Jack Churchill Biography

(British Army Officer Who Fought in the World War II)

Birthday: September 16, 1906 (Virgo)

Born In: Colombo, Sri Lanka

John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, also known as "Fighting Jack Churchill" and "Mad Jack", was an officer in the British Army during World War II. He became known for carrying a longbow, bagpipes, and, a claymore sword throughout the war. Originally from British Ceylon, Churchill returned to England with his family not long after his birth. He grew up in Surrey where he went on to spend most of his civil life. He was a student of King William's College on the Isle of Man and Royal Military College. Churchill began his service in 1926 in Burma with the Manchester Regiment. In 1936, he left the Army for a brief period and was subsequently employed as a newspaper editor. He also did some modelling and acting. Following the German invasion of Poland, he rejoined the army and became a near-mythical figure because of his exploits. After the war, he served in British Palestine and worked as an instructor at the land-air warfare school in Australia. Before his retirement, Churchill had a desk job in the Army in Britain.
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Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In September

Also Known As: John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill

Died At Age: 89

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Rosamund Margaret Denny (m. 1941)

father: Alec Fleming Churchill

mother: Elinor Elizabeth

siblings: Winston Churchill

children: Malcolm John Leslie Churchill, Rodney Alistair Gladstone Churchill

Born Country: Sri Lanka

Soldiers British Men

Died on: March 8, 1996

place of death: Surrey, Englnad, United Kingdom

Notable Alumni: Royal Military College, Sandhurst, King William's College

City: Colombo, Sri Lanka

More Facts

education: Royal Military College, Sandhurst, King William's College

awards: Military Cross
Distinguished Service Order

  • 1

    What weapons did Jack Churchill use during World War II?

    Jack Churchill famously used a longbow and a Scottish broadsword in combat during World War II.

  • 2

    Did Jack Churchill survive the war?

    Yes, Jack Churchill survived World War II and continued to serve in the military until his retirement in 1959.

  • 3

    Was Jack Churchill the only soldier to have recorded a confirmed kill with a longbow in World War II?

    Yes, Jack Churchill is known for recording a confirmed kill with a longbow during World War II, making him the only soldier to have achieved this feat.

  • 4

    How did Jack Churchill earn the nickname "Mad Jack?"

    Jack Churchill earned the nickname "Mad Jack" due to his eccentric behavior in combat, including playing the bagpipes before charging into battle.

  • 5

    What was Jack Churchill's role during the D-Day landings?

    Jack Churchill served as a commanding officer during the D-Day landings, leading his troops ashore armed with his trusty longbow and sword.

Childhood & Early Life
Born on September 16, 1906, in Colombo, British Ceylon, Jack Churchill was the son of Elinor Elizabeth and Alec Fleming Churchill. He had two younger brothers, Major-General Thomas Bell Lindsay Churchill, C.B., C.B.E., M.C, and Robert Alec Farquhar Churchill, who served as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm.
After his birth, his family came back to Dormansland, Surrey, where Thomas was born. After his father got a job in Hong Kong, the family moved there with him. During their stay in Hong Kong, Robert was born. They relocated to England once more in 1917.
Churchill studied at King William's College on the Isle of Man before enrolling at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After graduating in 1926, he was sent to Burma with the Manchester Regiment. During this period, he rode his motorcycle all over the country and learned how to play the bagpipes.
In 1936, likely bored by the long peacetime, he quit the army and took a job as a newspaper editor in Nairobi, Kenya. He later did some modelling.
Churchill also acted in several films in the 1920s and 1930s, including ‘The Thief of Bagdad’ (1924) and ‘A Yank in Oxford’ (1938). In the former project, he demonstrated his archery and bagpipe skills.
He finished second in the 1938 military piping competition at the Aldershot Tattoo. A year later, he took part in the World Archery Championships in Oslo, representing Britain.
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Activities During World War II
In 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, Jack Churchill rejoined the army and was placed with the Manchester Regiment. He arrived in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force.
In May 1940, Churchill and some of the soldiers under him conducted an ambush of a German patrol near L'Épinette. He gave the command to attack by holding his basket-hilted Scottish broadsword up.
During the ambush, he reportedly killed a Nazi sergeant by shooting him with a barbed arrow that went through the man’s chest, but this claim is heavily disputed. In later years, Churchill revealed that while he had been intending to use his longbows, they were run over by a lorry earlier in the campaign.
Following the events at Dunkirk, he joined the newly formed Commandos, the progenitors of the modern British special forces, as a volunteer. His younger brother, Thomas, was the leader of a Commando brigade during the war. He later documented his and his brother’s exploits in a book called ‘Commando Crusade’.
Churchill served as the second in command of No. 3 Commando in Operation Archery, a British joint raid on the German positions at Vågsøy, Norway, on December 27, 1941.
Placed on the lead landing craft, he began playing 'March of the Cameron Men' with his bagpipes as the boat approached the shore. When the ramp lowered, he hurled a grenade at the enemy positions, drew his claymore, and rushed into battle.
In July 1943, during the Allied invasion of Sicily, Churchill, leading 2 Commando, took control of a German observation post in Salerno, apprehending 42 prisoners, including a mortar squad. For this, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
In 1944, he took part in Maclean Mission (Macmis), serving as the leader of a regiment of the Commandos in Yugoslavia. He put together a diverse army of 1,500 Partisans, 43 Commando and one troop from 40 Commando and conducted a raid on the German-held island of Brač.
He was captured during the raid by German troops and was ultimately sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. In September, he made an unsuccessful attempt of escaping along with the Royal Air Force officer, Bertram James.
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In late April 1945, he was sent to Tyrol along with over a hundred other high-profile prisoners. They were released by the German army unit stationed there. Churchill travelled 150 kilometres (93 mi) to Verona, Italy, on foot before meeting an American armoured unit.
Churchill was then transferred to Burma as the Pacific War was still going on. However, by the time he got to India, nuclear bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan had surrendered.
Later Years
Following the conclusion of World War II, Churchill obtained a parachutist qualification and joined the Seaforth Highlanders. He was then sent to the British Palestine, where he served as an executive officer of the 1st Battalion, the Highland Light Infantry.
In the spring of 1948, in the final days of the British mandate in the region, he got involved in a conflict that later came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre in which 78 Jewish doctors, nurses, students, patients, faculty members and Haganah fighters, and one British soldier were killed by Arabic forces.
Churchill later organised the evacuation of 700 patients and staff from the Hadassah hospital on the Hebrew University campus in Jerusalem.
In the 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film ‘Ivanhoe’, Churchill, portraying an archer, co-starred with his old rowing companion, Robert Taylor. He also spent some time in Australia, working as an instructor at the land-air warfare school.
During this period, he developed a passion for surfing. After returning to Britain, he became the first man to surf on the River Severn's five-foot tidal bore. He also made his own boards.
He held a desk job in the army while he was in Britain. Even after retiring from the army, his characteristic eccentricities persisted. Each day, while returning to his home, he threw his briefcase out of the train windows, surprising both the conductors and fellow passengers. He later revealed that he was dropping his briefcase into the back garden of his home, so he would not have to bear the extra weight from the station.
Family & Personal Life
On March 8, 1941, Jack Churchill exchanged wedding vows with Rosamund Margaret Denny, the granddaughter of the Scottish naval architect Sir Archibald Denny. Their oldest son, Malcolm John Leslie Churchill, was born on November 11, 1942. He was followed by Rodney Alistair Gladstone Churchill on July 4, 1947.
Churchill was not directly related to the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Death & Legacy
On March 8, 1996, Churchill passed away in the county of Surrey. He was 89 years old at the time. The Royal Norwegian Explorers hailed him as one of the finest explorers and adventurers of all time in their March 2014 book.
He gained much popularity for his motto, “Any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed."
Facts About Jack Churchill

Jack Churchill was known for carrying a sword into battle during World War II, making him one of the few soldiers to use a medieval weapon in modern warfare.

He played the bagpipes before leading his men into battle, a unique and unconventional way to boost morale among his troops.

In addition to his military prowess, Churchill was also a skilled archer and competed in the World Archery Championships in 1939.

He was captured by the Germans during the war but managed to escape not once, but twice, showcasing his resourcefulness and determination.

After the war, Churchill continued to lead an adventurous life, working as a professional surfer and even appearing as an extra in a movie.

See the events in life of Jack Churchill in Chronological Order

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Article Title
- Jack Churchill Biography
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URL
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