John Cunningham

Four days after one of the most remarkable acts of gallantry of the Battle of Arras, Corporal John Cunningham VC died from the wounds he had suffered while fighting against overwhelming odds at Bois-en-Hache. Born on 22 October 1890 in Hall Street, Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland , Cunningham was the son of Joseph Cunningham, a general labourer, and Johanna Cunningham, née Smith. He attended the Christian Brothers School in Thurles and worked as a farm labourer before entering military service.

Cunningham enlisted in the British Army and served with the 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) under service number 8916 . He entered the theatre of war in France on 19 December 1914 , joining a battalion that had already been serving on the Western Front since September. The 2nd Leinsters initially served with the 17th Brigade of the 6th Division before transferring in 1915 to the 73rd Brigade of the 24th Division. Cunningham's brother Patrick also served in the Leinster Regiment and died of wounds in June 1915. During his own service, John Cunningham was promoted to corporal and placed in command of a Lewis gun section .

On 12 April 1917 , during the wider Battle of Arras , the 2nd Battalion Leinster Regiment attacked German positions at Bois-en-Hache , close to the fighting around Vimy Ridge. Cunningham commanded a Lewis gun section on the exposed left flank of the attack, where his men suffered severely under intense enfilade fire. Although wounded, Cunningham continued forward and, almost alone, succeeded in bringing his Lewis gun into action on the objective. His determination helped maintain the threatened flank at a critical moment in the battle.

A German counterattack by approximately twenty soldiers then advanced against his position. Cunningham continued firing until his Lewis gun ammunition was exhausted. Standing exposed to enemy fire, he began throwing hand grenades at the attacking troops. He was wounded a second time and knocked to the ground, but regained his feet and continued fighting single-handedly until his supply of bombs was also exhausted. Only then did Cunningham make his way back toward the British lines, suffering from a fractured arm and several other wounds.

Cunningham was evacuated to hospital at Barlin, France , where he died from his wounds on 16 April 1917 , aged 26. He was buried in Barlin Communal Cemetery Extension , Plot I, Row A, Grave 39. His death came only four days after the action for which he would receive Britain's highest decoration for military gallantry, leaving his Victoria Cross as a permanent record of the courage he displayed during the final battle of his life.

The London Gazette published the official citation for Corporal John Cunningham's Victoria Cross on 8 June 1917 . His posthumous Victoria Cross was presented by King George V to his mother, Johanna Cunningham, at Buckingham Palace on 21 July 1917 . Cunningham's surviving medal group consists of his Victoria Cross, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-1920 and Victory Medal . The complete group was later acquired by the Lord Ashcroft VC Collection , preserving the medals of one of the Leinster Regiment's most distinguished First World War soldiers for future generations.