Medal record
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
Competitor for  England
British Empire Games
Gold	1934 London	120 yd hurdles

Squadron Leader Donald Osborne Finlay on his Spitfire IIA, 41 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, November 1940

Donald "Don" Osborne Finlay (27 May 1909 – 18 April 1970) was a British athlete and Royal Air Force officer.

He was born in Christchurch, Dorset and died in Great Missenden.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 608 Squadron, 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 No1 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!

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

• Price, Alfred. Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939-41. London: Osprey Aerospace, 1996. ISBN 1-85532-627-2.

[edit] External links

• sports-reference.com