The Cunningham Papers, Vol. II

Publisher: Ashgate, 2006
Publication Date:

Widely regarded as Britain’s greatest Admiral since Nelson, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham’s memoirs A Sailors Odyssey (1951) describe his wartime exploits in full. Here we have Volume II of his papers covering the period April 1942 to June 1946 when he retired. Edited by Michael Simpson, he has organised the book in three parts to cover Cunningham’s time in Washington, his return to the Mediterranean as Commander in Chief, and his appointment as First Sea Lord for the final phases of the war and the Navy’s post-war reorganisation. Not surprisingly, little of his fiery character comes across in these impassionate documents. When Axis forces in North Africa were on the verge of surrender, he did not want them to do a “Dunkirk”. Ordering that none should be allowed to escape, he signalled the fleet “Sink, burn and destroy: Let nothing pass”.
In a letter to his aunt, he said later that, “Well the job is finished. No one in their wildest hopes thought that we should catch the lot, but we have.” Simpson’s chapter summaries are very helpful. I was particularly interested in the papers dealing with Cunningham’s difficult relationships with Churchill and the intransigent American Admiral Ernest King. It’s a pity there were not more maps. - DWB