George Beurling

George Beurling was born in 1921 in Verdun

Beurling was born in 1921 in Verdun, near Montreal, the third of five children in a religious family. His father was Swedish and worked as a commercial artist, and his mother was of English descent. His parents hoped he would study at McGill University.

He first flew an aircraft in 1933 and left school at 15 to work for an air freight company in Ontario, where he earned a commercial license. He tried to reach China to fly there but was arrested at the US border and sent home.

The Royal Canadian Air Force rejected him for lack of schooling, and he joined the Royal Air Force in September 1940. He flew with 403 Squadron and then 41 Squadron, where he was reprimanded for leaving formation to attack. In June 1942 he reached Malta with 249 Squadron and shot down many enemy aircraft during the siege.

His official total reached 31 or 311⁄3, and his wartime service ended before the war's end over stunting and lack of teamwork. During the 1948 war he volunteered for Israel's air service. He was killed on 20 May 1948 in a crash near Rome while preparing to fly an aircraft to Israel.