BIOGRAPHY - Robert (Bob) Leopold Cunningham - RAAF

Flight Lieutenant 402493 Enlisted 16 Sept 1940, Discharged 15 Mar 1946 Air Defence H.Q. Morotai

Bob Cunningham was born at Manly, N.S.W. on 12 May, 1920 although when he enrolled in the RAAF Reserved in May 1940 he was residing with his parents at Chatswood. He received his call-up to enlist with the permanent RAAF on 16 September when he was working as a salesman in the city. Prior to joining up, Bob had spent two years as a member of the 7^th Field Brigade so service life was not a new experience for him. Immediately after completing his enlistment formalities at No.2 Recruiting Centre, he was despatched to the Initial Training School at Bradfield Park to complete his rookies, a course that lasted about two months.

After the assessment process at No.2 ITS, he was selected to train as a pilot and was posted to No.6 Elementary Flying Training School at Tamworth where he mastered the Tiger Moth. After this Bob commenced the next phase of learning to become an RAAF pilot by completing his service flying training at No.3 SFTS, Amberely, Qld and No.2 SFTS Wagga Wagga, NSW where he was taught to fly the much more complex Wirraway. As a member of the Empire Air Training Scheme Bob, was selected to head overseas to the U.K. to complete his operational training. Towards the end of July, 1941 he was posted to No.2 Embarkation Depot to await transport to England. At this time he was promoted to Sergeant Pilot. Two weeks later his big adventure began. He sailed from Sydney on the troopship Awatea on 8 August, 1941 and travelled to Vancouver. From there it was a transcontinental trip on the Canadian Pacific Railway to Halifax, Nova Scotia. A more dangerous journey across the Atlantic followed and he finally landed in England at the end of September, 1941 where, after three weeks at No.3 Personnel Receiving Centre, Bournemouth, Bob was sent to do his advanced flying training at an Operations Training Unit. Refresher courses on Miles Magisters and Miles Masters honed his flying skills to the point where he could complete his conversion to Spitfires. This course lasted about three months.

Bob's first operational posting was to No.65 (East India) Squadron, RAF which was part of No.11 Fighter Group. This squadron flew Spitfires and had a proud history of offensive action during the Battle of France and of defending England during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Bob spent approximately eight months with No.65 Squadron, part of the time being stationed at RAF Debden in Essex. In mid December, 1942 he returned to Australia disembarking at Melbourne where he was re-appointed to the RAAF.

In early January the following year Bob joined No.2 OTU at Mildura and at the beginning of February he was promoted to Flight Sergeant. In March he was posted to No1 Fighter Wing and later became a member of No.457 Squadron which had established its base at Livingstone airstrip, fifty kilometres south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway. He remained with the squadron for about nine months and during this time he experienced some operations against Japanese aircraft. He was promoted to Pilot Officer in June, 1943 and Flying Officer in November the same year.

Throughout 1944 Bob experienced a variety of postings to RAAF units. These included a stint back with No.2 OUT, Mildura as an instructor and later No.8 OUT Parkes in a similar role. In December he attended a radar school and later, in April 1945, he was posted to 110 Fighter Control Unit as a controller.

Soon afterwards he received his promotion to Flight Lieutenant. No.110 FCU later became Air Defence HQ Morotai and as a member of this unit Bob played a role in the 7^th Division's landing at Balikpapan.

Bob received his discharge from the RAAF on 15 March, 1946

Bob enjoyed a number of experiences the RAAF offered. As well as flying he took part in stand down activities especially those involving sports such as swimming, cricket and softball. Whilst in England he was introduced to the light orchestral music of Annunzio Mantovani and attended at least one of the orchestra's performances. But his real brush with fame was meeting a budding actress Deborah Kerr who at one stage was engaged to a squadron mate, Tony Barclay.

In total, Bob gave five and a half years of his life to service in the RAAF and clocked up almost four hundred and fifty flying hours, two hundred and fifty of which were spent in Spitfires. He was a popular officer and is remembered as a man who was always there to help out.