They were sold as part of the medal collection of the late James Risk.
He was an American naval officer and numismatist who was invited by Queen Elizabeth to catalogue the various orders, decorations and medals in the Royal Collection which had been dispersed for safe storage during World War Two.
Nimrod Dix, deputy chairman of auctioneers Noonans of Mayfair said: “Admiral of the Fleet Sir John H D Cunningham had a long and varied career in the Navy.
“However, it was the aspect after he was promoted, in August 1943, to the rank of Admiral and given command of all Allied shipping in the Mediterranean Sea that saw him involved in the key moments of WW2.
“In this role, he oversaw the amphibious operations at Anzio, Italy and Southern France. He remained in the Mediterranean Sea through to the end of the war.”
Mr Dix added: “This large group of medals reflected the seniority of his rank and the important service he saw during the Second World War.
“They were sold as part of more than 200 lots from the collection of the late James C Risk CVO, FSA”.
Survived sinking by mine
Cunningham was born in British Guiana in 1885 and joined the Navy as a cadet in 1900.
During the First World War, he served on HMS Russell in the Mediterranean and survived her sinking by a mine in April 1916.
After the war he served aboard the ill-fated battlecruiser HMS Hood as her navigator.
In 1924 he was promoted to captain and spent time on the staff of the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.
He served as naval aide-de-camp to King George V before being promoted to rear admiral.
At the start of the Second World War, Cunningham was in charge of a cruiser squadron and was sent north to support the Norwegian campaign.
During the night of May 1 1940, he led a fleet of 15 ships that evacuated 5,700 Allied troops from Namsos, near Trondheim, following the German invasion.
Shortly after the Devonshire left Tromso with the Norwegian royal family, HMS Glorious was attacked.
In August 1941 his son Richard, a Royal Navy lieutenant, was killed when the submarine P33 was sunk in the Mediterranean.
Cunningham died aged 77 in 1962.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.telegraph.co.uk ’
