fingerprints. Coutts is sent by Sir Henry Fairfax to inspect the 'other Dolland', so he and Blake travel to Moorlands Prison where, to their complete amazement, they find their man — every bit as genuine as the one they left in London. The two detectives board a train back to the city with Dolland handcuffed to Coutts. They are taking him back so that they can examine the 'two Bats' side by side. Much of the rest of the train is filled with a theatrical company, touring a play named 'Convict 77', which, by coincidence, is Dolland's prison number. Upon arrival at Paddington, the carriage doors open and a swarm of men dressed in prisoners' uniforms swarm out, engulfing Blake, Coutts and Dolland. In the confusion, the handcuffs are cut and The Bat vanishes into the throng. Blake realises that they've been bamboozled by a clever scheme dreamed up by The Butterfly to secure Dolland's release. Tinker falls foul of the escapee and finds himself accompanying The Bat and The Butterfly as they flee to Dover. He listens as the lady crook reveals how she trained a man to impersonate her partner and how the fingerprints had been faked. Then he is dropped of by the roadside and watches as the car drives the pair off to freedom. Trivia: In previous stories The Butterfly's real name was Mademoiselle Miguet. In this tale it has suddenly become Mademoiselle Mignon. Rating: A really excellent tale.
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 788 · 16/11/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE STUDDED FOOTPRINTS; OR, THE CLUE OF THE BLUE DUST by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Red Raiders! by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story, which is narrated throughout by Tinker. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 789 · 23/11/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d FOES IN THE DARK by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: Unknown Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 790 · 30/11/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE AMAZING AFFAIR AT CLANMERE MANSIONS; OR, THE MAN IN GREY by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Val Reading Other content: A Conspiracy at Sea (Nelson Lee) by Edwy Searles Brooks. Notes: This is a prequel to the Criminals' Confederation story arc. Blake and Tinker are present when a man is found dead in the street. He is identified as a writer named James Jenner, who lives nearby. When Blake accompanies the police to the man's flat — No.6 — at Clanmere Mansions, they find that it has been ransacked and there is a dead man on the floor. Next morning, Tinker reads in the paper that the Mallinan Diamond has been stolen. Before he can engage his guv'nor in conversation about this, Detective-Inspector Coutts arrives and they return to the crime scene only to find that the flat has been searched again. The mystery has them all puzzled and, late that night, Blake once again returns to No.6 where he encounters a masked intruder. The man escapes via the back door. Blake leaves by the front but someone else is there; they assault him and knock him cold. Later, Tinker is awoken by tapping at his bedroom window. Outside, the same masked man that his guv'nor had seen is clinging to a drainpipe. He instructs the lad to go to Clanmere Mansions then slides to the ground and makes off. Tinker follows the instruction and finds the unconscious Blake. After reviving the detective, they prepare to leave when they suddenly hear morse code being tapped on a pipe — an S.O.S. from the flat above! They creep up the fire escape and, peering through the window, they see tied to a chair the masked man — it's Dirk Dolland aka The Bat! And his captor is Mr. Reece! Blake and Tinker attack but Reece gets away. After Dolland is untied, he explains that this flat — No.7 — is his. He had been approached by a man whom Reece had commissioned to steal the Mallinan Diamond. The villain intended to cheat Reece and wanted Dolland to help him dispose of the gem in return for a cut of the profit. The Bat agreed. But when the man, pursued by Reece, arrived at Clanmere Mansions he had accidentally gone to the flat beneath Dolland's and thus Jenner had become caught up in the business. The thief had forced Jenner to impersonate him in an attempt to put Reece off the scent but Reece had killed first Jenner then the thief. Since then, the master criminal had repeatedly searched the flat for the missing diamond. Dolland had eventually found it and now returns it to Blake who allows him to go free. Both men vow to hunt Mr. Reece and make him answer for his crimes, no matter how long it takes. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 791 · 7/12/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d DIRK DOLLAND'S REDEMPTION; OR, A MYSTERY OF THE LINE by Anon. (Robert Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: W. Reading Other content: A Conspiracy at Sea (Nelson Lee) by Edwy Searles Brooks; The Headless Robin (Nelson Lee) by Edwy Searles Brooks. Notes: This can be considered the first part of the largest Sexton Blake story arc ever: the Criminals' Confederation. A man is hit by a train but Sexton Blake deduces that he was dead already — it's a case of murder. Hidden in the man's clothing, he finds a priceless diamond earring. Footprints at the scene lead him to a secluded and empty cottage on Canvey Island. There, he finds the stub of a cigarette — the scarce brand smoked by Dirk Dolland aka The Bat. A bullet crashes through the window and creases the detective's skull. Tinker pursues two men, one of whom he recognises as Dolland. They get away in a boat. Back at Baker Street Blake uses a secret phone number once given to him by Dolland to try to make contact with the master cracksman. His call is answered by Mademoiselle Mignon who worredly admits that Dolland is missing. Detective-Inspector Coutts arrives and informs Blake that the dead man has been identified as a lawyer named Lewis Rogers. He used to work for Lord Dunton, who turns up as Blake's next visitor. The Lord explains that the famous Dunton diamonds had always been kept in Roger's safe but when Dunton had decided to sell them the lawyer had been very reluctant to hand them over. Eventually he did and Lord Dunton took them away only to discover that they were imitations. Later, Lord Dunton reports that his wife has disappeared. Blake tracks her to Dover where she confesses that she had had the fake diamonds made while she pawned the real ones to cover her gambling debts. She's conspired with Dolland to try to cover up her indiscretion but it all went wrong when Rogers was killed and the real diamonds stolen. Sexton Blake returns to Baker Street and finds Dirk Dolland waiting for him. The Bat hands over the diamonds which, at great personal risk, he has retrieved from the man who stole them. This man was also responsible for the murder —and his name is Mr Reece! The criminal master-mind had escaped from Dolland on a tugboat which was then wrecked at sea with all hands presumed lost. Mr Reece, it would seem, is dead. Rating:
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 792 · 14/12/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CASE OF THE MISSING BOLSHEVIK by Anon. (William Murray Graydon) · Illustrator: Unknown Other content: The Headless Robin by Anon. Notes: None at present. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 793 · 21/12/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d THE CASE OF THE HOLLOW DAGGER by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Headless Robin by Anon. Notes: Blake teams up with Nelson Lee in this story. Unrated |
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UNION JACK · New series · Issue 794 · 28/12/1918 · Amalgamated Press · 1½d WALDO THE WONDER-MAN by Anon. (Edward Searles Brooks) · Illustrator: Arthur Jones Other content: The Professor's Gold by Anon. Notes: Sexton Blake and Tinker are in Sussex having just finished a case. While Blake enjoys a social evening with the local police inspector, Tinker takes the man's children to a circus. While there, a performer named Durand is murdered by means of a poisoned dart. This occurs in his caravan during a perfomance by the circus's strong-man, Waldo the Wonder-Man. Another member of the circus troupe — a named Fletcher — is accused of the crime and the evidence against him seems overwhelming. However, Tinker is convinced of his innocence and fetches Blake, who agrees. He sets a trap for the real killer and, that night, chases a shadowy figure who is plainly trying to get rid of evidence. Though the man remains unseen, when he is tackled by Blake and Tinker, he picks them up and throws them into a river. This display of strength points to Rupert Waldo and, when Blake goes to London to consult Scotland Yard's fingerprint records, it emerges that the strong-man is an escaped convict named William Waldron. While Sexton Blake is away, Tinker pays a visit to Nelson Lee and Nipper at nearby St. Frank's. This proves fortunate because when Blake and Detective-Inspector Lennard attempt to arrest Waldo, the criminal starts a fire and escapes on a goods train, despite being badly burned, as well as shot in the leg. Blake telephones Lee who organises the local police to stop the train as it passes near St. Frank's. Waldo is captured and demonstrates that in addition to his immense strength, he is incapable of feeling pain. Later, he escapes from police custody and goes on the run, promising, in a letter to Blake, to begin a crime spree. Trivia: This tale is recounted in first person by Tinker. Christmas issue. Rating:
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