Major John Strange Spencer-Churchill (4 February 1880 – 23 February 1947) was the younger son of Lord Randolph Churchill and his wife Jennie, and the brother of Sir Winston Churchill.
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Early life
Churchill was born on 4 February 1880, at Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, where his father, Lord Randolph, was secretary to Churchill's grandfather, the 7th Duke of Marlborough, then Viceroy of Ireland.
Churchill was educated at Harrow School in England. His mother's sisters believed that Churchill's actual biological father was Evelyn Boscawen, although that was mostly discredited due to his striking resemblance with his father and brother.
Career
Churchill was commissioned into the Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars in 1898. He served in the South African Light Horse alongside his war correspondent brother in the Second Boer War in 1899–1900. He was shot through the leg in February 1900, during the Battle of the Tugela Heights, part of the campaign for the relief of Ladysmith. The following month he returned for duty. For his service, he was mentioned in dispatches.
He fought in World War I, where he was again mentioned in dispatches. He served on the staff of Field Marshal Sir John French, General Sir Ian Hamilton (serving as Naval Liaison Officer for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force) and General Birdwood (serving as Camp Commandant, 1st Anzac Corps, and then as Assistant Military Secretary at the headquarters of the Fifth Army).