Don Finlay

Medal record
Squadron Leader Don Finlay on his Spitfire IIA, 41 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, November 1940
Men's athletics
Competitor for  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver	1936 Berlin	110 m hurdles
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	110 m hurdles
European Championships
Gold	1938 Paris	110 m hurdles
British Empire Games
Competitor for  England
Gold	1934 London	120 yd hurdles

Group Captain Donald "Don" Osborne Finlay, DFC, AFC (27 May 1909 — 18 April 1970) was a British athlete and Royal Air Force officer. He was born in Christchurch, Hampshire and died in Great Missenden.

Athletics career

He ran for Great Britain in three Olympics both pre- and post-World War II. 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. He was also a member of the British relay team which finished sixth in the 4×100 metre relay event. Four years later he returned to the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany where he improved to win the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles contest.^[1] With the British relay team he was eliminated in the first round of the 4×100 metre relay competition.

He was the British Team Captain in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London and was chosen to take the Olympic Oath,^[2] though he failed to win any medals in these Games when he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles event.^[3]

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.

Military career

He joined the RAF in 1935, and during World War II initially flew Spitfires with No. 54 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain before being wounded and later commanding No. 41 Squadron. He was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander in August 1941, becoming 11 Group Engineering Officer. He received the DFC in June 1942. His victory tally flying fighters was 4 and 2 shared destroyed, 3 and 1 shared damaged.^[4]

He then commanded No. 608 Squadron RAF, flying Lockheed Hudsons in the Middle East in 1943. In 1945 he commanded 906 Wing in Burma, being awarded an AFC. He became a Group captain in 1950. He was stationed for much of his time at RAF Acklington, whose chapel contains a recently dedicated stained glass window to honour him. As a Group Captain he was posted to 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: 100x Hurdles, 100x, 220x, High Jump, Long Jump and the Veteran's (over 40) Handicap, in which he took the offered three yard start! His performance in this event won him few admirers. As he reached the tape - having made sure that we all knew he could've won - he turned around and started to run back down the course. In doing so he bumped into some of the following runners (in their rolled up trousers and loosened ties - whereas he was in his RAF athletics kit), sending them flying. Many boos were heard around the stadium! We in the station athletics team had been in awe of him when he first arrived at Halton - but his 'I am famous' attitude soon burst the bubble. He did, however raise a laugh at the prize giving ceremony at the passing out of the 61st entry of apprentices in Dec 1948. As Senior Tech Training Officer, he was describing the results of the various trades. On the subject of the Airframe Fitters he commented 'that a number of them had shone in an area not normally included in the sylabus!' This was a reference to the fact that four of the entry had been interviewed by the Buckinghamshire Police in respect of a counterfeiting operation that had enabled free entry to the camp cinema - and free passage to Aylesbury by bus! Available metal only permitted counterfeited sixpences. Excellant 2/- and 2/6d pieces had been produced - but they were too thin to be considered as a good risk!

References

1. ^ British Olympic Association > Athletes > Donald Osborne Finlay
2. ^ Olympic oath
3. ^ IOC 1948 Summer Olympics
4. ^ Price 1996, pp. 42, 58, 92.

Bibliography

• Price, Alfred. (1996). Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939-41. London: Osprey Aerospace. ISBN-10: 1-8553-2627-2 or ISBN-13: 978-1-8553-2627-9

External links

• sports-reference.com

Persondata
Name	Finlay, Don
Alternative names	Finlay, Donald Osborne
Short description	British hurdler
Date of birth	27 May 1909
Place of birth
Date of death	18 April 1970
Place of death