George Beurling - Death

Death

Beurling's marriage ended in March 1945, but he was not formally divorced. He survived the war only to find himself unable to adjust to civilian life.

In 1948, he was recruited to fly P-51 Mustangs for the Israeli Air Force. En route, Beurling fatally crashed his Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft while landing at Aeroporto dell'Urbe in Rome.

It was his 10th crash. Suspicion at the time of the accident centred on possible sabotage which never was proven. "The initial report, while it identified the crew as Beurling and Leonard Cohen (another Malta RAF pilot), acknowledged that the bodies were burned beyond recognition." The funeral in Rome, lacked only one element: Beurling's widow, family and personal friends were not in attendance. On a small brass plate over the lid of the coffin these words were written "Colonel Georgio Beurling".

Beurling's coffin was kept for three months in a warehouse in the Verano Monumental Cemetery, as nobody had claimed the body. Then his widow, Diana Whittall Gardner, had him buried in the Protestant Cemetery behind the Cestia Pyramid, between the graves of Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. In November 1950, two and half years after his death, Beurling's casket arrived at Haifa Airport. His coffin, draped with the blue and white Israeli flag, was laid in a nearby air force base, where an honour guard of young airmen mounted a silent watch. During the long funeral in the streets of Haifa, Israeli Air Force aircraft paid homage to Beurling. At last, he was re-interred in the military cemetery at the foot of Mount Carmel. The grave is marked, as are the others in Israel Defense Forces cemeteries, with only name, serial number and rank: for Beurling that of segen, lieutenant.

According to Group Captain "Laddie" Lucas, Beurling was "untidy, with a shock of fair tousled hair above penetrating blue eyes. He smiled a lot and the smile came straight out of those striking eyes... he was highly strung, brash and outspoken... something of a rebel".