Alan Cunningham

For other people with the same name, see Allan Cunningham (disambiguation).

Sir Alan Cunningham
Born	(1887-05-01)1 May 1887 Dublin, Ireland
Died	30 January 1983(1983-01-30) (aged 95) Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Buried	Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1906–1948
Rank	General
Service number	74
Unit	Royal Artillery
Commands	Eastern Command Northern Ireland Staff College, Camberley Eighth Army East Africa Force 51st (Highland) Infantry Division 9th (Highland) Infantry Division 66th Infantry Division 5th Anti-Aircraft Division
Battles / wars	First World War Second World War Palestine Emergency
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in despatches (4)
Relations	Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (brother)
Other work	High Commissioner of Palestine (1945–48) Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery

General Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham, GCMG, KCB, DSO, MC (1 May 1887 – 30 January 1983), was a senior officer of the British Army noted for his victories over Italian forces in the East African Campaign during the Second World War. He then commanded Eighth Army in the desert campaign, but was relieved of command during the Crusader battle against Erwin Rommel. Later he served as the seventh and last High Commissioner of Palestine. He was the younger brother of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope.

Early life and military career

Cunningham was born in Dublin, Ireland, the third son of Scottish Professor Daniel John Cunningham and his wife Elizabeth Cumming Browne. He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich before taking a commission in the Royal Artillery in 1906. During the First World War, he served with the Royal Horse Artillery, and was awarded a Military Cross in 1915 and the Distinguished Service Order in 1918. For two years after the war he served as a staff officer in the Straits Settlements.

After graduating from the Royal Naval College, Greenwich in 1925, followed by the Imperial Defence Studies in 1937, Cunningham became the Commander, Royal Artillery of the 1st Infantry Division. This was followed in 1938 by promotion to major-general and appointment as commander of the 5th Anti-Aircraft Division.

Second World War

General Sir Alan Cunningham.

After the beginning of the Second World War, Cunningham held a number of short appointments commanding infantry divisions in the United Kingdom (66th Infantry Division, 9th (Highland) Infantry Division, and following its renaming, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division) before being promoted to lieutenant-general to take command of the East Africa Force in Kenya.

During the East African Campaign General Sir Archibald Wavell, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Middle East Command, directed Cunningham to retake British Somaliland and free Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the Italians whilst forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir William Platt would attack from Sudan in the north through Eritrea. Cunningham's offensive started with the occupation of the Indian Ocean ports of Kismayu (Italian: Chisimaio) and Mogadishu (Italian: Mogadiscio), the Italians having retreated into the interior of Somalia. On 6 April 1941, Cunningham's forces entered Addis Ababa. On 11 May the northernmost units of Cunningham's forces, under South African Brigadier Dan Pienaar linked with Platt's forces under Major-General Mosley Mayne to besiege Amba Alagi. On 20 May, Mayne took the surrender of the Italian Army, led by Amedeo di Savoia, 3rd Duke of Aosta, at Amba Alagi.

Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham, pictured at Lydda Airport in November 1945 on arriving to replace Field Marshal Lord Gort as High Commissioner of Palestine.

His success in East Africa led to Cunningham's appointment to command the new Eighth Army in North Africa in August 1941. His immediate task was to lead General Sir Claude Auchinleck's Libyan Desert offensive which began on 18 November. However, early losses led Cunningham to recommend the offensive be curtailed. This advice was not accepted by his superiors, and Auchinleck relieved him of his command.

On 25 November, after a German counterattack into Egypt during Crusader had been repulsed, Cunningham was dismissed by Auchinleck. His replacement was Auchinleck's deputy chief of the general staff, Major-General Neil Ritchie, who was chosen due to his familiarity with the Crusader plan. The official history of the campaign recorded that the decision was made due to Auchinleck perceiving Cunningham as being too defensive minded. This resulted in a loss of confidence over his "ability to press to the bitter end the offensive he had been ordered to continue". Evan McGilvray and Philip Warner, historians who have written about Auchinleck, added additional factors such as Auchinleck's concern that Cunningham was stressed, exhausted and had problems with his sight that would require time away from command. Michael Carver, who fought in the battle and was later a field marshal and historian, concurred with the health assessment. He also noted that while Cunningham was "an imaginative choice", it was later clear his "appointment was a mistake" due to his lack of experience and confidence in the mobile requirements of the fighting in North Africa. Neillands highlighted that Ritchie was thrust into a position where he, a major-general, was now charged with overseeing those who outranked him. This was compounded by a lack of experience in controlling formations or desert fighting and that for the ten-day period after his appointment, Auchinleck remained at Eighth Army headquarters and was effectively in command.

Cunningham returned to Britain to serve the remainder of the war as Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley (1942) and General Officer C-in-C in Northern Ireland (1943) and Eastern Command (1944). He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1941.

Post-war

General Sir Alan Cunningham's grave, Dean Cemetery.

After the war, Cunningham, who was promoted to general on 30 October 1945, returned to the Middle East as High Commissioner of Palestine; he served in the position from 1945 to 1948. He was in charge of operations against the Hagana, a Zionist militia, Etzel and Lehi terrorists who in this period fought against the Mandate authorities and the Palestinian population, as well as Palestinian militias, with Arab armies poised to invade as soon as the British withdrew. Cunningham had retired from the army in October 1946 when he relinquished the role of Commander-in-Chief Palestine but retained the job of High Commissioner until 1948. The photo of Cunningham taking down the British flag at the port of Haifa is a historical photo often reproduced in Israeli history textbooks. Cunningham served as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery until 1954.

Cunningham died at the age of 95 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. He is buried with his father and mother under a simple monument near the Dean Gallery entrance to Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

Orders and decorations

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (1948)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (30 May 1941; Companion 1941)
• Distinguished Service Order (1918)
• Military Cross (1915)
• 1914 Star with Clasp
• Mentioned in Despatches (1 January 1916, 18 May 1917 and 20 May 1918; 6 January 1944)
• British War Medal
• Victory Medal
• Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar, 1st class (28 October 1941)
• Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States, 1945)
• Order of the Crown, 1st class (Belgium, 1950)
• Order of Menelik II, 1st class (Ethiopia, 1954)

Bibliography

• Carver, Michael (2005) [1976]. The Warlords. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-47380-042-7.
• McGilvray, Evan (2020). Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-52671-610-1.
• Mead, Richard (2007). Churchill's Lions: a biographical guide to the key British generals of World War II. Stroud (UK): Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-431-0.
• Neillands, Robin (2005) [2004]. Eighth Army: The Triumphant Desert Army that held the Axis at bay from North Africa to the Alps, 1939-1945. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. ISBN 978-1-58567-689-7.
• Playfair, I. S. O.; Flynn, F. C.; Molony, C. J. C.; Gleave, T. P. (2004) [1960]. Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East: British Fortunes Reach their Lowest Ebb (September 1941 to September 1942). History of the Second World War United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. III. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84574-067-2.
• Smart, Nick (2005). Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War. Barnesley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 1844150496.
• Warner, Philip (2006) [1981]. Auchinleck: The Lonely Soldier. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-844-15384-8.
• Dennis, Vincent (2024). The Forgotten General: Sir Alan Cunningham GCMG, KCB, DSO, MC. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1398113992.

External links

• British Army Officers 1939−1945
• Generals of World War II