George Cornwallis-West

George Frederick Myddleton Cornwallis-West was born on 14 November 1874. He was the only son of Colonel William Cornwallis-West (1835–1917) and Mary "Patsy" FitzPatrick (1856–1920).

Cornwallis-West served in the British Army, initially in the Scots Guards, where he attained the rank of lieutenant. His military career included multiple leave of absence periods; he went on half pay on 8 August 1900, returned briefly to his regiment, and again went on half pay on 5 September 1900. He resigned his commission on 26 October 1901 and joined the Reserve of Officers as a lieutenant on 26 February 1902.

During the First World War, Cornwallis-West was given a temporary commission as a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Marines on 7 November 1914, serving in the Royal Naval Division. He resigned this rank on 19 January 1915. Subsequently, he was promoted to captain in the Scots Guards on 18 October 1915, although an earlier promotion to captain in January 1915 was later rescinded. By 16 February 1917, he was serving as an assistant provost marshal and was listed as part of the Reserve of Officers. He continued in this role, remaining in service as of 23 October 1917. On 1 October 1918, he was appointed as a temporary major for his work as a provost marshal. After the war, he reverted to the rank of captain on 13 November 1919 and was promoted to major on 9 February 1920. Cornwallis-West retired from military service on 14 November 1924 upon reaching the age limit for reserve officers.

In his personal life, Cornwallis-West married Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill, on 28 July 1900 at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge. The marriage lasted until they separated in 1912 and culminated in divorce on 1 April 1914. Despite their separation, they occasionally met socially, and Lady Randolph resumed her previous name after divorce. On 6 April 1914, Cornwallis-West married actress Beatrice Stella Tanner Campbell, known on stage as Mrs Patrick Campbell. She was an accomplished actress, with George Bernard Shaw notably writing the part of Eliza Doolittle in "Pygmalion" specifically for her.

Cornwallis-West had notable family connections; his elder sister, Mary Theresa Cornwallis-West, known as Daisy, Princess of Pless, was a prominent society figure and the first wife of Hans Heinrich XV, Prince of Pless. His younger sister, Constance, was the first wife of Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster.

Later in life, Cornwallis-West was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. He committed suicide in his apartment at 9 North Audley Street, Westminster, in 1951 at the age of 76, leaving an estate valued at £12,255. He had no legitimate children.

In popular media, Cornwallis-West was portrayed by actor Christopher Cazenove in the 1974 Thames TV mini-series "Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill."

His published works include "Jennie, Lady Churchill: A Portrait with Letters," co-authored with Peregrine Churchill and Julian Mitchell (London, 1974), "George Cornwallis-West: Edwardian Hey-Days" (London, 1934), and "Perfect Darling: Life and Times of George Cornwallis-West" by Eileen Quelch (Cecil Woolf, 1972).