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John Cunningham Military person

John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham CBE DSO** DFC* (27 July 1917—21 July 2002), was a Second World War British Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighter ace and test pilot. During the war he was nicknamed "Cat's Eyes" by the British Press to explain his successes and to avoid communicating the existence of airborne radar to the enemy. John Cunningham was born in Croydon in 1917 in the midst of the First World War. He was keen on entering the aviation industry as a teenager. Temporarily abiding his father's wishes to avoid the military, he approached the de Havilland company and was accepted as an engineering candidate. Concurrently, he joined the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and became a member of No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron. Cunningham began his training in August 1935 and flew solo in March 1936. He received his wings in the summer of 1937. Cunningham gradually became an established test pilot gaining a considerable amount of flying time on different types of aircraft. In August 1939 Cunningham rejoined his Squadron, now equipped with a version of the Bristol Blenheim. His operator was Jimmy Rawnsley, who would serve as his gunner and radio operator for most of the war and contribute to all but three of Cunngham's victories. On 26 July 1940 the Squadron was re-designated a specialised night fighter unit and was amongst the first to receive Airborne Interception radar (AI). Cunningham was promoted to Squadron Leader in September 1940. In the autumn, as the Battle of Britain subsided and The Blitz began, the squadron re-equipped with the rugged and heavily armed Bristol Beaufighter.On the night of the 19 November 1940 he claimed his first victory. By the time the Blitz had ended in June 1941, Cunningham had destroyed 13 enemy aircraft and claimed three as probable victories and two damaged. After a prolonged rest period, he was promoted to Wing Commander in 1942. He was also appointed to command No. 85 Squadron RAF by which time his tally had reached 16 enemy aircraft destroyed. In 1943 and early 1944 he added a further four victories, one probable and one damaged. Cunningham's combat career ended with 20 aerial victories, three probable and six damaged. He spent the remainder of the conflict in various staff officer positions. By the end of the war in Europe in May 1945 had attained the rank of Group Captain.After the war Cunningham re-joined de Havilland and continued his test pilot career. He flew the World's first Jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet in 1949. He then flew commercial jets for a time in the early 1960 and continued flying in the industry until the late 1970s. He also worked for British Aerospace as executive director, retiring in 1980. In recognition of his wartime exploits and his contribution to civil aviation he was awarded an Order of the British Empire. In his retirement Cunningham was nearly financially ruined when Lloyd's of London ran into financial difficulty in 1988. He was forced to live frugally until the end of his life. He died six days shy of his 85th birthday.