The Papers of Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope

Fonds

Reference Code: GBR/0014/CUNN

Scope and Contents

The collection held at Churchill College includes a typescript copy of the book by Oliver Warner "Cunningham of Hyndhope, Admiral of the Fleet; A Memoir" and many of the letters and reminiscences used in Warner's research (Sections 1-3); additional Cunningham correspondence (Sections 5 and 6); material relating to 'A Sailor's Odyssey' (Cunningham's autobiography, Section 4); and Commander McHattie's reminiscences of Cunningham and article on HMS Chakla in 1979 (Section 7). The collection is concluded by a short biographical note on Cunningham provided by Captain Roskill in Section 8.

Dates

Creation: 1928 - 1979

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Biographical / Historical

7 Jan 1883: Born, Dublin, son of Professor D.J. Cunningham. Educated Edinburgh Academy and Stubbington House, Fareham 1897: Entered Royal Navy, HMS Britannia 1900: Naval brigade, South African War 1915: Commanded HMS Scorpion in Dardanelles Campaign 1929: Married Nona Byatt 1932: Naval ADC to HM George V 1934-36: Rear-Admiral, Mediterranean Fleet 1937-38: Vice-Admiral, Mediterranean Fleet 1938-39: Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff 1939 KCB 1939-42: Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean 1941: Admiral 1942: Naval Commander-in-Chief, Expeditionary Force, North Africa 1943: Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Admiral of the Fleet 1943-46: First Sea Lord, Chief of Naval Staff 1945: Kt 1946: Created Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope OM 12 June 1963: Died

Extent

3 archive box(es)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Other Finding Aids

The collection has been catalogued. Copies of the catalogue are available in the reading room at Churchill Archives Centre and at the National Register of Archives in London.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was received in 6 stages between 1967 and 1979 from various sources, the results of a programme of active collection of material by Stephen Roskill who sought to build up a 'collection of Cunningham papers subsidiary to the main collection at the British Museum.'

Related Materials

Churchill Archives Centre also holds the Papers of Captain David B N Mellis RN, which consist of letters from Cunnningham to Mellis, many relating to the Royal Naval Pipers Society (reference GBR 0014 MELL.

Related Materials

The British Library, Manuscript Collections holds Cunningham's correspondence and papers (reference GB 0058 Add MSS 52557-84).

General

This collection level description and catalogue was prepared by Natalie Adams at Churchill Archives Centre in June 2005 using information from an original catalogue to the papers (1981).