Major George Frederick Myddleton Cornwallis-West (14 November 1874 – 1 April 1951) was a British officer of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

. George Cornwallis-West was noted primarily for his marriages, the first to

Jennie Jerome Jennie Spencer-Churchill (; 9 January 1854 – 29 June 1921), known as Lady Randolph Churchill, was an American-born British socialite, the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, and the mother of British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. Earl ...

, mother of Winston Churchill, and the second to the renowned actress Stella Campbell, who was also known on the stage as Mrs. Patrick Campbell.

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

wrote the part of

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Prof ...

in his play '' Pygmalion'' for her.

Early life

George Cornwallis-West was born on 14 November 1874. He was the only son of Colonel

William Cornwallis-West William Cornwallis Cornwallis-West VD JP (20 March 1835 – 4 July 1917), was a British landowner, politician for seven years from 1885 and raised the 6th (Ruthin) Denbighshire Rifle Volunteer Corps followed by further ceremonial duties in the ...

(1835–1917) and his wife, Mary "Patsy", née FitzPatrick (1856–1920).

Military career

Cornwallis-West served in the

, becoming a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. He went on

half pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the En ...

on 8 August 1900, returned briefly to his regiment and then went on half pay again on 5 September. Cornwallis-West resigned his commission on 26 October 1901 and then joined the

Reserve of Officers The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. The Army Reserve was known as the T ...

as a lieutenant on 26 February 1902. On 7 November 1914 Cornwallis-West was given a temporary commission as a

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

. He resigned this rank, with which he had served in the

Royal Naval Division The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a United Kingdom infantry division of the First World War. It was originally formed as the Royal Naval Division at the outbreak of the war, from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers, who we ...

, on 19 January 1915. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Scots Guards on 18 October, an earlier promotion to that rank in January having later been cancelled. By 16 February 1917 Cornwallis-West was serving as an assistant provost marshal and he was listed as part of the Reserve of Officers; he was still in that position on 23 October. On 1 October 1918 he was made a temporary major for his work as a provost marshal. Continuing in the Reserve of Officers after the end of the

First World War 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 fig ...

, Cornwallis-West left his position as a provost marshal, and reverted to his substantial rank of captain, on 13 November 1919. He was then promoted to major on 9 February 1920. He retired from the army on 14 November 1924, having reached the age limit for reserve officers.

Personal life

Cornwallis-West and Lady Randolph Churchill were married on 28 July 1900. The wedding was held at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champio ...

. They separated in 1912 and divorced on 1 April 1914, but continued to meet socially upon occasion. After their divorce, she returned to her former name : Lady Randolph Churchill. On 6 April 1914, Cornwallis-West married Beatrice Stella Tanner Campbell, an actress known (under her previous husband's name) as "

Mrs Patrick Campbell Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner (9 February 1865 – 9 April 1940), better known by her stage name Mrs Patrick Campbell or Mrs Pat, was an English stage actress, best known for appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw and Barrie. She also toured th ...

". Cornwallis-West's elder sister, née Mary Theresa Cornwallis-West, was a noted society beauty. Known as

Daisy, Princess of Pless Daisy, Princess of Pless (Mary Theresa Olivia; ''née'' Cornwallis-West; 28 June 1873 – 29 June 1943) was a noted society beauty in the Edwardian period, and during her marriage a member of one of the wealthiest European noble families. Daisy a ...

, she was the first wife of Hans Heinrich XV, Prince of Pless. His younger sister, Constance, became the first wife of

Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, (familiarly " Bendor"; 19 March 1879 – 19 July 1953) was a British landowner and one of the wealthiest men in the world. He was the son of Victor Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor, son of the ...

. In 1951, aged 76, after having been afflicted for many years with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

, Cornwallis-West committed suicide in his apartment at 9 North Audley Street,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buck ...

, leaving an estate valued for probate at £12,255. "CORNWALLIS-WEST George Frederick Myddleton of Flat 3 9 North Audley Street London W.1" in ''Wills and Administrations 1951 (England and Wales)'' (1952), p. 311 He left no legitimate children.

Portrayals in film and television

Cornwallis-West was portrayed by

Christopher Cazenove Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove (17 December 1943 – 7 April 2010) was an English film, television and stage actor. Early life and career He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, on 17 December 1943, the son of Brigadier Arnold de Leri ...

in the 1974 Thames TV mini-series ''Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill''.

References

External links