James Henry FinnVC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also awarded the Order of Karageorge which is Serbia's equivalent to the Victoria Cross.
Early life
Finn was born in St Clement near Truro, Cornwall, to John Finn and Mary Baxter Finn. The family later moved to Downing St., Bodmin. Fynn was from a big family, with five brothers and Herbert ) and five sisters, Bertha Wiggett and Beatrice Capper ). One sister, Elizabeth Mary Finn, died in 1953 and was buried at Bodmin with her father at Bodmin Old Cemetery. The headstone also mentions James, killed in action 1917. His father John Finn served in the Duke Of Cornwall's Light Infantry in the Boer War, and again in the Special Reserve during the First World War. James Finn served as a territorial soldier with the 5thBattalion, DCLI before moving to the South Wales Valleys looking for work. He eventually found employment at the colliery at Cwmtillery near Abertillery. At the Colliery he made friends with Willie Townsend and eventually went to live with the family in Frederick Street which has since been demolished.
Military service
On the outbreak of war, he immediately enlisted with the local regiment, the South Wales Borderers and was duly posted to their 4th Battalion. On enlistment, his surname was incorrectly recorded as "Fynn". On 15 July 1915, the battalion landed at Gallipoli. James was wounded in the knee and chest, and invalided back to Britain. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the battalion had moved to Mesopotamia, and Finn rejoined them there. He acted as orderly to the commanding officer, Lt. Col. C. E. Kitchen. It was on 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia, that 22-year-old Private Fynn earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery. Finn was decorated with the ribbon of the VC by Lt Gen Sir Stanley Maude at Amara on 5 November 1916. On 29 March 1917 he was wounded in the leg in an engagement at Marl Plain, 50 miles north of Baghdad. He was taken by stretcher to the field ambulance the next day, but on the way he was struck in the side by another bullet, which proved fatal. The VC was presented to his father at a public investiture in Hyde Park on 2 June 1917 by King George V. Finn was also mentioned in dispatches. He was awarded the Serbian Cross of the Karageorge with swords.
Legacy
His memorial at Basra, Iraq can be found at panel numbers 16 and 32 on the Basra Memorial which was originally sited within Basra War Cemetery. In 1966 Finn was also remembered at his home town of Bodmin when an estate was named "Finn VC Estate" in his honour. The ceremony was attended by many members of his family and members of his Regiment. The plaque commemorating the event was unveiled, and can be seen opposite the library in Bodmin. Sadly his VC is now kept locked away in a bank vault after it was donated to Bodmin Town Council, it has not been shown in public for many years. Whilst his body was never returned to Cornwall he is remembered on his father's headstone in Bodmin Cemetery. In March, 2016 a commemorative paving stone was unveiled at Mount Folly in Bodmin There are memorials also at Havard Chapel, Brecon Cathedral; St Michael's Church, Abertillery; Town War Memorial, Abertillery. There is a painting of the action which was published in The Sphere, Tatler, and also The Times Illustrated History of the Great War. The original artwork was by Ugo Matania and is held at the Wellcome Library, London.
