P.R.4 biographical file on Gp Capt Donald Osbourne Finlay, 1956-1959

Group Captain Donald Osbourne ‘Don’ Finlay was a Spitfire pilot and champion hurdler. He joined the RAF in 1925 as an aero engines fitter and was commissioned Pilot Officer in 1935.

From 1928 until 1939, Don won every RAF Hurdle title, demonstrating his success as an RAF athlete. He competed for Great Britain at three Olympics as well as at the British Empire Games. He achieved several victories against enemy aircraft, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1942. This excerpt from a public relations file announces his Air Ministry appointment after retiring from athletics in 1950.