Douglas (Buddy) Cunningham

The above photo was taken when Buddy was with 102 Squadron at RAF Pocklington in 1944

Douglas was born in NW India at Quetta in 1923 . His father was stationed with the British Army as a teacher, the family returned to England shortly before a severe earthquake which killed many people in the area. Three years later his father was posted back to India and they lived in Rawalpindi for six more years.

Back in England he was educated at the Freemasons School in Surrey and after leaving joined the Westminster Bank as a junior clerk.

In 1943 he joined the RAF and was accepted for aircrew training. The era of the twin engine aircraft such as the Whitley and Wellington were fast coming to an end such that there was an urgent demand for flight engineers and gunners to fill the crews and rather than wait for many months for training as a Pilot or Navigator he chose to take a gunnery course and so began a period during which he survived 45 missions not without some hair raising events.

Bomber Command now had Stirlings, Halifaxes and Lancasters, Douglas did his early missions on the Whitley dropping leaflets over France to acclimatise them to flak and then on to the Halifax. One training flight over the Irish Sea involved 36 aircraft dropping bombs on to a lighted target. They were struck by another aircraft which did not survive. Douglas’ aircraft was badly damaged but managed a crash landing at an airfield, but the aircraft broke it’s back. Fortunately there were no injuries on that occasion.

On a daylight raid 102 Squadron. were detailed to bomb a flying bomb site ,and after suffering engine trouble managed to drop their bombs and turn for home, but then were hit by flak which badly injured the pilot who was attended to by the rest of the crew. They were escorted to an airfield near Arundel by a Spitfire who had also been hit by flak. The pilot survived, but was badly injured.

Night bombing by Lancasters then followed seemingly without too many problems for Douglas, but the overall losses of aircraft and crews were horrific. Some 54,000 aircrew died before Germany surrendered in 1945. The German night fighters developed a technique whereby after locating a Lancaster or Halifax, which had no protection from under the aircraft, they would fire canon shells upwards with devastating effect..

One and a half operational tours plus and a Pathfinders badge, pay great credit to Douglas in his wartime service. He was a Warrant Officer who would have certainly been Commissioned had the war not ended.

After the war Douglas became an Estate Agent in Reigate, but for some years was a member of the RAFVR at Biggin Hill. After a short period away from being an Estate Agent he started up again with two partners and eventually retired to Spain where he joined the Association branch here in Javea.

Alec Jackson January 2008.