John Cunningham Died : 21 / 7 / 2002

Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS (deceased) John Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 with 604 Squadron. At the outbreak of World War Two he was based at North Weald flying Blenheims on day escort and night fighter operations. In September 1940 he converted onto Beaufighters equipped with radar, the first aircraft that made night fighting really possible. In November he had the Squadrons first successful night combat. He took command of 604 Squadron in August 1941. After a period at HQ81 Group, he was posted on his second tour to command 85 Squadron equipped with Mosquitoes. In March 1944 with 19 night and 1 day victory he was posted to HQ11 Group to look after night operations. The most famous Allied night fighter Ace of WWII - 20 victories. He died 21st July 2002. Born in 1917, Group Captain John Cunningham was the top-scoring night fighter ace of the Royal Air Force. Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 as a Pilot Officer. He learned to fly in the Avro 504N and was awarded his wings in 1936. While assigned to the Middlesex Squadron Auxiliary based at Hendon, Cunningham received instruction in the Hawker Hart prior to moving on the Hawker Demon. The Demon was a two-seat day and night fighter. Cunningharns squadron was mobilized in 1938 following the Czechoslovak crisis. His No. 604 unit was moved to North Weald. Later in 1938 his unit returned to Hendon and was reequipped with the more modern Blenheim 1 fighter. In August of 1939 the unit was again mobilized and returned to North Weald. The Squadron was primarily utilized to provide daylight air cover for convoys. Lacking radar the Blenheim was relatively useless as a night fighter. In September of 1940 the unit was moved to Middle Wallop and the first Bristol Beaufighters arrived. The Beatifighter had a modestly effective, although often unreliable radar. It was an excellent aircraft with reliable air-cooled engines and four 20mm cannons. Cunningham attained the units first night victory in the Beaufighter, and his tally rose steadily. He was promoted to Wing Commander of 604 Squadron in August of 1941. Cunningham completed his first combat tour of duty in mid-1942 with a total of 15 victories. He was then posted to H.Q. 81 Group, which was an operational training group under the Fighter Command. In January of 1943 Cunningham was transferred to command of No. 85 Squadron which was equipped with the Mosquito. With the higher speed of the Mosquito, Cunningham was successful at downing Fw-190s, something impossible in the slower Beaufighter. Cunningham completed his second tour in 1944 with a total of nineteen victories at night and one by day. He was promoted to Group Captain at that time, and was assigned to H.Q. 11 Group. Cunninghams radar operator Sqd. Ldr. Jimmy Rawnsley participated in most of Cunninghams victories. The 604 Squadron was disbanded in 1945, but in 1946 Cunningham was given the honor of reforming the Squadron at Hendon - flying the Spitfire. Cunningham left the RAF in 1946 and joined the De Havilland Aircraft Co. at Hatfield as its Chief Test Pilot. Cunningham had a long and distinguished career in the British aviation industry, retiring from British Aerospace in 1980. Cunningham was appointed OBE in 1951 and CBE in 1963. He was awarded the DSO in 1941 and Bars in 1942 and 1944; the DFC and Bar in 1941, also the Air Efficiency Award (AE). He also held the Soviet Order of Patriotic War 1st Class and the US Silver Star. Group Capt John Cunningham died at the age of 84 on the 21st July 2002.

Items Signed by Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS (deceased)

	Clipped Signature - John Cunningham Price : £50.00	John Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 with 604 Squadron. At the outbreak of World War Two he was based at North Weald flying Blenheims on day escort and night fighter operations. In September 1940 he converted onto Beaufighters equipped with radar,......
	Hurricane Patrol by Graeme Lothian (P) Price : £3000.00	After taking part in the Battle of France early in 1940, 85 Squadron moved to Croydon on the 19th August, where, led by renowned squadron leader Peter Townsend DSO DFC, the squadron played a notable part in the Battle of Britain. Thirty Hurricane sq......
	Those Valiant Few by Robert Taylor. (B) SOLD OUT	The Battle of Britain commenced at the beginning of June 1940, and for the next two and a half gruelling months the young men of Royal Air Force Fighter Command, duelled with the cream of Goerings Luftwaffe over the skies of southern England. It wa......	NOT AVAILABLE
	Night Intruder by Robert Taylor. Price : £80.00	A colourful painting depicting a Mosquito, the fastest Allied aircraft and perhaps the most versatile of all to fly in World War II, dodging between the flak and searchlights on a low-level night attack. ......
	Night Intruder by Robert Taylor. (Y) Price : £60.00	A colourful painting depicting a Mosquito, the fastest Allied aircraft and perhaps the most versatile of all to fly in World War II, dodging between the flak and searchlights on a low-level night attack. ......

	Rangers on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. (APC) SOLD OUT	Flying the high speed low level Day Ranger missions in the Mosquito was one of the most exhilarating forms of aerial combat experienced by aircrews in WWII. Given a free hand at squadron level to select targets of opportunity deep inside enemy held......	NOT AVAILABLE
	Rangers on the Rampage by Robert Taylor. (C) SOLD OUT	Flying the high speed low level Day Ranger missions in the Mosquito was one of the most exhilarating forms of aerial combat experienced by aircrews in WWII. Given a free hand at squadron level to select targets of opportunity deep inside enemy held......	NOT AVAILABLE
	Glorious Summer by Robert Taylor. (B) Price : £635.00	Throughout the long hot summer of 1940 the destiny of the British Isles, indeed the future of Europe, lay in the hands of a small band of young RAF fighter pilots. Against them stood the vast aerial fleets of an all-powerful Luftwaffe, gloating and c......
	Top Dog by Robert Taylor. (C) Price : £265.00	Completing a record 213 operational sorties with Bomber Commands Pathfinder Force, Mosquito LR503 became one of the most successful aircraft in the Royal Air Force during World War II. It flew first with 109 Pathfinder Squadron, and then 105 Pathfin......
	Vital Support by Robert Taylor. (B) Price : £325.00	Crucial to every squadron in the RAF were the unsung heroes of World War II - the ground crew. Without the vital support of these dedicated men who refuelled the aircraft, rearmed them, maintained them and kept them flying, the pilots and aircrew wou......

	Mosquito - The Wooden Wonder of Salisbury Hall by Robert Tomlin. (AP) SOLD OUT	On 15th May 1941, Geoffrey de Havilland Jnr, accompanied by Fred Plumb, lifts the third prototype Mosquito, the first night-fighter variant, from the unprepared fields of Salisbury Hall for the short flight to Hatfield. The Mosquito was probably th......	NOT AVAILABLE
	Mosquito by Frank Wootton. SOLD OUT	......	NOT AVAILABLE
	Double Trouble by Stan Stokes. (B) Price : £130.00	The Bristol Beaufighter was one of the most successful twin-engine fighters utilized by the RAF during WW II. The forerunner of the Beaufighter was the Bristol Beaufort, which was the first modern torpedo bomber to enter service. The Beaufort, known......