John Cunningham

John Cunningham was born on 22 October 1890 in Hall Street, Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. His father, Joseph Cunningham, was a labourer, and his mother, Johanna Cunningham (née Fanning). He attended Christian Brothers School in Thurles and worked as a farm labourer and railway porter before the outbreak of war.

In late 1914, Cunningham enlisted in the British Army and joined the 2nd Battalion, Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) as a private under service number 8916. In December of that year, his battalion was deployed to the Western Front in France as part of the 73rd Brigade of the 24th Division. After more than two years of active duty, he was promoted to corporal and commanded a Lewis machine gun section.

On 12 April 1917, at the start of the Battle of Arras, the 2nd Battalion of the Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment attacked the German position at Bois-en-Has, which was northwest of Vimy Ridge and east of Lorette Ridge across the Soche River. Corporal Cunningham led a Lewis gun section on the battalion's most exposed left flank. His unit suffered heavy losses from machine gun fire. Despite being wounded, Cunningham advanced alone across the contested area and used his weapon in the fighting to reach the objective.

When an enemy counterattack of about twenty infantrymen attempted to take his sector, Cunningham held off until his machine gun ammunition ran out. Standing in full view of the enemy, he began to throw hand grenades. He was seriously wounded a second time, but got up and defended the area alone until his supply of grenades ran out. Cunningham returned to the British lines with a broken arm and several minor injuries. He was taken to a field hospital in Berlin, where he died of his injuries on 16 April 1917 at the age of 26 and was buried in Berlin Communal Cemetery (Plot 1, Row A, Grave 39).

The official award of the Victoria Cross was published in The London Gazette on 8 June 1917. As Corporal Cunningham had died unmarried, King George V awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously to his mother Johanna Cunningham at Buckingham Palace on 21 July 1917. Today, Corporal Cunningham's Victoria Cross and three First World War medals are privately owned by the Lord Ashcroft VC Collection and are on public display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery of the Imperial War Museum in London.