Pilot Officer George Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM, and Bar.
Malta, an island between Sicily and Tunisia, was an important strategic point during the Second World War. Its possession enabled Britain to harry enemy shipping with submarines and torpedo planes to the point that the Axis forces in North Africa were starved of critical supplies. In their turn the Germans and Italians besieged Malta from June 1940 until December 1942, subjecting it to frequent bombing raids. The island fortress was resupplied at intervals and at great cost by convoys run from Gibraltar and Alexandria through the enemy blockade. The prolonged defence of Malta was a modern epic; in 1942 the valour of the civilian populace was recognized when the entire island was awarded the George Cross.
George Frederick Beurling (1921-1948), a native of Verdun, QuÄbec, was the most successful fighter pilot on Malta, shooting down a total of at least twenty-seven aircraft. From his youth he was dedicated to flying and, having learned how, to joining an air force, Chinese, Finnish, Canadian or British. Events prevented Beurling from enlisting in the first two services, the RCAF turned him down because he had not completed secondary school, and so the young pilot made two trips across the Atlantic in order to join the RAF. As a sergeant pilot he was posted to Malta in the spring of 1942 and started to collect his remarkable score. He was also commissioned, much against his will, as an officer and was decorated four times. Beurling's service in Malta ended when he was shot down and wounded in October 1942. He subsequently survived the crash of a transport aircraft, transferred to the RCAF, and flew another tour of duty. In 1948, he set out for Israel where he intended to fly as a mercenary. While testing an aircraft at Rome Beurling crashed and died.
Beurling's successes as a fighter pilot were due to several factors, the most notable being his exceptionally keen eyesight. Another factor was his great dedication to his trade. Although Beurling had never completed high school, he taught himself trigonometry and applied its principles to gunnery. This enabled him to shoot down enemy aircraft with a minimum expenditure of ammunition; indeed, he frequently destroyed two or more opponents in a single action. These characteristics were exemplified by an incident in England following Beurling's career in Malta. He and another pilot were hunting when a rabbit leaped ahead of them. Beurling fired his shotgun and the animal dropped. As they walked towards it he remarked "I aimed two feet, three inches in front of that rabbit to get all the shot in the head. That way, the meat won't be spoiled for eating." His friend was skeptical until he examined the rabbit. Two pellets had hit an ear, another was lodged in a forepaw, and the rest were in the head.
A strange and undisciplined man, Beurling had not wanted to be an officer, and after receiving his commission he persisted in untidy dress. His unacceptable appearance, dangerous low flying, and defiance of authority would have incurred the wrath of his superiors had it not been for his brilliant war record. In October 1944 -- seven months before VE day Beurling was honorably discharged. The official announcements declared that he was being given an early chance to re-enter civilian life. In fact, the RCAF was pulling a painful thorn from its side.
This oil painting on canvas (76.2 x 63.5 cm) is the work of Edwin Holgate. For information about this artist read the description for illustration 16.
Courtesy: Canadian War Museum, National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada (11484)
