OBITUARY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 366, 7 March 1932, Page 7

OBITUARY.

Gordon Cunningham

The death occurred in Glasgow on February S last of Mr Gordon Cunningham, who had many friends in Christchurch. Years ago his father, the late Mr Peter Cunningham, was well known throughout New Zealand and was prominent in business. The late Mr Gordon Cunningham retired from the post of chief mechanical engineer to the Bengal Nagpur Railway in April, 1931, states the journal “Engineering.” Mr Cunningham, who was 55 years of age, joined the railway in question as an assistant locomotive superintendent in 1906. Most of his time was at first devoted to work, in the locomotive

shops, Khargpur, as assistant manager during a period of reorganisation and reconstruction. lie served with the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force from early in 1917 till early in 1919, and while engaged in this wav was promoted district locomotive superintendent in 1918. Between 1925 and 1927 he was, in turn, acting-superintendent (mining), acting-superintendent (carliage and waggon), and acting-superin-tendent (headquarters). Early in 1928 1 e was permanently ranked as superintendent, locomotive department, with the title of deputy-chief mechanical engineer. After only a month in this position, he became acting-chief mechanical engineer and, in July, 1930, was confirmed as chief mechanical engineer.

When volunteering for service on the military railways in Mesopotamia he was given the relative rank of captain, and on Kut being recaptured by the Britisli forces, was sent up river to take charge there of the locomotive sheds and workshops on the KutI.'inaidi section of the system, as this was rapidly extended towards Baghdad. Mr Cunningham was thus responsible for the equipment and organisation of the temporary shops at Kut and for the reconditioning there of rolling stock. Subsequently he was transferred to Ilinaidi as mechanical assistant to A.D.R., and was promoted to the relative rank of major. For his work at Kut he was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the M.B.E. (civil).