Marta Cunningham

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(December 1869 – June 25, 1937) was an American-born European-based

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

. Born in 1869 in

Brazos County, Texas Brazos County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,849. The county seat is Bryan. Along with Brazoria County, the county is named for the Brazos River, which forms its western border. The ...

, United States, her parents were Albert Baxter and Martha Minerva Tharp Cunningham, both from

DeSoto Parish, Louisiana DeSoto Parish ( French: ''Paroisse DeSoto'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish was formed in 1843. At the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 26,656; at the 2020 census, its population increased to 26,812. Its par ...

. Marta was educated to high school level at the Convent of Notre Dame in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. She then immigrated to the United Kingdom, where she trained classically, making her debut as a

soloist at the coronation of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

in 1901. She then made regular tours of England, Ireland and the United States, until taking up a residency at

Claridges Hotel Claridge's is a 5-star hotels, 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street, London, Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. It has long-standing connections with royalty that have led to it sometimes being referred to as an "annexe to ...

, London, from 1910 until 1912, presenting "matinees musicales." At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she resided in London, undertaking charity and canteen work in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

. In 1919, while visiting her local hospital, Cunningham asked the

matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person ...

if she still had any wounded servicemen under treatment. Horrified to be given the answer 600, Cunningham discovered there were thousands of wounded men lying in hospitals, bored, lonely, and in pain. Cunningham established The

Not Forgotten Association The Not Forgotten Association (known as 'The Not Forgotten') is a British Armed Forces registered charity for serving and ex-servicemen and women that operates throughout the United Kingdom. The Not Forgotten combats isolation and loneliness in the ...

, with the object of providing entertainment and recreation for the war crippled that would alleviate the tedium of their lives and give them something to which they could look forward. Through her royal connections, Cunningham persuaded Princess Mary to become the Association's first patron, a position she held until her death in 1965. Cunningham devoted the rest of her life to the charity, for which in 1929 she was appointed a CBE. Cunningham died on June 25, 1937.

References

External links

The Not Forgotten Association
People from Brazos County, Texas American sopranos American emigrants to the United Kingdom American women philanthropists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1869 births 1937 deaths English sopranos English women philanthropists Singers from Texas 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century English women 20th-century English people {{US-singer-stub