Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Alexander William CUNNINGHAM and Henrietta Eliza nee HASSALL

Husband of Winifred Alice nee WARREN

Remarried Madeline Mackay nee SIM

Military Cross

The King has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of His Majesty's birthday, ato approve of the above award to the undermetioned officer for services rendered in connexion with military operations in Frand and Flanders.

Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 165
Date: 24 October 1918

In January 1918 Alexander applied for 6 months leave of absence.- "I beg to apply for 6 months leave of absence for the purpose of visiting Australian, to put in order certain business matters of the utmost importance to my family, and also to see my mother, who is 68 years of age, before she dies.  If it is possible I should like to be relieved of my duties so I may get away at once, as I have this day received the following cable from my brother in Australia.

"Mother's health very unsatisfactory.   Colonel Bird can do nothing but relieve pain. No immediate danger but vitality low.  Bird and I considering everything else advise you obtain leave at once to see her.  Andrew Cunningham".

I might state that I left Australia in October 1914, and except for the ordinary leaves to England and 4 days in Hospital, I have never been away from my Unit.

Since my coming away from Australia certain events have happened which necessitate my making this application.  When I left my Father and two brothers were living but my father died some months ago, and my second brother joined the A.I.F. and came away, and was killed at Pozieres, thus leaving one brother in Australia to carry on the business single hadded and also to fix up and look after all money matters connected with the family."

The reference to the above business appears to be the Cheetham Salt Company where he became Managing Director in 1921.

Alexander Jackson Cunningham was born at Geelong, Victoria, on 23 February 1885. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria and Eastbourne College in England. Before the First World War broke out he was a member of the army cadets and trained as a mechanical engineer. He enlisted at 29 with the Australian Imperial Force on 11 September 1914, and departed Melbourne with the 1st Divisional Train of the Army Service Corps aboard HMAT Orvieto on 21 October 1914.

The following year Cunningham was deployed to Gallipoli, where his engineering skills would be put to use designing and constructing trenches and fortifications. It was here that he started producing detailed plans of fortifications such as Leane's Trench and recording his experiences in his diary. After his evacuation from Gallipoli he was transferred to the 2nd Field Company Engineers of the 1st Infantry Division. Cunningham was then deployed to the Western Front, where he continued to diarise meticulous technical diagrams, sketches, and notebooks of the fortifications he and his unit constructed. As an engineer of the 1st Division he would see a significant amount of action throughout 1916 and 1917. He was involved in various capacities at the battles of Pozières, Lagnicourt, Passchendaele, Menin Road Ridge, Polygon Wood, and Broodseinde Ridge. In April 1917 Cunningham was promoted to captain and the next month was transferred to the 1st Division Engineers HQ, where he became adjutant. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his service in France and Belgium.

In January 1918, in response to requests from his brother Andrew back home, Cunningham applied for six months of personal leave to return to Australia. His mother was of ill health and there was a need to sort out family business and financial matters. Since the war began Cunningham's father had died and his brother Trevor had been killed at Pozières. He embarked for Australia in March but, sadly, Cunningham's mother died in November that year and his brother Andrew passed away three years later. Alexander Cunningham died at Highton, Victoria, in 1970.