One of the nine children (six boys and three girls) of George Francis Fincher (1865–1959),[2] and Margaret Lawrence Fincher (c.1866–1956), née Nicoll,[3] John Alexander Fincher was born in Lauriston, Victoria on 27 November 1904.
His elder brother Charlie played at South Melbourne, and was killed in the very first landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
Football
Fincher was unlucky not to play in a premiership side while at Richmond, appearing in three successive losing Grand Finals from 1927, his debut season. He kicked Richmond's only goal in the rain-affected 1927 grand final. As a rover, he kicked 23 goals in 1928. He crossed to Footscray in 1931, a year before Richmond broke through for their premiership.