Original British WWII Royal Navy Admiral Visor Cap by Gieves Named To Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope Original Items

Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. Now this is a fantastic piece of British Royal Navy History! The visor itself is a very nice example of a British WWII Royal Navy Officer’s Visor Cap, usually referred to as a “Peaked” cap in the U.K. It features the standard navy wool body, with some nice padding inside the crown to maintain the shape. It comes with a white cotton cover for use in the Tropics and the Summer months. The wool topped leather visor is heavily bullion wire embroidered with 2 rows of oak leaves around the edge, indicating a rank of Admiral. The black mohair hat band features bullion embroidered Kings Crown and brass anchor inside a lovely embroidered wreath.

The interior crown of the cap has a faded gold makers mark that reads:

Gieves
LONDON, W. 1.

Overall condition of the hat is very good with typical signs of use and age. The cap cover has some age toning, and has been on the cap for a very long time, as the area behind the badge is still white. There is no size marked, but it seems to be around a size 7 1/4 – 7 3/8.

The brown leather liner is in good condition with signs consistent of service wear. The right side has the name A. B. Cunningham stamped into it and highlighted with a gold color. The initials stand for Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope.

Admiral of the Fleet Cunningham, KT, GCB, OM, DSO & Two Bars, was a senior officer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was widely known by his initials, “ABC”.

Cunningham was born in Rathmines in the south side of Dublin on 7 January 1883. After starting his schooling in Dublin and Edinburgh, he enrolled at Stubbington House School, at the age of ten. He entered the Royal Navy in 1897 as a naval cadet in the officers’ training ship Britannia, passing in 1898. He commanded a destroyer during the First World War and through most of the interwar period. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and two Bars, for his performance during this time, specifically for his actions in the Dardanelles and in the Baltics.

In the Second World War, as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, Cunningham led British naval forces to victory in several critical Mediterranean naval battles. These included the attack on Taranto in 1940, the first completely all-aircraft naval attack in history, and the Battle of Cape Matapan in 1941. Cunningham controlled the defense of the Mediterranean supply lines through Alexandria, Gibraltar, and the key chokepoint of Malta. He also directed naval support for the various major Allied landings in the Western Mediterranean littoral. In autumn 1943, with the incumbent, Sir Dudley Pound, dying, Cunningham was promoted to First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy, a position he held until his retirement in 1946. He was ennobled as Baron Cunningham of Hyndhope in 1945 and made Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope the following year. After his retirement, Cunningham enjoyed several ceremonial positions, including Lord High Steward at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He died on 12 June 1963, aged 80.

This is a fantastic visor with an even better history attached to it! Comes more than ready for display.