Don Finlay

{{short description|British athlete and Royal Air Force officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox sportsperson |name= Don Finlay {{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DFC|AFC}}}} |nickname= |image=Finlay spitfire ii crop.jpg | image_size = |caption=Squadron Leader Don Finlay on his Spitfire IIA, [[No. 41 Squadron RAF|41 Squadron]], [[RAF Hornchurch]], November 1940 |birth_date=27 May 1909 |birth_place= [[Christchurch, Dorset|Christchurch, Hampshire]], England | death_date = 18 April 1970 (aged 60) | death_place = [[Great Missenden]], England | height = {{convert|1.82|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|77|kg|lb|abbr=on}} |sport=Athletics |event= 110 m hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin throw |club=Royal Air Force; Milocarian AC; [[Surrey AC]] |pb= 110 mH – 14.1w (1937), 14.3 (1938) HJ – 1.83 m (1938) LJ – 6.96 m (1938) SP – 11.68 m (1937) JT – 43.23 m (1937)<ref name=r1/><ref>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=1943&Gender=M Donald Finlay]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref> |alma_mater= | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}} {{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}} {{MedalCompetition|Olympics}} {{MedalSilver| [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]] | [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles|110 m hurdles]]}} {{MedalBronze| [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles|110 m hurdles]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]]}} {{MedalGold|[[1938 European Athletics Championships|1938 Paris]]|[[1938 European Athletics Championships – Men's 110 metres hurdles|110 m hurdles]]}} {{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]]}} {{MedalGold| [[1934 British Empire Games|1934 London]] | 120 yd hurdles}} }} [[Group Captain]] '''Donald Osborne Finlay''', [[DFC (UK)|DFC]], [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|AFC]] (27 May 1909 – 18 April 1970) was a [[Great Britain|British]] [[Track and field athletics|athlete]] and [[Royal Air Force]] officer.

==Early life== Born on 27 May 1909, Donald Osborne Finlay was educated in Southampton, where he attended Taunton's Secondary School. In 1925 he joined the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) , training as ground crew. He qualified as a Fitter, Aero Engines, in August 1928.<ref name=BoBM>{{cite web |title=The Airmen's Stories - S/Ldr. D O Finlay |url=https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Finlay.htm |website=Battle of Britain Monument |access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>

==Athletics career== A member of Milocarian Athletic Club and Surrey Athletics Club (based in [[Kingston upon Thames]]), he represented Great Britain in three Olympics both pre- and post-[[World War II]]. In 16 international dual meets, Finlay only lost two hurdles races: to [[David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter|Lord Burghley]] in 1931 (vs. Italy) and to [[John Thornton (athlete)|John Thornton]] in 1937 (vs. Germany).<ref name=r1/>

He first competed in the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] held in Los Angeles, United States in the 110 metre hurdles where he won the bronze medal.<ref>Finlay was originally thought to have come in fourth and the Bronze Medal was presented to the American [[Jack Keller (athlete)|Jack Keller]]; however, after review of the [[Photo finish|Kirby Two-Eyed Camera]] films, officials determined that Finlay was the bronze medalist and they asked Keller to give the medal to him. See: {{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417172635/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 16, 2013}} and {{cite news|last1=Greene|first1=Bob|author-link1= Bob Greene|title=An Athlete Who Had an Olympic Medal – and Then Didn't|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=March 1, 2017|page=A19}}</ref> He was also a member of the British relay team which finished sixth in the [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metre relay event]]. He returned to the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] held in Berlin, Germany where he improved to win the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles.<ref>[http://www.boa.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=1256 British Olympic Association > Athletes > Donald Osborne Finlay]{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Boa.org.uk. Retrieved on 15 August 2015.</ref> With the British relay team he was eliminated in the first round of the [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metre relay competition]].<ref name=r1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417172621/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fi/don-finlay-1.html Don Finlay]. sports-reference.com</ref>

He was the British Team Captain in the [[1948 Summer Olympics]] in London and was chosen to take the [[Olympic Oath]],<ref>[http://olympic-museum.de/oath/theoath.htm Olympic oath] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024172146/http://www.olympic-museum.de/oath/theoath.htm |date=24 October 2010 }}. Olympic-museum.de. Retrieved on 15 August 2015.</ref> though he failed to win any medals in these Games when he was eliminated in the first round of the [[Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles|110 metre hurdles event]], hitting the last hurdle with his leading foot and falling at the finish.<ref>[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1948 IOC 1948 Summer Olympics]. Olympic.org (29 July 1948). Retrieved on 2015-08-15.</ref> In 1949, at the age of 40, he won his eighth AAA title and he was the AAA indoor champion in both 1937 and 1938.<ref name=r1/>

At the 1934 Empire Games he won the gold medal in the 120 yards hurdles competition. He also participated in the [[1950 British Empire Games]] and finished fifth in the 120 yards hurdles contest. He was the inter-services champion in the long jump and was RAF champion in the high jump.<ref name=r1/>

==Military career== Having received training as a pilot, in April 1935 Finlay was commissioned as a pilot officer. The following month, he was posted to No. 17 Squadron and, later in 1936, to [[No. 54 Squadron RAF]] before attending the RAF School of Aeronautical Engineering at [[Henlow]].<ref name=BoBM/>

During the [[Second World War]] Finlay was posted to fly Spitfires as commanding officer of his old No. 54 Squadron, then based at [[Hornchurch]], on 26 August 1940, during the [[Battle of Britain]]. He was shot down over [[Ramsgate]] two days later and was wounded. After recovering he was posted to command No. 41 Squadron in September. He claimed his first victory, a Messerschmitt Bf 109, over the Channel on 23 September, and by the end of October 1940 he was credited with a 'share' in a second Bf 109 and a Dornier Do 17 bomber, and had also damaged a further three Bf 109s. His aircraft was damaged in combat with Oblt. [[Hans-Ekkehard Bob]] of [[JG 54]] on 9 October 1940. He added to his tally on 23 November, shooting down the Bf 109E-1 (Werk No.3868 "Black 3") of ''Obgfr.'' Günther Loppach of 11./[[JG 51]], who was taken prisoner,<ref>[http://www.aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=Finlay Kracker Luftwaffe Archive]. Aircrewremembered.com (23 November 1940). Retrieved on 2015-08-15.</ref> and another Bf 109 on 27 November 1940.

Finlay was promoted to the rank of [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] in August 1941, becoming the engineering officer for No. 11 Group. He received the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] in June 1942. His victory tally flying fighters was 4 and 2 shared destroyed, 3 and 1 shared damaged.<ref>Price, Alfred. (1996). ''Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939–41''. London: Osprey Aerospace. {{ISBN|1-8553-2627-2}} or {{ISBN|978-1-8553-2627-9}}. pp. 42, 58, 92.</ref>

Finlay then commanded [[No. 608 Squadron RAF]], flying [[Lockheed Hudson]]s in the Middle East from December 1943 to July 1944. He was promoted to group captain and appointed Senior Air Staff Officer, 210 Group. In 1945 he commanded No. 906 Wing in Burma, and was awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]] in September 1944.

As a group captain Finlay was posted to [[No. 1 School of Technical Training RAF|No. 1 School of Technical Training]], [[RAF Halton]], as senior technical training officer. He regularly took part in the station sports meeting and even at the age of 43 won every event he entered: 120-yard hurdles, 100 yard sprint, 220 yard sprint, high jump and the long jump. He entered the veterans' (over 40) handicap. He took the offered three yard start in full running kit, unlike all the other entrants who were in shirts and rolled-up trousers. From the start he raced to the tape, to show that he could have won if he wanted to. He then stopped, turned round and started to run back down the track.

Finlay was stationed for much of his time at [[RAF Acklington]], whose chapel contains a later-dedicated stained glass window to honour him. He retired from the RAF in February 1959.

Finlay was severely injured and paralysed in a motor vehicle accident in 1966, which led to his death on 19 April 1970, aged sixty.

In 2012 No. 41(R) Squadron based at [[RAF Coningsby]] unveiled a Panavia Tornado GR4 ZA614 "EB-Z" with special tail markings celebrating Finlay's command of the squadron and his achievements in the 1932 and 1936 Games.<ref>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafconingsby/newsweather/index.cfm?storyid=4062B136-5056-A318-A8F58BF02D1D5BF8 41 Squadron celebrate athletic hero]. Raf.mod.uk (3 August 2012). Retrieved on 2015-08-15.</ref>

==References== {{Commons category|Don Finlay}} {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Don}} [[Category:1909 births]] [[Category:1970 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]] [[Category:Military personnel from Dorset]] [[Category:English men hurdlers]] [[Category:British men hurdlers]] [[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:People from Christchurch, Dorset]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Dorset]] [[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain]] [[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games]] [[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]] [[Category:Royal Air Force group captains]] [[Category:Royal Air Force pilots of World War II]] [[Category:The Few]] [[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)]] [[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)]] [[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]] [[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics]] [[Category:Oath takers at the Olympic Games]] [[Category:People with paraplegia]] [[Category:English disabled sportspeople]] [[Category:Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games]] [[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]