Alan Cunningham
Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham , GCMG , KCB , DSO , MC (born May 1, 1887 in Dublin , † January 30, 1983 in Tunbridge Wells ) was a British general in World War II and the last British High Commissioner for the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine .
Life
Alan Cunningham was born in Dublin to a Scottish family. His older brother Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope , was later Commander in Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet and First Sea Lord .
He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and received his officer license in the British Army in 1906. He participated in the Royal Horse Artillery in World War I and was awarded the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order during the war .
In 1937 he commanded the artillery of the 1st Infantry Division as a colonel. In 1938 he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 5th Anti Aircraft Division. After the outbreak of World War II, he successively took over the leadership of the 66th and 9th Divisions, then from August 1940 the 51st (Highland) Division . In October 1940 he was in command of the British East Africa Force in British East Africa , which he led in the East Africa campaign . On April 5, 1941, armed forces under his command liberated Addis Ababa from the Italians. After the British victory in East Africa, Cunningham was given command of the 8th Army in Egypt in August 1941 . After British failures during Operation Crusader , he was replaced by Neil Ritchie in November 1941 and transferred to the Staff College in England. From 1943 he was military commander in chief in Northern Ireland . After the war he was promoted to general.
On November 21, 1945 he replaced John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, as high commissioner in Palestine and held this post until the end of the mandate on May 14, 1948, at the same time as the Israeli declaration of independence .
He died in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, aged 95.
Web links
- Sir Alan G. Cunningham in the Munzinger Archive ( beginning of article freely accessible)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| - | Commander in Chief of the Eighth Army September to November 1941 |
Neil Ritchie |
| Montagu Stopford | Commandant of Staff College Camberley 1942–1943 |
Douglas Wimberley |
| Vivian Majendie | General Officer Commanding, Northern Ireland 1943–1944 |
Gerard Bucknall |
| John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort |
High Commissioner for Palestine and Transjordan 1945–1948 |
- |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cunningham, Alan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cunningham, Alan Gordon (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British general in World War II and last British High Commissioner for the League of Nations mandate for Palestine |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 1, 1887 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dublin |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 30, 1983 |
| Place of death | Tunbridge Wells , Kent |