David Finch was born on the 16th November 1882 and baptised at St Luke’s Church, Eccleshill, on the 3rd of June 1883, the son of George and Annie Finch. The family were living at 4 Providence Road, off Idle Road and George was working as a labourer. They had four children: David, Mary in 1894, and Elizabeth in 1896. The youngest child, George was born in 1890 shortly after his father had died, aged 34. Annie and her family had moved to 7 Fagley Road by 1891 and she was working as a charwoman to support her family but by 1901 David, Mary and Elizabeth were all working as woollen spinners and living at 18 Chapel Street, Eccleshill. On the 29th of August 1903 at St

Peter’s Church David who was 26 years old, working as a mule spinner of 9 Moorside Road, married Elizabeth Plowman who was 23 years of age, a wool comb minder of 150 Rochester Street, the daughter of John Plowman a railway guard. In 1911 David and Elizabeth were living at 24 King Street, Eccleshill and four children had been born, Annie in 1904, Alice in 1906, George in 1907 and Ada in 1910. David was working as a woollen mule spinner. They had three more children, Frank in 1911, Norman in 1913 and David in 1916.

When David enlisted in 1916 he was working as an insurance agent for the Refuge Assurance Company. He enlisted on the 15th of May 1916 as Gunner 83352 with the Royal Garrison Artillery. The 207th Siege battery arrived in France on the 18th October 1916 and David was killed in action on the 5th of August 1917. His siege battery was involved in the Third Battle of Ypres which lasted from the 31st of July to the 10th of November 1917 and David was killed whilst carrying a wounded comrade to the dressing station. Major R H Edmondson wrote: “His

death was a great loss to the battery for he had always shown an example of devotion to duty and cheerfulness in the face of danger.” David was 36 years of age and is buried at the Canada Farm Cemetery which took its name from a farmhouse used as a dressing station during the 1917 Allied offensive. Most of the burials are of men who died at the dressing station between June and October 1917. He left his effects to his widow. Elizabeth received £1.13s on the 20th November 1917 and a War Gratuity of £4.10s on the 28th of October 1919. Researched and written by Jean Britteon, to whom many thanks