24-1049: Group Captain Donald Osborne Finlay , DFC , AFC (27 May 1909 – 18 April 1970) was a British athlete and Royal Air Force officer. 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. 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 Lord Burghley in 1931 (vs. Italy) and to John Thornton in 1937 (vs. Germany). He first competed in
48-468: 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. Group Captain Group captain ( Gp Capt or G/C ) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force . The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence . Group captain
72-622: 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 . 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
96-538: A specific act of bravery. These awards were discontinued in 1993, when the criteria were narrowed to "exemplary gallantry while flying". A bar is added to the ribbon of holders of the AFC for each further award, with a silver rosette worn on the ribbon when worn alone to denote the award of each bar. Recipients of the Air Force Cross are entitled to use the post-nominal letters "AFC". Between 1919 and 1932
120-481: Is immediately senior to wing commander and immediately below air commodore . It is usually equivalent to the rank of captain in the navy and of the rank of colonel in other services. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force , Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force , Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "group officer". The rank
144-570: 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 . He returned to the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany where he improved to win the silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles. With the British relay team he was eliminated in
168-501: The Air Force Medal , which had until then been awarded to other ranks , was discontinued. The AFC had also been awarded by Commonwealth countries but by the 1990s most, including Canada , Australia and New Zealand , had established their own honours systems and no longer recommended British honours. From 1918 to 2017 approximately 5,360 Air Force Crosses and 193 bars have been awarded. The figures to 1979 are laid out in
192-472: The British Armed Forces , and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries. It is granted for "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry while flying, though not in active operations against the enemy". A bar is added to the ribbon for holders who are awarded a further AFC. The award was established on 3 June 1918, shortly after the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It
216-609: The AFC was also awarded to civilians, on the same basis as for RAF personnel. In March 1941 eligibility was extended to Naval officers of the Fleet Air Arm , and in November 1942 to Army officers, with posthumous awards permitted from 1979. Since the 1993 review of the honours system as part of the drive to remove distinctions of rank in bravery awards, all ranks of all arms of the Armed Forces have been eligible, and
240-669: The Bf 109E-1 (Werk No.3868 "Black 3") of Obgfr. Günther Loppach of 11./ JG 51 , who was taken prisoner, and another Bf 109 on 27 November 1940. Finlay was promoted to the rank of wing commander in August 1941, becoming the engineering officer for No. 11 Group. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross in June 1942. His victory tally flying fighters was 4 and 2 shared destroyed, 3 and 1 shared damaged. Finlay then commanded No. 608 Squadron RAF , flying Lockheed Hudsons in
264-654: The Middle East from December 1943 to July 1944. He became a group captain (colonel in the army) and was posted as SASO, 210 Group. In 1945 he then commanded No. 906 Wing in Burma, being awarded an Air Force Cross in September 1944. As a group captain Finlay 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
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#1732782811968288-558: The RAF might base many of its officer rank titles on naval officer ranks with differing pre-modifying terms. It was also suggested that RAF colonels might be entitled "bannerets" or "leaders". However, the rank title based on the Navy rank was preferred and as RAF colonels typically commanded groups the rank title group captain was chosen. The rank of group captain was introduced in August 1919 and has been used continuously since then. Although in
312-515: The RAF. In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that the RAF might use the Royal Navy 's officer ranks, with the word "air" inserted before the naval rank title. For example, the rank that later became group captain would have been "air captain". Although the Admiralty objected to this simple modification of their rank titles, it was agreed that
336-442: 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
360-407: The early years of the RAF groups were normally commanded by group captains, by the mid-1920s they were usually commanded by an air officer . In the post-World War II period the commander of an RAF flying station or a major ground training station has typically been a group captain. More recently, expeditionary air wings have also been commanded by group captains. The rank insignia is based on
384-618: 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 , though he failed to win any medals in these Games when he was eliminated in the first round of the 110 metre hurdles event , hitting the last hurdle with his leading foot and falling at the finish. In 1949, at the age of 40, he won his eighth AAA title and he
408-461: The four gold bands of captains in the Royal Navy, comprising four narrow light blue bands over slightly wider black bands. This is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. Group captains are the first rank in the RAF hierarchy to wear gold braid on the peak of their cap, informally known as ' scrambled egg '; however, they still wear
432-412: The standard RAF officer's cap badge. The command pennant for a group captain is similar to the one for a wing commander except that there is one broad red band in the centre. Only the wing commander and group captain command pennants are triangular in shape. Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross ( AFC ) is a military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 other ranks, of
456-607: The table below, the dates reflecting the relevant entries in the London Gazette: In addition, between 1980 and 2017 approximately 279 AFCs and eight second-award bars have been awarded. The above figures include awards to the Dominions : In all, 560 AFCs have gone to Canadians, including those serving in the RAF, including 70 for World War I, 462 and one bar for World War II and 28 post–war awards. A total of 444 AFCs and two bars have been awarded to Australians,
480-540: The track. (An accusation of unsporting behaviour at this event seems to be very much out of character.) 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
504-427: Was originally awarded to RAF commissioned officers and Warrant Officers , but was later expanded to include Royal Navy and army aviation officers. While consistently awarded for service while "flying though not in active operations against the enemy", the AFC was originally awarded for "valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying" with many awards made for meritorious service over a period of time, rather than
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#1732782811968528-518: Was the AAA indoor champion in both 1937 and 1938. 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. Having received training as a pilot, in April 1935 Finlay was commissioned as
552-660: Was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces , when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian group captains then became colonels . In official Canadian French usage, the rank title was colonel d'aviation . On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army , with Royal Naval Air Service captains and Royal Flying Corps colonels becoming colonels in
576-530: 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
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