Frank Finch was born in Leyland, Lancashire, in 1915. He was the son of a bleach worker and mill worker, and had three brothers. After leaving school at age 13, Frank Finch designed publicity material and letterheads for Leyland Paint and Varnish Company. In the early mornings he did paper-rounds to pay for evening classes in life drawing and watercolour techniques at the Harris Institute in Preston.
On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Frank Finch was called up to the Royal Army Medical Corps. While posted in East Africa, he learnt Swahili and designed health posters.
He became the official cartoonist of Jambo magazine.
When de-mobbed in 1946, Frank Finch moved to North London and became the Art Editor of Soldier, the official Army magazine. During this time he invented the puzzle, 'How Observant are You?' – Two adjacent identical drawings, with 12 'differences' in one of them. This later became 'See the Difference' feature in Princess magazine.
From 1948 he began regularly cartooning for Punch as well as Tatler, Men's Own, London Opinion and Daily Sketch. He also contributed pocket cartoons to the Evening Standard. When Punch closed, he contributed cartoons to Private Eye and The Oldie.
In 1972 Frank Finch retired and moved to Farnham, Surrey. He continued to draw and became an exhibiting member of Farnham Art Society. Frank Finch died in July 2004, and is survived by his daughter and only child, Hilary.
