Thomas Joseph Lynch was born on 4 March 1912 at Ipswich, Queensland, to James and Annie (nee Potts) Lynch. He had an older sister named Honora and a younger brother named Michael James. By 1936, he had moved to Toowoomba with his family and was working as a storeman clerk.

Lynch enlisted to serve in the Royal Australian Air Force at Brisbane, Queensland on 9 November 1941. He went through initial training and Wireless Air Gunner School before embarking from Sydney for overseas service on 24 August 1942. He was based in England, and served as an air gunner in Wellington bombers with the 142 Squadron, Royal Air Force. He then converted to Lancaster bombers and joined the 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. As an air gunner, he was involved in many bombing operations over Italy and Germany. On 28 April 1944, Lynch, alongside the rest of his crew, was shot down while on a bombing operation over Germany. He was the only survivor. Shortly after, he was found by the Germans and captured as a prisoner of war. The crash left him severely injured, making the amputation of his leg necessary on 4 May 1944. Lynch spent the majority of his time as a prisoner in various hospitals, and was transferred to Stalag IXC shortly before he was repatriated to England in early 1945. Lynch then returned to Australia and was discharged from the Royal Australian Air Force on 20 February 1946.

After the war, Lynch moved to Sydney, New South Wales, where he worked as a clerk. He married Shirley Mildred Jordan in November 1951, and they settled and raised their family in Cronulla, New South Wales. Thomas Joseph Lynch died on 14 November 1994 and was buried at Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales.