Alfred Finnigan
Encyclopedia
Alfred Benjamin Finnigan (18 September 1896 – 11 May 2005) was a British
soldier who fought in World War I
and gained fame because of his longevity
. At the time of his death at age 108, he had been one of only 14 known British survivors of that war.
Finnigan’s family emigrated to Australia
when he was a boy, where he gained experience with horses that was to stand him in good stead when he joined the Army
in 1914. He was posted to France
in 1916 as the driver of a team of six horses pulling an 18-pounder gun with the 15th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
.
After witnessing the carnage of the Somme offensive of 1916, Finnigan’s battery was one of those sent to assist the Italians
after their reverses at Caporetto. By 1918, however, the battery had returned to Northern France to help stall the last great German offensive of the war, Alfred alos fought at the battle of Vimmy ridge, and was gassed in Pashendale. In much later life Alfred did not speak much of the great war, but his great nephew Mark recalls that one of the things that upset Alfred greatly was the death an suffering to the horses, he was a great animal lover.
Finnigan returned to Australia after the war, but opted to settle in England
, working his passage back home as a seaman in 1927, the ship was called the Sir William Mitchel and was the last sailing to sail from Australia to England, Alfred was one of the only crew who were working their passage who could read and therefore wrote the ships log, this log can be found in the Greenwich maritme museum in London.
In his personal life Alfred did not drink alcohol because his mother was treated so badly by his Father who was a drunk, Alfred was also a athiest mainly because his Mother was a strict catholic who had a very hard life and died a terrible death with cancer, Alfred said if there was a God he would never have let a strict catholic and kind lady like his mother be treated like this and die in such a way.
Along with other surviving World War I servicemen, he was awarded the French Légion d’Honneur in 1998.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier who fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and gained fame because of his longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
. At the time of his death at age 108, he had been one of only 14 known British survivors of that war.
Finnigan’s family emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
when he was a boy, where he gained experience with horses that was to stand him in good stead when he joined the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1914. He was posted to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1916 as the driver of a team of six horses pulling an 18-pounder gun with the 15th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
.
After witnessing the carnage of the Somme offensive of 1916, Finnigan’s battery was one of those sent to assist the Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after their reverses at Caporetto. By 1918, however, the battery had returned to Northern France to help stall the last great German offensive of the war, Alfred alos fought at the battle of Vimmy ridge, and was gassed in Pashendale. In much later life Alfred did not speak much of the great war, but his great nephew Mark recalls that one of the things that upset Alfred greatly was the death an suffering to the horses, he was a great animal lover.
Finnigan returned to Australia after the war, but opted to settle in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, working his passage back home as a seaman in 1927, the ship was called the Sir William Mitchel and was the last sailing to sail from Australia to England, Alfred was one of the only crew who were working their passage who could read and therefore wrote the ships log, this log can be found in the Greenwich maritme museum in London.
In his personal life Alfred did not drink alcohol because his mother was treated so badly by his Father who was a drunk, Alfred was also a athiest mainly because his Mother was a strict catholic who had a very hard life and died a terrible death with cancer, Alfred said if there was a God he would never have let a strict catholic and kind lady like his mother be treated like this and die in such a way.
Along with other surviving World War I servicemen, he was awarded the French Légion d’Honneur in 1998.
External links
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/alfred-finnigan-498137.html Obituary
See also
- Veterans of the First World War who died in 2005Veterans of the First World War who died in 2005The following is a list of known veterans of the First World War who died in 2005.-Veterans by country of service – 95 veterans:...