James was the son of Francis Tinneny of
Belturbet and Roslea and Margaret Coleman. He was born in
Roslea, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In 1939, when he
was 16 years old, Jim entered the Irish Army and after and after
completing his initial training at the Curragh in County Kildare he
served as a private in cavalry platoons in counties Galway and Sligo
in Ireland. In 1941, Jim left the Irish Army and enlisted in
the Royal Air Force in which he served until the conclusion of World
War II.
