James Henry Fynn
Encyclopedia
James Henry Finn VC
(24 November 1893 – 30 March 1917) was an English
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.
near Truro
, Cornwall
, to Frederick John Finn (b.1873) and Mary Baxter Finn (née Uglow). The family later moved to Downing St., Bodmin
. Fynn was from a big family, with five brothers (Frederick, David, Sussex, Albert E.R.(of Kilhallon, Par, Cornwall
) and Herbert (known as John)) and five sisters (Florence King, Elizabeth Finn, Annie Hoskin, Bertha Wigget (of Watchet, Somerset) and Beatrice Capper (formerly Port, of Portishead, Somerset)). One sister, Elizabeth Mary Finn, died in 1953 and was buried at Bodmin
with her father at Bodmin Old Cemetery. Interestingly, the headstone also mentions James, killed in action 1917.
Finn went 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.
of the South Wales Borderers.
It was on 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia
(now Iraq
), that 22 year old Private Fynn earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
Fynn was, according to family records and letters, badly wounded. He was carried back to safety, he died of his injuries that day.
, Iraq
can be found at panel numbers 16 and 62.
The Basra Memorial was originally sited within Basra War Cemetery but in 1997 the Memorial was moved by presidential decree of Saddam Hussain. The move, carried out by the authorities in Iraq, involved a considerable amount of manpower, transport costs and sheer engineering on their part, the Memorial has been re-erected in its entirety. The Basra Memorial is now located 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah
, in the middle of what was a major battleground during the Gulf War. The Memorial consists of a roofed colonnade of white Indian stone, 80 metres long, with an obelisk
16 metres high as the central feature. The names are engraved on slate panels fixed to the wall behind the columns. More than 40,000 British, Indian and West African dead who died in the operations in Mesopotamia
from the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921 are commemorated on the Memorial.
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 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.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(24 November 1893 – 30 March 1917) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. He was also awarded the Order of Karageorge which is Serbia's equivalent to the Victoria Cross.
Early life
Fynn was born in St ClementSt Clement, Cornwall
St Clement is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated southeast of Truro in the valley of the Tresillian River. There is a smaller village at Malpas in the south of the parish...
near Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, to Frederick John Finn (b.1873) and Mary Baxter Finn (née Uglow). The family later moved to Downing St., Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
. Fynn was from a big family, with five brothers (Frederick, David, Sussex, Albert E.R.(of Kilhallon, Par, Cornwall
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
) and Herbert (known as John)) and five sisters (Florence King, Elizabeth Finn, Annie Hoskin, Bertha Wigget (of Watchet, Somerset) and Beatrice Capper (formerly Port, of Portishead, Somerset)). One sister, Elizabeth Mary Finn, died in 1953 and was buried at Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
with her father at Bodmin Old Cemetery. Interestingly, the headstone also mentions James, killed in action 1917.
Finn went to the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
looking for work. He eventually found employment at the colliery at Cwmtillery near Abertillery
Abertillery
Abertillery is a town in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, north-west of Newport, originally on the Great Western Railway. Its population rose steeply during the period of mining development in South Wales, being 10,846 in the 1891 census and 21,945 ten years later...
. 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 4th BattalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the South Wales Borderers.
It was on 9 April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
(now Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
), that 22 year old Private Fynn earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery.
Fynn was, according to family records and letters, badly wounded. He was carried back to safety, he died of his injuries that day.
Legacy
His Memorial at BasraBasra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
can be found at panel numbers 16 and 62.
The Basra Memorial was originally sited within Basra War Cemetery but in 1997 the Memorial was moved by presidential decree of Saddam Hussain. The move, carried out by the authorities in Iraq, involved a considerable amount of manpower, transport costs and sheer engineering on their part, the Memorial has been re-erected in its entirety. The Basra Memorial is now located 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
, in the middle of what was a major battleground during the Gulf War. The Memorial consists of a roofed colonnade of white Indian stone, 80 metres long, with an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
16 metres high as the central feature. The names are engraved on slate panels fixed to the wall behind the columns. More than 40,000 British, Indian and West African dead who died in the operations in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
from the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921 are commemorated on the Memorial.
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 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.
| John FINN Died Sept 25 1942 aged 69 Also his son Pte J.H. FINN VC Killed in Action 31 March 1917 and his daughter Elizabeth Mary FINN died Nov 4 1953 aged 53 In memory of Bessie 4.11.53 From Officers & staff at St Lawrence's Hospital |
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