Finn, Thomas Fanahan

Service No. 3527532

‍

Tom was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork in June 1915, and educated at the Christian Brothers School there. He was the son of Ned and Kathleen Finn, and had an elder sister Maureen. His father, a publican, died when Tom was two years old. Kathleen married again, and produced two more daughters and a son.

Corporal Tom Finn voluntarily enlisted with the Manchester Regiment at Ashton Under Lyne in November 1934. He served with the 1st Battalion in Egypt, Palestine and Singapore as a signaller, and was known for his skills in welterweight boxing and hockey. In February 1942, Tom was captured as a Japanese Prisoner of War in Singapore and held captive for three and a half years. He mostly worked in the anti malarial & anti epidemic working parties in a number of camps in Thailand. In June 1944, he survived two hell ship journeys to Japan, and worked in Osaka and Naoetsu. Tom's captivity ended when the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After being brought home via Canada, Tom met his future wife Ethel at The Dale Barracks in Chester. They married in September 1946, and had five children - three boys and two girls. Tom trained as a teacher, and taught at primary schools in Droylsden and Timperley until he took early retirement from ill health in 1974. He died aged 85 in 2000.

‍

Rest in peace Dad

always loved and remembered by

Ethel, Pat, Kit, Mick, Terry and Kevin
and our partners, children and grandchildren

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he
was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;
one belonged to him, and the other The Lord

When the last scene of his life flashed
before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the
path of his life there was only one set of foot prints.
He also noticed that it happened at the
very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the
Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I
decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all
the way. But I have noticed that during the
most troublesome times in my life, there is only
one set of footprints. I don't understand why
when I needed you most you would leave me".

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering, when
you see only one set of footprints, it was then
that I carried you".

If anyone wishes to contact Tom's family please get in touch with :-
Mrs Kit Clay (Tom's daughter)
Email: kit.clay@ntlworld.com

February 2010