Randolph Churchill
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The Honourable Randolph Churchill MBE |
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Member of Parliament for Preston |
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In office 29 September 1940 – 5 July 1945 Serving with Edward Cobb |
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| Preceded by | Adrian Moreing |
| Succeeded by | John William Sunderland |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill 28 May 1911 London, England, UK |
| Died | 6 June 1968 (aged 57) East Bergholt, Suffolk, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
Pamela Digby (m. 1939; div. 1946) June Osborne (m. 1948; his death 1968) |
| Children |
Winston Arabella |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Christ Church |
| Profession | Journalist, soldier |
| Religion | Anglicanism |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 4th Queen's Own Hussars |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill MBE (28 May 1911 – 6 June 1968) was a journalist and a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Preston from 1940-45.
He was the son of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He wrote the first two volumes of the official life of his father, complemented by an extensive archive of materials. His first wife (1939–46) was Pamela Digby; their son, Winston, followed his father into Parliament.
Randolph was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford and became a journalist. In 1931 he shared Edward James's house in London with John Betjeman. Shortly after leaving Oxford, Churchill became embroiled in the controversy of the February 1933 King and Country debate. Three weeks after the associated pacifist resolution was passed, Churchill and his friend Lord Stanley proposed a resolution to delete the "King and Country" motion from the Oxford Union's records. After a poor speech from Lord Stanley, the President Mr Frank Hardie temporarily handed over the chair to the Librarian and opposed the motion on behalf of the Union, a very unusual move. The minutes record that he received “a very remarkable ovation”.
Churchill was then met by a barrage of hisses and stink bombs. His speech, facing what the minutes describe as a “very antipathetic and even angry house” was “unfortunate in his manner and phrasing” and was met with “delighted jeers”. He then attempted to withdraw the motion. Hardie was willing to permit this, but an ex-President pointed out from the floor that a vote of the whole house was required to allow a motion to be withdrawn. The request to withdraw was defeated by acclamation and the motion was then defeated by 750 votes to 138 (a far better attendance than the original debate had attained). Churchill had persuaded a number of other former students, life members of the Union, to attend in the hope of carrying his motion.
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