Douglas Gordon Cunningham

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Douglas Gordon Cunningham
Photograph of Douglas Gordon Cunningham (1908-1992) (14004753091).jpg
Law Society of Upper Canada photo, 1933
Born(1908-03-22)22 March 1908
Kingston, Ontario
Died18 July 1992(1992-07-18) (aged 84)
AllegianceCanada
Service/branchCanadian Forces
Years of service1929–45
RankBrigadier General
Commands heldRoyal Military College of Canada (1944–45)
9th Canadian Infantry Brigade (1943–44)
AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Efficiency Decoration
Canadian Forces Decoration
Other workLawyer

Brigadier General Douglas Gordon Cunningham, CBE, DSO, ED, CD, QC (22 March 1908 – 18 July 1992) was a Canadian lawyer and soldier.

Early life[]

Cunningham was born in Kingston, Ontario. He was the son of Arthur Britton Cunningham and Katherine (Gordon) Cunningham of Kingston. He was educated at Kingston Collegiate, Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1929. He studied at Osgoode Law School, University of Toronto, from 1930 to 1933, where he was a member of The Kappa Alpha Society.

Career[]

Brigadier Cunningham during World War II.

In 1933, he was called to the Bar of Ontario and he had a law practice in Kingston, Ontario. In November 1939, he married Isabelle Simpson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Simpson of Kingston. They had two sons; John Douglas Cunningham and Ian Simpson. In 1939, he also became an alderman of the City of Kingston. He served as adjutant of The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment. He was brigade major of a Canadian infantry brigade which took part in the Dieppe Raid in 1942. He served as General Service Officer 1, I Canadian Corps in 1943. At the beginning of World War II, Captain Cunningham commanded the Camerons of Canada and as brigadier, commanded the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade in 1944, landing on Juno Beach on D-Day. Described as “extraordinarily bright...meticulous”[1] he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry and distinguished services in the field of battle. He returned to the Royal Military College of Canada as Commandant in 1944-5, but this was now a wartime training establishment. After retiring from the military in 1945, he returned to his law practice and he was a director of several companies. In 1946, he was part of a deputation which interviewed the Minister of National Defence about the proposal not to reopen the Royal Military College of Canada. He was a member of a subcommittee of the Royal Military College of Canada Club which urged the reopening of the college. He served as president of the Royal Military College of Canada Club of Canada in 1946. In 1946 he was created King's Counsel which later became Queen's Counsel (QC) when Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. He died on 18 July 1992.

References[]

  1. ^ Caddick-Adams, Sand and Steel, Oxford, 2019
  • 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
  • H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1969.
  • H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC – A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
  • H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876–1918. Volume II: 1919–1984. Royal Military College. [Kingston]. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984
  • General Douglas Gordon Cunningham
  • Generals of World War II
Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada
1944–1945 		Succeeded by
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