 Charles Kearns Deane Tanner, an Irish surgeon and politician was Denis' other uncle.Uncle Charles was deeply involved in Home Rule politics, eventually leaving medicine to concentrate solely on his interest in the Irish Home Rule cause.Tanner was a lieutenant in the King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) of the British Army during the Second Boer War, during which time he was awarded both the King's and Queen's medals for service in what is now South Africa.