Book Review: Malta Spitfire by Leslie Roberts - Page 2

Beurling's final opportunity came at the hands of the RAF, and so he signed up to work his way across the Atlantic with the merchant navy, and across he came, landing at the Queen's Dock in Glasgow, although not before 70% of the naval escort for the ship had been torpedoed. Within an hour he was in an RAF recruiting office with a Flight Lieutenant listening to his story.

Unfortunately Beurling had forgotten one thing. His birth certificate. So in a move which shows his determination to fly, he re-crossed the Atlantic on the same ship he had just arrived on, picked up his birth certificate, and then made the return trip to Glasgow. At last he was in, he'd made it, he was now a trainee flyer in "the biggest flying show in man's history".

However, his approach to flying was at odds with what the officers in authority wanted from him. Once training was over, he was posted into East Anglia, where he would fly sorties over England and into German-occupied France. His time here was not the happiest, and he eventually volunteered to be posted to 249 squadron in Malta.

Once Beurling had reached Malta, his skill began to shine. His record whilst on the island (27 confirmed kills with several more damaged aircraft to his name) speaks for itself, and he was by far the most successful RAF pilot there. He became known as "Screwball", a curse he would regularly use. By the end of July 1942 he was promoted to Flying Officer and received the Distinguished Flying Medal. During September he claimed three kills in one day, an achievement he repeated in October, both of which earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Beurling's last flight over Malta saw him as the lead pilot of a flight of eight Spitfires, sent up to intercept 60 German aircraft. He claimed two victories but was wounded and his Spitfire was severely damaged. He bailed out and was hospitalised, an experience which he found deeply frustrating. Posted back to England, he was almost killed on the transit flight as the aircraft overran the runway at Gibraltar and sank, killing most onboard.

Article Author: Graeme Smith

Graeme is a 30-something living in the West Midlands in the UK. A gamer since he was young, he now doesn't have enough time to play games or take photographs because he spends time with his family. Graeme also owns and runs The Psychotic Monkey.

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