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{{Short description|Royal Navy Admiral (1893-1981)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
⚫
| name =Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham
| image =Admiral Sir Angus.jpg
| name = Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|KBE|CB}}
| caption =Admiral Sir Angus Cunnnghame Graham KBE CB RN
| birth_date = 16 February 1893
| image = Admiral Sir Angus.jpg
⚫
| caption = Admiral Sir Angus Cunnnghame Graham KBE CB RN
⚫
| death_date = {{death-date and age|14 February 1981|16 February 1893}}
| birth_date = 16 February 1893
⚫
| birth_place = [[London]], [[England]]
⚫
| death_date = {{death-date and age|14 February 1981|16 February 1893}}
⚫
| death_place = [[Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire|Alexandria]], [[Dunbartonshire]]
⚫
| birth_place = [[London]], [[England]]
⚫
| death_place = [[Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire|Alexandria]], [[Dunbartonshire]]
| nickname =
| nickname =
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
Line 13: Line 16:
| serviceyears = 1905–1951
| serviceyears = 1905–1951
| rank = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
| rank = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
| unit =
| unit =
| commands = Senior Naval Officer, West River, China<br>HM Signal School<br>[[HMS Kent (54)|HMS ''Kent'']]<br>[[Chatham Dockyard|Royal Navy Barracks, Chatham]]<br>10th & 2nd Cruiser Squadrons<br>[[Rosyth Dockyard|HM Dockyard, Rosyth]]<br>[[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer Scotland]]
| commands = Senior Naval Officer, West River, China<br>HM Signal School<br>[[HMS Kent (54)|HMS ''Kent'']]<br>[[Chatham Dockyard|Royal Navy Barracks, Chatham]]<br>10th & 2nd Cruiser Squadrons<br>[[Rosyth Dockyard|HM Dockyard, Rosyth]]<br>[[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer Scotland]]
| battles = [[World War I]]<br>[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]<br>[[World War II]]
| battles = [[World War I]]<br>[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]<br>[[World War II]]
| awards = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br> [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
| awards = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br> [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
| spouse = Mary Patricia, Lady
⚫
| relations = Adm. Hon.[[Charles Elphinstone Fleeming|Charles Elphinstone-FLeeming]] RN MP (great-grandfather) <br> Rt Rev [[Richard Bagot (bishop)|Richard Bagot]] (great-grandfather) <br> [[R. B. Cunninghame Graham|R.B. Cunninghame Graham]] MP (uncle) <br> Cdr Charles E.- F. Cunninghame Graham, MVO RN, (father)
Cunninghame Graham ({{nee}} Hanbury; m. 1924)
| children = 2
⚫
| relations = Adm. Hon.[[Charles Elphinstone Fleeming|Charles Elphinstone-Fleeming]] RN MP (great-grandfather) <br> Rt Rev [[Richard Bagot (bishop)|Richard Bagot]] (great-grandfather) <br> [[R. B. Cunninghame Graham|R.B. Cunninghame Graham]] MP (uncle) <br> Cdr Charles E.- F. Cunninghame Graham, MVO RN, (father)
}}
}}
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore and Ardoch''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE|CB}} (16 February 1893 – 14 February 1981) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer who became [[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]].
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore and Ardoch''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE|CB}} (16 February 1893 – 14 February 1981) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer who became [[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]].


==Naval career==
==Naval career==
Educated at [[Ascham St. Vincent's School]], Cunninghame Graham joined the [[Royal Navy]] in 1905<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/GRAHAM8.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> when he entered the [[Royal Naval College, Osborne|RNC, Osborne]].<ref name=RNR>Cunninghame Graham, Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine (1979). Random Naval Recollections, 1905–1951. Gartochan, Dumbartonshire: Famedram Publishers Limited.</ref> His tutors thought well of him<ref name=RNSR>Royal Naval Service Record ADM 196/55</ref> and in 1907 he progressed to [[Britannia Naval College|RNC ''Dartmouth'']] where he continued to get good grades in everything<ref name=RNSR/> except engineering.<ref name=RNR/> He completed his cadet training on [[HMS Cumberland (1902)|HMS ''Cumberland'']]<ref name=RNSR/> and passed out as a [[midshipman]] in 1910.<ref name=RNSR/> One of his first postings was to [[HMS Cochrane (1905)|HMS ''Cochrane'']],<ref name=RNSR/> which was one of the ships that escorted [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] to the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1911.<ref name=RNR/> He was promoted to [[Sub-lieutenant]] in 1912<ref name=RNSR/> and at the beginning of 1914 he was appointed to [[HMY Victoria and Albert III|HM Yacht ''Victoria and Albert'']]<ref name=lh/> on which his father had also served.
Educated at [[Ascham St. Vincent's School]], Cunninghame Graham joined the [[Royal Navy]] in 1905<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/GRAHAM8.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> when he entered the [[Royal Naval College, Osborne|RNC, Osborne]].<ref name=RNR>Cunninghame Graham, Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine (1979). Random Naval Recollections, 1905–1951. Gartochan, Dumbartonshire: Famedram Publishers Limited.</ref> His tutors thought well of him<ref name=RNSR>Royal Naval Service Record ADM 196/55</ref> and in 1907 he progressed to [[Britannia Naval College|RNC ''Dartmouth'']] where he continued to get good grades in everything<ref name=RNSR/> except engineering.<ref name=RNR/> He completed his cadet training on [[HMS Cumberland (1902)|HMS ''Cumberland'']]<ref name=RNSR/> and passed out as a [[midshipman]] in 1910.<ref name=RNSR/> One of his first postings was to [[HMS Cochrane (1905)|HMS ''Cochrane'']],<ref name=RNSR/> which was one of the ships that escorted [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] to the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1911.<ref name=RNR/> He was promoted to [[sub-lieutenant]] in 1912<ref name=RNSR/> and at the beginning of 1914 he was appointed to [[HMY Victoria and Albert (1899)|HM Yacht ''Victoria and Albert'']]<ref name=lh/> on which his father had also served.


At the outbreak of [[World War I]], all Royal Yachtsmen were transferred to two ships in the [[Grand Fleet]],<ref name=RNR/> [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']] and [[HMS Erin|HMS ''Erin'']]. Cunninghame Graham served on [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']] <ref name=RNSR/> and saw action at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in command of number 4 gun turret.<ref name=RNR/> He specialised in signals<ref name=RNR/> and was promoted to Flag Lieutenant in 1917.<ref name=RNSR/>
At the outbreak of [[World War I]], all Royal Yachtsmen were transferred to two ships in the [[Grand Fleet]],<ref name=RNR/> [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']] and [[HMS Erin|HMS ''Erin'']]. Cunninghame Graham served on [[HMS Agincourt (1913)|HMS ''Agincourt'']]<ref name=RNSR/> and saw action at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in command of number 4 gun turret.<ref name=RNR/> He specialised in signals<ref name=RNR/> and was promoted to flag lieutenant in 1917.<ref name=RNSR/>


After the war, he held a number of brief appointments, including a period as tutor at HM Signal School, before being appointed, despite his lowly rank, to [[HMS Iron Duke (1912)|HMS ''Iron Duke'']] in the Spring of 1922 as Fleet Signal Officer of the Mediterranean Fleet,<ref name=RNSR/> under the command of Admiral Sir [[Osmond Brock]] C-in-C.<ref name=RNR/> He gained the rank of [[Lieutenant-Commander]] in 1924<ref name=RNSR/> just prior to his marriage to Patricia Hanbury, the sister-in-law of [[Herbert Fitzherbert]], the Executive Officer of the Iron Duke<ref name=RNR/> and was made a [[Commander]] in 1928.<ref name=RNSR/>
After the war, he held a number of brief appointments, including a period as tutor at HM Signal School, before being appointed, despite his lowly rank, to [[HMS Iron Duke (1912)|HMS ''Iron Duke'']] in the spring of 1922 as fleet signal officer of the Mediterranean Fleet,<ref name=RNSR/> under the command of Admiral Sir [[Osmond Brock]] C-in-C.<ref name=RNR/> He gained the rank of [[lieutenant-commander]] in 1924<ref name=RNSR/> just prior to his marriage to Patricia Hanbury, the sister-in-law of [[Herbert Fitzherbert]], the executive officer of the ''Iron Duke''<ref name=RNR/> and was made a [[commander]] in 1928.<ref name=RNSR/>


Cunninghame Graham had the unusual experience of attending all three staff colleges: Naval at Greenwich 1929-30; Army at Camberwell 1930-31; and Air Force at Andover 1934.<ref name=RNR/> Between 1931 and 1934, he served as Executive Officer on the [[cruiser]] [[HMS Cardiff (D58)|HMS ''Cardiff'']] on the South Africa station . He was appointed Staff Officer (Operations and Intelligence) at [[Commander-in-Chief, The Nore|Nore Command]] in 1935.<ref name=RNSR/> Having resigned himself, as had happened to his father, to remain a Commander for the rest of his naval service,<ref name=RNR/> he was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]], at the last possible juncture under the batch system then in force, on 31 December 1935.<ref name=RNSR/>
Cunninghame Graham had the unusual experience of attending all three staff colleges: Naval at Greenwich 1929–30; Army at Camberwell 1930–31; and Air Force at Andover 1934.<ref name=RNR/> Between 1931 and 1934, he served as executive officer on the [[cruiser]] [[HMS Cardiff (D58)|HMS ''Cardiff'']] on the South Africa station. He was appointed staff officer (operations and intelligence) at [[Commander-in-Chief, The Nore|Nore Command]] in 1935.<ref name=RNSR/> Having resigned himself, as had happened to his father, to remain a commander for the rest of his naval service,<ref name=RNR/> he was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|captain]], at the last possible juncture under the batch system then in force, on 31 December 1935.<ref name=RNSR/>


In January 1936, [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] died and Cunninghame Graham, awaiting his first command, acted as [[Aide-de-camp]] to [[Paul of Greece|Prince Paul of Greece]]<ref name=RNR/> during his visit to London for the state funeral. He was appointed in the autumn of 1936 to [[Insect class gunboat|HMS ''Tarantula'']] as Senior Naval Officer on the [[Xi River|West River]] in [[China]].<ref name=RNSR/> This was the time of the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].<ref name=inde>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-patricia-cunninghame-graham-1162917.html Obituary: Patricia Cunninghame Graham] The Independent, 5 June 1998</ref> On his return from China, he was offered the post of Captain of the "stone frigate" [[HMS President (shore establishment)|HMS ''President'']],<ref name=RNR/> which he declined, going on [[Half-pay]] at his own request from 14 April 1938 until 2 March 1939, when he was appointed Captain of HM Signal School.<ref name=RNSR/>
In January 1936, [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]] died and Cunninghame Graham, awaiting his first command, acted as [[aide-de-camp]] to [[Paul of Greece|Prince Paul of Greece]]<ref name=RNR/> during his visit to London for the state funeral. He was appointed in the autumn of 1936 to [[Insect-class gunboat|HMS ''Tarantula'']] as senior naval officer on the [[Xi River|West River]] in [[China]].<ref name=RNSR/> This was the time of the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].<ref name=inde>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-patricia-cunninghame-graham-1162917.html Obituary: Patricia Cunninghame Graham] The Independent, 5 June 1998</ref> On his return from China, he was offered the post of captain of the "stone frigate" [[HMS President (shore establishment)|HMS ''President'']],<ref name=RNR/> which he declined, going on [[Half-pay]] at his own request from 14 April 1938 until 2 March 1939, when he was appointed captain of HM Signal School.<ref name=RNSR/>


During [[World War II]] he held four commands. When war was declared he was serving as Captain of HM Signal School, which also entailed being Deputy to the Commodore of [[HMNB Portsmouth|Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth]], and, thus, oversaw the research into the development of naval [[radar|RDF]].<ref name=RNR/>
During [[World War II]] he held four commands. When war was declared he was serving as captain of HM Signal School, which also entailed being deputy to the commodore of [[HMNB Portsmouth|Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth]], and, thus, oversaw the research into the development of naval [[radar|RDF]].<ref name=RNR/>


His next appointment, in 1941, was as Captain of the [[cruiser]] [[HMS Kent (54)|HMS ''Kent'']]<ref name=RNSR/> on the [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Russian convoys]]. HMS Kent was selected to carry a diplomatic party which included: H.E. [[Ivan Mikhaylovich Mayskiy|Ivan M Maisky]], the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Ambassador]]; Rt Hon [[Anthony Eden#Second World War .281939.E2.80.9345.29|Anthony Eden]], [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]]; Sir [[Alexander Cadogan]], [[Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office]]; and [[Lieutenant General]] Sir [[Archibald Nye]], [[List of senior officers of the British Army|VCIGS]], to [[Murmansk]] from where they would travel by train to [[Moscow]] for talks with [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]].<ref name=RNR/> As the diplomatic party were without any ciphering staff, it fell to Cunninghame Graham to inform the Foreign Secretary that the UK had declared war on Japan.<ref name=RNR/> In the Autumn of 1942, he became [[Flag-Captain]] to [[Rear-Admiral]] [[Louis Keppel Hamilton|Louis ‘’Turtle’’ Hamilton]] who had chosen to hoist his flag in HMS ‘’Kent’’.<ref name=RNR/><ref name=RNSR/>
His next appointment, in 1941, was as captain of the [[cruiser]] [[HMS Kent (54)|HMS ''Kent'']]<ref name=RNSR/> on the [[Arctic convoys of World War II|Russian convoys]]. HMS ''Kent'' was selected to carry a diplomatic party which included: H.E. [[Ivan Mikhaylovich Mayskiy|Ivan M Maisky]], the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Ambassador]]; Rt Hon [[Anthony Eden#Second World War|Anthony Eden]], [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]]; Sir [[Alexander Cadogan]], [[Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office]]; and [[Lieutenant General]] Sir [[Archibald Nye]], [[Vice Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|VCIGS]], to [[Murmansk]], from where they would travel by train to [[Moscow]] for talks with [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]].<ref name=RNR/> As the diplomatic party were without any ciphering staff, it fell to Cunninghame Graham to inform the foreign secretary that the UK had declared war on Japan.<ref name=RNR/> In the autumn of 1942, he became [[Flag-Captain|flag-captain]] to [[Rear-Admiral]] [[Louis Keppel Hamilton|Louis ‘'Turtle'’ Hamilton]], who had chosen to hoist his flag in HMS ''Kent''.<ref name=RNR/><ref name=RNSR/>


In August 1943, he was promoted to Commodore (2nd Class) in charge of the [[Chatham Dockyard|Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham]],<ref name=RNSR/> in command of 20,000 officers, men and women with a daily turnover of 1,000.<ref name=RNR/> Also during this time, he was an [[Aide-de-Camp]] to [[George VI of the United Kingdom|the King]]<ref name=inde/> (his father had been a Groom-in-Waiting to [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]] and an Equerry to [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]) and was appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in the 1944 New Year's Honours List.<ref name=RNSR/> In January 1945, there came a second promotion to [[Rear-Admiral]] in command of the 10th Cruiser Squadron,<ref name=RNSR/> and 2nd in Command of the Home Fleet, hoisting his flag first in HMS [[HMS Diadem (84)|’’Diadem’’]] and then in HMS [[HMS Birmingham (C19)|’’Birmingham]].<ref name=RNR/>
In August 1943, he was promoted to commodore (2nd class) in charge of the [[Chatham Dockyard|Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham]],<ref name=RNSR/> in command of 20,000 officers, men and women with a daily turnover of 1,000.<ref name=RNR/> Also during this time, he was an [[Aide-de-Camp|aide-de-camp]] to [[George VI of the United Kingdom|the King]]<ref name=inde/> (his father had been a groom-in-waiting to [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]] and an equerry to [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]) and was appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in the 1944 New Year's Honours List.<ref name=RNSR/> In January 1945, there came a second promotion to [[rear-admiral]] in command of the [[10th Cruiser Squadron]],<ref name=RNSR/> and second in command of the [[Home Fleet]], hoisting his flag first in {{HMS|Diadem|84|6}} and then in {{HMS|Birmingham|C19|6}}.<ref name=RNR/>


After the War he continued to command the 10th Cruiser Squadron (later 2nd Cruiser Squadron with his flag in [[HMS Superb (25)|HMS ''Superb'']]), during which time, he took part in the victory celebrations in the Netherlands and had the honour of having [[Princess Juliana]] and [[Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld|Prince Bernhardt]] as dinner guests;<ref name=RNR/> he was also dispatched to Sweden on an official goodwill visit, being granted a private audience with [[Gustaf V of Sweden|King Gustav V]].<ref name=RNR/>
After the war he continued to command the 10th Cruiser Squadron (later [[2nd Cruiser Squadron]] with his flag in [[HMS Superb (25)|HMS ''Superb'']]), during which time he took part in the victory celebrations in the Netherlands and had the honour of having [[Princess Juliana]] and [[Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld|Prince Bernhardt]] as dinner guests;<ref name=RNR/> he was also dispatched to Sweden on an official goodwill visit, being granted a private audience with [[Gustaf V of Sweden|King Gustav V]].<ref name=RNR/>


In 1947, he became Admiral Superintendent at [[Rosyth Dockyard|HM Dockyard, Rosyth]].,<ref name=lh/> receiving a [[Order of the Bath|CB]], and was promoted to [[Vice Admiral]] a year later. He was appointed [[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]] in 1950. He was advanced to [[KBE]] in the 1951 New Year Honours<ref name=RNSR/> and retired in October of the same year.<ref>[http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf Listing compiled by historian Colin Mackie] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105247/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf |date=15 March 2012 }}</ref> He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Dumabarton on 4 March 1952,<ref>The London Gazette: no. 39491. p. 1468. 14 March 1952.</ref> and received his final promotion to Admiral on 15 March of the same year.<ref name=RNSR/>
In 1947, he became admiral superintendent at [[Rosyth Dockyard|HM Dockyard, Rosyth]].,<ref name=lh/> receiving a [[Order of the Bath|CB]], and was promoted to [[vice admiral]] a year later. He was appointed [[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]] in 1950. He was advanced to [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire|KBE]] in the 1951 New Year Honours<ref name=RNSR/> and retired in October of the same year.<ref>[http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf Listing compiled by historian Colin Mackie] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105247/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf |date=15 March 2012 }}</ref> He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Dumabarton on 4 March 1952,<ref>The London Gazette: no. 39491. p. 1468. 14 March 1952.</ref> and received his final promotion to admiral on 15 March of the same year.<ref name=RNSR/>


[[File:AEMBCG as Archer.jpg|thumb|Robert & Angus Cunninghame Graham in Archers uniform]]
[[File:AEMBCG as Archer.jpg|thumb|Robert & Angus Cunninghame Graham in Archers uniform]]
In retirement he became [[Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire]] (1955–1968) and Keeper of [[Dumbarton Castle]] (1955–1981), the first Naval Officer to hold the post. In 1985, his widow donated his uniform and medals to the castle where they are on public display.<ref name=lenher>''Ceremony marks Admiral's Castle connection'', The Lennox Herald, 30 August 1985, p3</ref> He also was a member of the [[Royal Company of Archers]] achieving a final rank of Captain.
In retirement he became [[Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire]] (1955–1968) and Keeper of [[Dumbarton Castle]] (1955–1981), the first naval officer to hold the post. In 1985, his widow donated his uniform and medals to the castle, where they are on public display.<ref name=lenher>''Ceremony marks Admiral's Castle connection'', The Lennox Herald, 30 August 1985, p. 3</ref> He also was a member of the [[Royal Company of Archers]] achieving a final rank of captain.


He donated his [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0014%2FANCG|personal papers] (1913–1980) to [[Churchill College, Cambridge]] and his [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt309nc6f4/ naval archive] (covering the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries) to the [[University of California, Irvine]].
He donated his [https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/9/resources/1402 papers] (1913–1980) to [[Churchill College, Cambridge]], and his [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt309nc6f4/ naval archive] (covering the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries) to the [[University of California, Irvine]].


==Family==
==Family==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt309nc6f4/ Guide to the Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham Naval History Manuscripts Collection.] Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
*[http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt309nc6f4/ Guide to the Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham Naval History Manuscripts Collection.] Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
*[https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/9/resources/1402 The Papers of Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham] at [[Churchill Archives Centre]]


{{S-start}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|title=[[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]]|before=[[Ernest Archer (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Ernest Archer]]|after=[[John Crombie]]|years=1950&ndash;1951}}
{{succession box|title=[[Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland|Flag Officer, Scotland]]|before=[[Ernest Archer (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Ernest Archer]]|after=[[John Crombie (Royal Navy officer)|John Crombie]]|years=1950&ndash;1951}}
{{end}}
{{end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunninghame-Graham, Angus}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunninghame Graham, Angus}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
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[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Company of Archers]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Company of Archers]]
[[Category:Lord-lieutenants of Dunbartonshire]]
[[Category:Military personnel from London]]
[[Category:Royal Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]

Latest revision as of 15:45, 21 October 2024

Admiral

Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham

KBE, CB
Admiral Sir Angus Cunnnghame Graham KBE CB RN
Born16 February 1893
London, England
Died14 February 1981 (1981-02-15) (aged 87)
Alexandria, Dunbartonshire
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service1905–1951
RankAdmiral
CommandsSenior Naval Officer, West River, China
HM Signal School
HMS Kent
Royal Navy Barracks, Chatham
10th & 2nd Cruiser Squadrons
HM Dockyard, Rosyth
Flag Officer Scotland
Battles / warsWorld War I
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Spouse(s)Mary Patricia, Lady Cunninghame Graham (née Hanbury; m. 1924)
Children2
RelationsAdm. Hon.Charles Elphinstone-Fleeming RN MP (great-grandfather)
Rt Rev Richard Bagot (great-grandfather)
R.B. Cunninghame Graham MP (uncle)
Cdr Charles E.- F. Cunninghame Graham, MVO RN, (father)

Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame Graham of Gartmore and Ardoch KBE CB (16 February 1893 – 14 February 1981) was a Royal Navy officer who became Flag Officer, Scotland.

[edit]

Educated at Ascham St. Vincent's School, Cunninghame Graham joined the Royal Navy in 1905[1] when he entered the RNC, Osborne.[2] His tutors thought well of him[3] and in 1907 he progressed to RNC Dartmouth where he continued to get good grades in everything[3] except engineering.[2] He completed his cadet training on HMS Cumberland[3] and passed out as a midshipman in 1910.[3] One of his first postings was to HMS Cochrane,[3] which was one of the ships that escorted George V and Queen Mary to the Delhi Durbar of 1911.[2] He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1912[3] and at the beginning of 1914 he was appointed to HM Yacht Victoria and Albert[1] on which his father had also served.

At the outbreak of World War I, all Royal Yachtsmen were transferred to two ships in the Grand Fleet,[2] HMS Agincourt and HMS Erin. Cunninghame Graham served on HMS Agincourt[3] and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in command of number 4 gun turret.[2] He specialised in signals[2] and was promoted to flag lieutenant in 1917.[3]

After the war, he held a number of brief appointments, including a period as tutor at HM Signal School, before being appointed, despite his lowly rank, to HMS Iron Duke in the spring of 1922 as fleet signal officer of the Mediterranean Fleet,[3] under the command of Admiral Sir Osmond Brock C-in-C.[2] He gained the rank of lieutenant-commander in 1924[3] just prior to his marriage to Patricia Hanbury, the sister-in-law of Herbert Fitzherbert, the executive officer of the Iron Duke[2] and was made a commander in 1928.[3]

Cunninghame Graham had the unusual experience of attending all three staff colleges: Naval at Greenwich 1929–30; Army at Camberwell 1930–31; and Air Force at Andover 1934.[2] Between 1931 and 1934, he served as executive officer on the cruiser HMS Cardiff on the South Africa station. He was appointed staff officer (operations and intelligence) at Nore Command in 1935.[3] Having resigned himself, as had happened to his father, to remain a commander for the rest of his naval service,[2] he was promoted to captain, at the last possible juncture under the batch system then in force, on 31 December 1935.[3]

In January 1936, George V died and Cunninghame Graham, awaiting his first command, acted as aide-de-camp to Prince Paul of Greece[2] during his visit to London for the state funeral. He was appointed in the autumn of 1936 to HMS Tarantula as senior naval officer on the West River in China.[3] This was the time of the Second Sino-Japanese War.[4] On his return from China, he was offered the post of captain of the "stone frigate" HMS President,[2] which he declined, going on Half-pay at his own request from 14 April 1938 until 2 March 1939, when he was appointed captain of HM Signal School.[3]

During World War II he held four commands. When war was declared he was serving as captain of HM Signal School, which also entailed being deputy to the commodore of Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, and, thus, oversaw the research into the development of naval RDF.[2]

His next appointment, in 1941, was as captain of the cruiser HMS Kent[3] on the Russian convoys. HMS Kent was selected to carry a diplomatic party which included: H.E. Ivan M Maisky, the Soviet Ambassador; Rt Hon Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Sir Alexander Cadogan, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office; and Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Nye, VCIGS, to Murmansk, from where they would travel by train to Moscow for talks with Stalin.[2] As the diplomatic party were without any ciphering staff, it fell to Cunninghame Graham to inform the foreign secretary that the UK had declared war on Japan.[2] In the autumn of 1942, he became flag-captain to Rear-Admiral Louis ‘'Turtle'’ Hamilton, who had chosen to hoist his flag in HMS Kent.[2][3]

In August 1943, he was promoted to commodore (2nd class) in charge of the Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham,[3] in command of 20,000 officers, men and women with a daily turnover of 1,000.[2] Also during this time, he was an aide-de-camp to the King[4] (his father had been a groom-in-waiting to Edward VII and an equerry to George V) and was appointed a CBE in the 1944 New Year's Honours List.[3] In January 1945, there came a second promotion to rear-admiral in command of the 10th Cruiser Squadron,[3] and second in command of the Home Fleet, hoisting his flag first in HMS Diadem and then in HMS Birmingham.[2]

After the war he continued to command the 10th Cruiser Squadron (later 2nd Cruiser Squadron with his flag in HMS Superb), during which time he took part in the victory celebrations in the Netherlands and had the honour of having Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhardt as dinner guests;[2] he was also dispatched to Sweden on an official goodwill visit, being granted a private audience with King Gustav V.[2]

In 1947, he became admiral superintendent at HM Dockyard, Rosyth.,[1] receiving a CB, and was promoted to vice admiral a year later. He was appointed Flag Officer, Scotland in 1950. He was advanced to KBE in the 1951 New Year Honours[3] and retired in October of the same year.[5] He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Dumabarton on 4 March 1952,[6] and received his final promotion to admiral on 15 March of the same year.[3]

Robert & Angus Cunninghame Graham in Archers uniform

In retirement he became Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire (1955–1968) and Keeper of Dumbarton Castle (1955–1981), the first naval officer to hold the post. In 1985, his widow donated his uniform and medals to the castle, where they are on public display.[7] He also was a member of the Royal Company of Archers achieving a final rank of captain.

He donated his papers (1913–1980) to Churchill College, Cambridge, and his naval archive (covering the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries) to the University of California, Irvine.

Family

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Born in Chelsea, Angus was the second child and only son of Commander Charles Elphinstone-Fleeming Cunninghame Graham MVO RN and Mildred Emily Barbara, daughter of Charles Walter Bagot, Rector of Castle Rising, Norfolk. He was baptised on 25 March 1893 in Holy Trinity, Chelsea, having Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) as his godfather and Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (later the Princess Royal), as his godmother. This led to his attending the coronation of Edward VII as page to the Duke of Fife, for which he was awarded the 1902 Coronation Medal.

In October 1924, he married Mary Patricia, the youngest daughter of banker, Col Lionel Hanbury of Hitcham House CMG, VD High Sheriff of the County of London (1920–21);[4] they had one son, Robert Elphinstone, who followed his father into the Royal Navy; and one daughter, Jean, who first married Charles Jauncey of Tullichettle and secondly Harry Polwarth. He had seven grandchildren. He was the only nephew of Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, a Scottish author and politician,[8] to whom he was heir.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Cunninghame Graham, Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine (1979). Random Naval Recollections, 1905–1951. Gartochan, Dumbartonshire: Famedram Publishers Limited.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Royal Naval Service Record ADM 196/55
  4. ^ a b c Obituary: Patricia Cunninghame Graham The Independent, 5 June 1998
  5. ^ Listing compiled by historian Colin Mackie Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ The London Gazette: no. 39491. p. 1468. 14 March 1952.
  7. ^ Ceremony marks Admiral's Castle connection, The Lennox Herald, 30 August 1985, p. 3
  8. ^ Preserving the Literary Legacy of the Tschiffely Estate
[edit]
Military offices
Preceded by Flag Officer, Scotland
1950–1951 		Succeeded by
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