Cunningham was a member of the
South Georgia Survey led by
Duncan Carse for the third field season, 1955–56. In 1960 Cunningham started his career with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which became the
British Antarctic Survey in 1962. He served as base leader at Base A,
Port Lockroy for the winter of 1960, followed by two winters at Base E,
Stonington Island, again as base leader, 1961 and 1962. He returned for a fourth winter in 1964, this time as base leader at Base T,
Adelaide Island, during which time he and three companions climbed Mount Jackson. (Both Port Lockroy and Stonington Island bases are now Historic Sites under the
Antarctic Treaty, managed on behalf of BAS by the
UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. In the 1970s, after he returned to Scotland, he became an instructor at the Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore. In this capacity he perfected innovations in techniques for front point
cramponing and use of
curved pick ice axes on steep sloping ice. ==Honours==