Ivan Finn was born Israel Ivan Finn in South Shields to parents Samuel Finn, born in Russia, and Alida Flora Cohen, born in Holland, who had married in 1875 in Stockton.

His father was a furniture broker and draper.

Ivan was one of the first group of boys to join the High School in 1885, and joined at the age of 9. He left in November, 1890, at the age of 14 "on the advice of the Headmaster" according to the admissions records.

On leaving, he went to a small private boarding school in Warlingham, Surrey.

Before the war Ivan had served with the Northumberland Fusiliers for five years, and then emigrated to Saskatchewan in Canada (possibly around 1906).

In September, 1914, Ivan signed up with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He served with the 52nd Saskatchewan Regiment, and was wounded in action in the Pas-de-Calais in 1915.

By 1916 he was living in the remote city of Prince Albert, about 150km north of Saskatoon, working as an insurance agent for the "Bradhsaw Agencee Ltd", and was still living there in 1926.

Around this time, he married his second wife (there are no details to be had of his first), Mona, born in Omaha, Nebraska. They lived in San Diego, California, and the 1930 US Census shows that Ivan was still on the Canadian Army Reserve.

He died in San Diego on 21-Sep-1959.