The conclusion identifies the practical supports behind Cunningham's memoir: official war diaries from his Mediterranean and other commands, retained personal correspondence, and his own diary. The memoir was also written in the late 1940s, relatively close to the war. Cunningham could therefore refresh his recollection from several independent bodies of contemporary material instead of relying on unaided memory alone. These aids do not remove the need for corroboration, but they explain why parts of his account can be assessed with unusual precision.
Notable Point · 34:27-35:22
Why Cunningham's recollections can be checked closely
Cunningham worked from official war diaries, private papers, and a diary of his own, reducing the gap between experience and written recollection.