John Henry Dacres Cunningham
Place of birth: Demerara, British Guiana
Parents: Henry and Elizabeth Cunningham
Wife: Dorothy May Hannay
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Commnder
Joined Hood: 13th December 1919 (Commander)
Left Hood: 19th April 1921 (Commnder)
Biographical Information: As a Commander, John Cunningham was the navigating officer of Hood for her first commission, joining in December 1919. He went on to have a highly successful career, achieving the highest rank and serving as First Sea Lord from 1946.
Born the son of Henry Hutt Cunningham QC and Elizabeth Mary Cunningham (nee Park), John Cunningham was educated at Stubbington House School. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia in January 1900. His career progress was rapid from the start, and he achieved accelerated promotion to Lieutenant on the strength of his excellent results under training.
He specialised in navigation, and was appointed as navigating officer of a succession of ever-larger vessels. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 30 October 1913. During World War I he survived the sinking of the elderly battleship HMS Russell in the Mediterranean in 1916. Following survivors' leave, he resumed his career as a navigator, notably in the battlecruiser HMS Renown. Promotion to Commander followed in 1917, whereupon he was appointed navigator of the battlecruiser HMS Lion. His appointment to Hood followed.
After his illustrious Royal Navy career, which culminated in a knighthood, and promotion to Admiral of the Fleet in 1948, John Cunningham became Chairman of the Iraq Petroleum Company, finally retiring in 1958. He passed away in 1962.
Additional Photographs
None at this time.
No known memorials
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
'Register of Deaths of Naval Ratings' (data extracted by Director of Naval Personnel (Disclosure Cell), Navy Command HQ, 2009)
Service Record: ADM196/49, 91, 126, 145 ( (Ancestry)