bentley priory - Spink

September 6, 2012 - LONDON
D.S.O. Second Award Bar London Gazette 24.7.1942 Acting
Wing Commander John Cunningham, D.S.O., D.F.C.
(90216), Auxiliary Air Force, No. 604 Squadron
The Recommendation states: ‘A brilliant leader and a
relentless pilot of matchless skill Wing Commander
Cunningham has destroyed at least 16 hostile aircraft, many
of them at night, as well as damaging several more. One day
recently, Wing Commander Cunningham destroyed an
enemy aircraft without firing a shot. He achieved his purpose
by diving through cloud at great speed and drove the enemy
aircraft down to the ground.’
Covering Remarks of Station Commander: ‘Cunningham has
become almost a legend. His powers of leadership in one so
young are outstanding. In addition to his astonishing skill as
a pilot he is always anxious to engage the enemy and he often
operates in weather which would be fatal to others. Quite
recently he destroyed an enemy without even firing a shot by
“driving it into the ground” in atrocious weather. This was
only done by diving through cloud at great speed.
His general behaviour is faultless and he is outstanding in
every way.’
Covering Remarks by Air Officer Commanding: ‘In all this
officer has destroyed 16 enemy aircraft, probably destroyed
two and damaged 6, practically all at night. His recent
successes of one damaged and another destroyed have both
been in daylight, but in such difficult cloud conditions that
few, if any other, pilots could have succeeded. I recommend
the award on account of his outstanding personal ability and
his brilliant leadership.’
D.S.O. Third Award Bar London Gazette 3.3.1944 Wing
Commander John Cunningham, D.S.O., D.F.C. (90216),
Auxiliary Air Force, No. 85 Squadron.
The Recommendation states: ‘Already the holder of the
D.S.O. and Bar and D.F.C. and Bar, Wing Commander
Cunningham has, since his last award of a bar to the D.S.O.,
shot down four enemy aircraft at night, bringing his total up
to twenty aircraft destroyed, of which nineteen have been
destroyed by night.
On 26th January, 1944, Wing Commander Cunningham
completed one year as Commanding Officer of 85 Squadron,
during which time it has been most successful and the total
of enemy aircraft destroyed at night has risen from fifteen to
fifty-six and a half, and on the night of 21st/22nd January
the Squadron shot down its two-hundredth enemy aircraft of
this war. It is almost entirely due to Wing Commander
Cunningham’s magnificent powers of leadership, patience,
organising ability and very wide knowledge of every aspect of
night fighting that these excellent results have been achieved
and caused 85 Squadron to deserve and enjoy its present very
high reputation.
Flying with F/Lt. C.F. Rawnsley, D.S.O., D.F.C. and Bar,
D.F.M. and Bar, he shot down a F.W.190 which crashed at
Wrotham on June 13th 1943.
On the night of August 23rd 1943 this combination shot
down another F.W.190 over Dunkirk after a thirty minute
chase, and another F.W.190 off Aldeburgh on the night of
8th September 1943. Parts of the wreckage of this last
F.W.190 hit Wing Commander Cunningham’s aircraft and
pierced one of the radiators, forcing him to return to base on
one engine.
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