Garfield Finlay

Edgar Garfield Finlay, (7 September 1893 – 18 April 1958) was an Australian flying ace of the First World War. He served with distinction in the Gallipoli Campaign as a noncommissioned officer in the Light Horse. After transferring to the Australian Flying Corps, he was commissioned and served as an aerial observer. In this role he was credited with eight aerial victories before training as a pilot.

After a civilian career in the advertising industry between the wars, he returned to service during the Second World War, rising to the rank of wing commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Early life Garfield Finlay was born on 7 September 1893 in Glebe, New South Wales. His mother was Elizabeth Finlay (formerly Munro). Prior to the First World War, he lived in West Perth, Western Australia and worked as a wool-classer. Before enlisting he had a successful swimming career, winning six Australian breaststroke titles between 1909 and 1914, including a world record in the 220 yards breaststroke at the 1912 titles at City Baths in Perth. In 1911, he won the Australian breaststroke championship and the international King's Cup of the Royal Life Saving Society in London. The King of Sweden invited him to Sweden where he won the Swedish championships, receiving two magnificent solid silver cups engraved with Primus Bland Simmagistrar 1911. He served two years in the Mounted Police before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force on 22 January 1915. At the time of enlistment, he was working as a labourer. On 13 June 1915, Finlay was a corporal when he embarked on HMAT Suevic to depart Sydney. He was promoted to sergeant in October. He served with distinction in the Gallipoli Campaign, rising to the rank of staff sergeant major. As the campaign came to an end, he was attached to the 7th Light Horse Regiment, and was recommended for a Mention in Despatches for his actions as one of the last 25 men evacuated from the peninsula. He was returned to the 12th Light Horse on 21 February 1916. Finlay scored his second confirmed victory on 29 March 1918, and would run his victory tally to eight confirmed and eight more unconfirmed by 22 August 1918.

Finlay's aerial victories came during the Allied drive for air superiority over Axis pilots flying for the Ottoman Empire. While Australian and British pilots fought aerial battles when necessary, their emphasis was on reconnaissance for Allied ground troops, destruction of enemy aircraft and aviation facilities, and other ground attack missions on enemy infantry and cavalry. In this Allied airmen were so successful that they were virtually without air opposition when they supported Allenby's final smashing drive at the Battle of Megiddo. There were several instances during this drive of Turkish units being mauled into collapse by Allied air power.

On 21 September 1918, as part of the Megiddo action, Garfield Finlay, his pilot Alan Brown, and another air crew discovered that several miles of the road leading out of Balata was crowded with Ottoman transport and troops retreating from Allenby's army. The two air crews bombed the front and rear of the column, immobilizing it. A radio message back to their airfield brought on follow-up air strikes. One Allied bomber squadron flew six bombing sorties. Forty-four thousand rounds of machine gun ammunition were expended during the raids. Constrained by cliffs on one side of the ancient Roman highway and trackless hills on the other, the Turks suffered heavy casualties. Friendly ground forces sweeping the area later found about 800 horse-drawn wagons abandoned along the road, along with 90 artillery pieces, 50 lorries, and half a dozen automobiles, along with assorted water carts and field kitchens. In his career as an observer, Finlay was credited with eight confirmed aerial victories, before undertaking pilot training late in the war.

Post-war Garfield Finlay's Distinguished Flying Cross would not be gazetted until 8 February 1919, in conjunction with Alan Brown:

Another belated honour was a Mention in Despatches for his services in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, which would not come until 12 January 1920.

Once released to civilian life in March 1919,

On 21 April 1949 he dissolved a partnership in a popcorn company in Western Australia, with the intent of continuing it as an individual enterprise. After World War II, he also set up a potato crisp and salted roasted peanut factory in Williamtown, Melbourne where he manufactured Finlay's chips and peanuts until his death in 1958. He was a heavy smoker and nicotine stains can be seen on his fingers in photographs, even when he was a young man in World War I.

Personal He married Emily Elizabeth Stein. Finlay died of a heart attack on 18 April 1958, aged 65 and was cremated at Spring Vale Crematorium.

List of aerial victories

Confirmed victories are numbered and listed chronologically. Unconfirmed victories are denoted by "u/c". +Combat record No.Date/timeAircraftFoeResultLocationNotes 1 29 November 1917@ 0830 hours Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8(A4408) Albatros D.III Driven down out of control South-west of Samaria Pilot: Lt. R. A. Austin u/c 29 November 1917 Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8(A4408) Albatros D.III Driven down out of control Tulkarm 2 27 March 1918@ 0710 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1140) AEG two-seater Forced to land; destroyed Kissir (south of Amman) Pilot: Lt. J. M. Walker. Shared with Capt. D. W. Rutherford & Lt J. McElligott. u/c 2 May 1918 Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) Enemy two-seater Driven down Suweilah 3 3 May 1918@ 0700 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) Enemy two-seater Forced to land; destroyed Southwest of Suweilah Pilot: Allan Brown. Shared with Lt. G. V. Oxenham & Lt. H. A. Leach. 4 9 May 1918@ 1515 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(C4623) Rumpler two-seater Forced to land; destroyed Jenin Airfield Pilot: George Peters 5 27 June 1918@ 0645 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) AEG two-seater Destroyed El Kutrani Pilot: Allan Brown u/c 27 June 1918 Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) AEG two-seater Forced to land El Kutrani 6 28 June 1918@ 0630 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) Albatros D.V fighter Set afire; destroyed Amman Pilot: Lt. S. A. Numan. Shared with Carrick Paul and William Weir. u/c 3 July 1918 Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1149) AEG two-seater Forced to land Al-Lubban Dan Pilot: Allan Brown u/c 16 July 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter(B1284) Albatros D.V Forced to land Tulkarm u/c 16 July 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter(B1284) Albatros D.V Forced to land Tulkarm u/c 16 July 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter(B1284) Albatros D.V Forced to land Tulkarm u/c 16 July 1918 Bristol F.2 Fighter(B1284) Albatros D.V Forced to land Tulkarm 7 28 July 1918@ 1200 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter(B1284) Rumpler two-seater Forced to land; destroyed North of Wadi Fareh Pilot: Allan Brown. Shared with of Carrick Paul and William Weir. 8 22 August 1918@ 1315 hours Bristol F.2b Fighter LVG two-seater Captured Ramleh Pilot: Allan Brown

Australian Swimming Championships