1. Paddy Finucane was keen to fly, applied to join the RAF and was accepted for training as a pilot in August 1938.
81 Facts About Paddy Finucane
1. 2.
In January 1942, Paddy Finucane was promoted to the rank of squadron leader in No 602 Squadron.
3.
On 15 July 1942, Paddy Finucane took off with his flight for a mission over France.
4.
Paddy Finucane's Spitfire was damaged by ground-fire, and while attempting to fly back to England across the English Channel, he was forced to ditch into the sea and perished.
5.
Paddy Finucane was credited with 28 aerial victories, five probably destroyed, six shared destroyed, one shared probable victory and eight damaged.
6.
Brendan Paddy Finucane was born on 16 October 1920, the first child of Thomas and Florence Paddy Finucane of 13 Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland.
7.
Paddy Finucane's mother had travelled across Canada at a young age, and Florence moved to Dublin to seek her own adventure.
8.
Paddy Finucane accepted the risks associated with living in the city.
9.
In 1919, she met Thomas Andrew Paddy Finucane, who had been involved in the Irish Rebellion.
10.
Thomas Paddy Finucane had been taught mathematics at college by Eamon de Valera, leader of the Irish opposition.
11.
Thomas' father, Brendan Paddy Finucane's grandfather, was an Irishman who had served in the King's Own Scottish Borderers on the North-West Frontier Province.
12.
Thomas Paddy Finucane had ceased his political activism shortly before the couple married in October 1919, and after Florence had converted to Catholicism.
13.
In summer 1932, the Paddy Finucane brothers were taken to an air show at Baldonnel and had a 10-minute flight.
14.
Paddy Finucane started in an office job as an accountant, which he loathed.
15.
Paddy Finucane's parents cashed in their insurance policies, even though they needed the money and Thomas Andrew Finucane had been made unemployed.
16.
Paddy Finucane showed a keenness to fly, sound school leaving certificate qualifications and a good sporting record.
17.
Paddy Finucane was slow to come to grips with handling the aircraft and he suffered a series of mishaps.
18.
The Moth bounced up into the air and Paddy Finucane barely recovered to make a heavy landing, although this time he was praised by his instructor.
19.
Paddy Finucane was critical of Finucane's habit of trying to force the aircraft to do what he wanted, instead of coaxing it.
20.
The flight was not without fault; Paddy Finucane nearly stalled the aircraft after taking off.
21.
Paddy Finucane was now one of the 45 pilots in his class to have completed 100 hours of piloting time on aircraft since joining the RAF.
22.
At Montrose, Paddy Finucane struggled with the more powerful Hawker Hart which was used for advanced training.
23.
Paddy Finucane's positioning in the air was poor and he struggled to hold a good landing pattern.
24.
Legg was persuaded to keep him after Paddy Finucane showed improvement and a steely determination.
25.
Paddy Finucane moved on to the Hawker Fury on 21 March 1939.
26.
Paddy Finucane was unable to gain any hours in fighter aircraft.
27.
Paddy Finucane was abruptly transferred to the practice and parachute test flight centre at RAF Henlow.
28.
Paddy Finucane had to settle for making trips around airfields in an antiquated Vickers Virginia, as a co-pilot ferrying engineers and ground crew from 16 September 1939.
29.
Paddy Finucane's piloting skills were far from being at the acceptable level for a fighter pilot.
30.
Paddy Finucane continued in this trend until May 1940, when he was assigned to flying Miles Magister training aircraft.
31.
Paddy Finucane's flying had improved and on 27 June 1940, he was posted to 7 Operational Training Unit, at RAF Hawarden near Chester.
32.
Paddy Finucane was to convert onto Supermarine Spitfires, while awaiting a fighter squadron posting.
33.
Paddy Finucane made his first flight in a Spitfire on 3 July 1940 and made 26 such flights in nine days.
34.
Paddy Finucane was posted to No 65 Squadron at RAF Hornchurch on 12 July 1940, arriving the next day, just as the Battle of Britain was getting under-way.
35.
Paddy Finucane called him the scruffiest man in the squadron, but was envious of Franklin's skill and was keen to emulate him.
36.
Anxious to get more experience, Paddy Finucane loitered around dispersal hoping to build up flight time on the Spitfire by asking as many senior officers for as many hours practice as was possible.
37.
Paddy Finucane was granted a few flights to improve his handling of the fighter before he was assigned to B Flight or Green Section.
38.
Alongside Jeffrey Quill, Paddy Finucane took off downwind as the first bombs started to fall.
39.
Paddy Finucane lost contact with it in cloud and he claimed as a probable.
40.
Paddy Finucane is keen and intelligent and shows likelihood of becoming a very efficient leader.
41.
Paddy Finucane heard the drone of German bombers over the Isle of Wight in the distance and watched as the pathfinders marked the city.
42.
On 14 April 1941, Paddy Finucane was posted as a Flight Commander to the newly formed Australian No 452 Squadron RAAF, the first RAAF squadron to serve in Fighter Command.
43.
Paddy Finucane was promoted to acting flight lieutenant the same day.
44.
On 3 May 1941 while on a recognition flight with his new commanding officer, Squadron Leader Roy Dutton, Paddy Finucane got too close and his propeller sliced through Dutton's tailplane.
45.
Paddy Finucane was now in command of 23 pilots, 16 fighters and 130 ground crew.
46.
II's in May 1941 and Paddy Finucane was assigned serial P8038, formerly of No 303 Squadron RAF, on 21 May It was the first of four Spitfires to carry the shamrock emblem as his personal insignia.
47.
Whatever time Paddy Finucane could spend on leave was spent in Kew Gardens or Richmond Park with her.
48.
Paddy Finucane chose AB852 because it had the code W adorned on the fuselage.
49.
The Spitfire that Paddy Finucane damaged in the collision with Dutton earlier had this letter.
50.
On Saturday 16 August 1941 Paddy Finucane celebrated his greatest success in this machine.
51.
Paddy Finucane engaged one which caught fire and emitted a lot of white smoke.
52.
Paddy Finucane then opened fire on another from 10 yards after his gun sight failed.
53.
Paddy Finucane coached me in air fighting and taught me everything I needed to know, both before and after we started ops.
54.
Paddy Finucane followed it briefly and it caught fire while emitting white smoke.
55.
The success of 452 and its highest scoring pilot Brendan Paddy Finucane brought fame and publicity and information about the squadron's exploits was released by the Air Ministry to the press.
56.
Paddy Finucane was not pleased with the decoration and ordered it removed.
57.
Paddy Finucane was treated in Horton Hospital which specialised in combat wounds.
58.
Paddy Finucane was moved to RAF Halton in Wendover, Buckinghamshire on 14 November 1941.
59.
On 20 January 1942, Paddy Finucane was given command of 602 Squadron at RAF Redhill.
60.
Paddy Finucane observed 602's Glasgow traditions by reviving the squadron badge which pictured the Scottish lion rampant in red.
61.
The German operation was a success and on 19 February 1942 Paddy Finucane was ordered to London with his former squadron-mate Keith Truscott.
62.
Paddy Finucane gave evidence before the Fuller Enquiry which reported on the failure to prevent the break-out before Air Chief Marshal Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt and Vice Admiral Hugh Binney.
63.
On 20 February 1942 Paddy Finucane flew a two-Spitfire sortie to Dunkirk, France.
64.
At 10:55 GMT Paddy Finucane took off and headed over Manston toward France.
65.
Paddy Finucane spotted two aircraft taking off from Mardyck but lost sight of them.
66.
Paddy Finucane doesn't take to water like a duck; she takes to it like a fish and goes straight down.
67.
Paddy Finucane flew with Finucane and 602 on Circus 114 which targeted the railway yards at Hazebrouck.
68.
Paddy Finucane claimed it shot down and it was witnessed by Sergeant Paul Green.
69.
Paddy Finucane had completed 108 fighter operations over France by the fourth week of June 1942.
70.
Paddy Finucane became the youngest wing commander in the RAF, and was to lead the Hornchurch Wing.
71.
Duncan Smith later said, that though he admired Paddy Finucane, he resented the young fighter pilot's appointment and felt as an older, experienced leader, he could have led the wing himself.
72.
Paddy Finucane flew slowly out to sea, talking calmly to Aikman as he glided along in his ailing Spitfire.
73.
Aikman, flying alongside Paddy Finucane, saw him pull back the canopy, and before taking off his helmet, said "This is it, Butch".
74.
Paddy Finucane's name is inscribed on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.
75.
The Paddy Finucane family donated Brendan Paddy Finucane's uniform to the Royal Air Force Museum London.
76.
Paddy Finucane and his family worshipped at Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride's, Kew, where he was an altar server.
77.
Paddy Finucane was engaged to Jean Woolford, who lived two doors away from his home in Castlegate, Richmond.
78.
Paddy Finucane subsequently married, in 1944, another airman, Flying Officer Edward Crang from New Zealand.
79.
Flight Lieutenant Paddy Finucane has been largely responsible for the fine fighting spirit of the unit.
80.
Recently during two sorties on consecutive days, Flight Lieutenant Paddy Finucane destroyed five Messerschmitt 109's bringing his total victories to at least 20.
81.
Paddy Finucane has flown with this squadron since June 1941, during which time the squadron has destroyed 42 enemy aircraft of which Flight Lieutenant Finucane had personally destroyed 15.