John Beazley

John A. Mizzi writes;

One of the last combat pilots of the air war over Malta during World War II, Wing Cdr John Beazley, has died a few days short of his 95th birthday.

He was 24 when he was posted to the newly-formed No. 249 Squadron in mid-1940 on being called up, having learnt to fly with the Cambridge University air squadron. He was involved in the Battle of Britain over southern England and, in September 1940, he was shot down over Kent but parachuted to safety. He was credited with shooting down two Me109s, a Dornier and a Ju88.

On September 27, he was badly wounded in the foot when attacking an Me110 and, on returning to his airfield, was immediately taken to hospital where he spent five months.

Wing Cdr Beazley was back with 249 in March 1941 in time to sail with 20 other pilots and their Hurricanes in the aircraft carrier Furious from Liverpool for Gibraltar, where they transferred to HMS Ark Royal from whose deck they flew a five-hour long flight to Ta’ Qali airfield in Malta.

The squadron was divided into two flights, one led by Sqd. Ldr “Butch” Barton and the other by Flight Lt Tom Neil. The Hurricanes were soon in action against the Regia Aeronautica, as the Luftwaffe, which had been pounding Malta, was being withdrawn from Sicily to prepare for the attack against the Soviet Union.

Wing Cdr Beazley was constantly in action and saw many of his friends killed or wounded. He was given command of 249 in December 1941 as the Luftwaffe returned in force to Sicily. He led the squadron until February 1942 when he was rested after 10 months of operational flying and 215 sorties during which he shot down four enemy aircraft and was credited with damaging others, beside attacking bases and supply lines in Sicily and protecting incoming convoys.

He joined the staff of Air Marshal Arthur Tedder, the Air Officer commanding Middle East, at Cairo but wanted to go back to flying so he converted to the twin-engined Beaufighter. His squadron was sent to Ceylon in October 1943 and, in March 1944, he was promoted to wing commander and station commander. Wing Cdr Beazley declined further promotion as he wanted to continue flying and he transferred to Transport Command flying Dakotas. He left the RAF in 1946.

He joined the Colonial Office and served in Nigeria for 10 years, becoming Senior Resident. When Nigeria attained independence, in 1960, he qualified as a chartered accountant and became financial director for the British Electric Traction Company, retiring in 1981. He was very active in the Conservative Party in Hertfordshire and was a trustee and treasurer of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. He was a keen golfer, a good sailor and fisherman and enjoyed walking in the country.

Wing Cdr Beazley was a modest man, and generous and, unlike the many airmen who survived the war and visited Malta later, he never returned to the island as he said he retained poignant memories of the many friends he had lost but continued to keep in touch with Maltese friends and always spoke with warmth of the Maltese people.