John Cunningham

John Cunningham was born on 27 July 1917 at Croydon in Surrey. He trained as an apprentice with the de Havilland aircraft company before joining No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron of the Auxiliary Air Force, and at the outbreak of war he turned to the demanding role of night-fighting. Flying Blenheims, then Beaufighters and finally Mosquitoes, he became one of the pioneers of radar-guided night interception during the Blitz; the press credited his run of victories to exceptional eyesight, the famous ‘Cat’s Eyes’ nickname being a cover story to keep the existence of airborne radar secret. He was credited with twenty victories, nineteen of them at night, and from 1943 to 1944 commanded No. 85 Squadron. His decorations included the Distinguished Service Order with two Bars and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar.

After the war Cunningham returned to de Havilland as a test pilot, becoming chief test pilot in 1946 and taking the de Havilland Comet — the world’s first jet airliner — on its first flight in 1949. He continued in aviation for decades and died on 21 July 2002.