De Ruvigny Roll of Honour Vol. 2 page 87
Frank Leonard Cunningham was born the 29th May 1887, at Edinburgh, the only son of Joseph Thomas Cunningham, of 35 Wavendon Avenue, Chiswck, M.A. (Oxon), F.Z.S., formerly Fellow of University College, Oxford, Lecturer in Zoology, University of London.
Frank was educated at Plymouth and Mannamead College, and University College, London. Here he obtained his Diploma in Engineering, and at the time was engaged with Messrs' Eden & Rose, on a long and thorough experimental investigation of the endurance of metals, about which a joint paper by the three authors was published in the Proceedings of the Institute Mechanical Engineers in 1911.
In 1908 he was apprenticed in the works of Messrs' Armstrong Whitworth & Co., at Newcastle, and in 1910 was commissioned by Mr Mosely, C.M.G., to visit St Helena and make plans for an engineering installation, after which he held positions in various engineering firms, including Messrs' Thorneycroft at Southampton, and Vickers Ltd, and subsequently with the Vacuum Oil Co., at Glasgow, where he was when war broke out.
He joined the Northumberland Hussars Yeomanry on the 26th January 1909, he then volunteered for foreign service in August 1914, left for France as part of the 7th Division on the 7th October 1914.
He took part in the First Battle of Ypres, where his troop was employed at Brigade Headquarters, often under heavy fire. His unit was in reserve again for the battle of Neuve Chapelle, again under heavy fire.
Then he was engaged on a separate duty just before the Battle of Loos, but, at his own request, rejoined the troop in time to take part in the fighting.
He died in the Australian Hospital at Wimereux on the 1st October 1915, from wounds received on the 25th September at the Battle of Loos.
On the morning of the 25th September, orders were received to send out an officer's patrol to see how the infantry attacks was progressing, and Lieutenant Laing carried out this duty, taking Cunningham and three other men with him. When the men mounted to return, all their horses were shot and two men wounded-Cunningham, who was shot through the leg, then tried to reach a communication trench, but was shot through the body before he got to it.
His Corporal, Ernest Pigg, stayed with him for the rest of the day but he was not removed to a Field Hospital till the following night and reaching the Australian Hospital on [the] 29th September.
Lieutenant (now Captain) Laing wrote:-I cannot speak too highly of his courage. What naturally grieves me, but what I tell you to show my opinion of your son, is that I knew our ride would be a dangerous one, and selected the four men that I thought would be most game to come and most likely to be useful.
And Corporal Pigg:- He was a comrade and a soldier, and one who was willing to do more than his share, a backbone to the section. His good ways and kindness in associating with his comrades set an example to the troop which will live with them to the end.
De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
He is remembered in Newcastle in NUT239 page 276