British Forces

Spitfire Paddy Finucane, Irish RAF fighter ace.

Brendan "Paddy" Finucane was born in Dublin in 1920, where he took his first steps as a pilot as a teenager. In 1936, his family emigrated to England where, in 1938, he applied to join the RAF and was accepted. His combat career began in the Battle of Britain, in which he was credited with 5 victories. His continued success resulted in his elevation to the rank of Wing Commander (of Hornchurch Wing), 27 June 1942. On 21 July, 1942 he led the Hornchurch Wing on a strafing mission over France. On the return journey, his Spitfire was hit by ground machine-gun fire, resulting in serious damage to the aircraft's cooling system. The aircraft crashed into the English Channel, and sank immediately, taking "Paddy" with it. He was 21 years old. At the time of his death, he was credited with 26 victories, 8 "probables and 6 "shared". Ar dheis Dé a Anam. JR.