John Churchill was born on Sept. 16, 1906. He graduated from Sandhurst military academy and served in Burma. In 1936, he left the army and became a newspaper editor. He also modeled. He became a world class archer and competed in the 1939 World Archery Championship. His archery skills got him a role as an extra in the movie “The Thief of Baghdad”. He rejoined the army after the invasion of Poland. He entered legend during the retreat to Dunkirk when he supposedly shot a German with his longbow. Unfortunately for great anecdotes, he later admitted his bow had been broken earlier. He went on to fight in Norway, carrying his longbow, broadsword, and bagpipes. He was a talented bagpiper. He landed at Salerno in 1943 carrying his accoutrements. In Italy, he and another soldier captured an outpost with 42 prisoners. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He was sent to lead commandos in Yugoslavia. It was there he got surrounded. He played “Will Ye No Come Back Again?” on his bagpipe to summon help. He was wounded by grenade fragments and captured. The Germans thought he was Winston Churchill’s nephew so they put him in Special Camp A in a concentration camp. He was there with other prominent POWs, including survivors from the Great Escape. He quickly hooked up with several. One of them was Johnnie Dodge who had been in charge of the choir practices that covered up the digging in Stalag Luft III. Mad Jack and four others escaped through a tunnel, but all were recaptured. He was imprisoned for the rest of the war. After the war, he appeared in the movie “Ivanhoe” as an archer. He became a famous surfer.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/jack-churchill-carry-a-sword.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill
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