Worrals facts for kids
Flight Officer Joan Worralson, known as "Worrals", is a fictional character from adventure books. She was created by W. E. Johns, who is also famous for his books about the airman Biggles.
Worrals was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) during World War II. She often went on exciting missions with her best friend, Betty "Frecks" Lovell. W. E. Johns based Worrals on two real-life female pilots he knew: Amy Johnson and Pauline Gower.
Worrals' Adventure Books
The first six Worrals books were written and set during World War II. The later books took her on adventures in faraway and exciting places around the world. The Worrals series was very popular in the UK and France, and her stories were translated into many other languages. Most of the books had cool drawings by the British artist Leslie Stead. Some of the first Worrals books were re-released in 2013 with new drawings by US graphic novelist Matt Kindt.
Here are some of the Worrals books:
- Worrals of the W.A.A.F. (1941)
- Worrals Carries On (1942)
- Worrals Flies Again (1942)
- Worrals on the War-path (1943)
- Worrals Goes East (1944)
- Worrals of the Islands (1945)
- Worrals in the Wilds (1947)
- Worrals Down Under (1948)
- Worrals in the Wastelands (1949)
- Worrals Goes Afoot (1949)
- Worrals Investigates (1950)
Worrals' Short Stories
Besides the main books, W. E. Johns also wrote three shorter stories about Worrals:
- "Worrals Takes a Hand" – found in The Children's Gift Book (1946)
- "On the Home Front" – found in Comrades in Arms (1947)
- "Worrals Works it Out" – found in The Girl's Own Paper (1947)
Worrals in Other Stories
Worrals has also appeared in other fictional works. For example, in Alan Moore's comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, Worrals was chosen to lead a special team of heroes. This team was put together to help the military and inspire more women to join up. However, her team's first mission didn't go as planned, and the group was later disbanded.
