Douglas Jardine was born on 23 October 1900 in Bombay, British India, to Scottish parents, Malcolm Jardine—a former first-class cricketer who became a barrister—and Alison Moir.[1] At the age of nine, he was sent to St Andrews in Scotland to stay with his mother's sister. He attended Horris Hill School, near Newbury, Berkshire, from May 1910.[2] There, Jardine was moderately successful academically,[2] and from 1912, he played cricket for the school first eleven, enjoying success as a bowler and as a batsman. He led the team in his final year, and the team were unbeaten under his captaincy.[3] As a schoolboy, Jardine was influenced by the writing of former England captain C. B. Fry on batting technique, which contradicted the advice of his coach at Horris Hill.