James is the son of Francis Tinneny of
Belturbet County Cavan, Ireland and Margaret Coleman. He was
born in Roslea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In 1941
when he was 16 years old, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. He was
trained as a ground gunner and his assignments took him to far away
Rakavik Iceland, the Shetland Islands, Scotland and to various
places around England. He separated from the RAF in 1945 with
the rank of corporal.
