Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Completed by the great, great, great niece of Marshall

Marshall Aitken Marshall (also known as Alec, Alex, Aitken) was born in Parkside South Australia. Marshall was the youngest of ten siblings to George Marshall and Annie Yuill Marshall. He went to Goodwood Primary School. He and his family were part of the Goodwood Presbyterian Church he lived at 117 Cross Road, Hawthorn, and played football for his local club. When Marshall was older, he moved to Hog Bay on Kangaroo Island as he was a friend of the Barr family, and this was where he started his career as a farmer. (Humphries, Jennifer via KIPAWW1)

It was July 1914 World War 1 had just begun. Two months later, on September the 9th 1914 at Morphettville, South Australia,  Marshall, and two of his friends from Hog Bay (Tiger Simpson and George Neave) signed up to join the Australian imperial force. While waiting for the Morphettville camp to be filled to 1005 men Marshall and his other camp mates learned how to live the army lifestyle, they had to learn how to follow strict orders, cope with army food, and fall out on parade (VWMA 2024). At the camp first in best dressed was the rule to follow. The army was short on rifles, so some men had to practice their drills with broomsticks. Marshall was posted with the 10th Australian Infantry Battalion in F company.

On a Tuesday morning on October 20th, 1914 a march passed through the main part of Adelaide, marching was the first expeditionary force. This drew enormous crowds, friends and family lined up on the jetty to witness the departure of the first group of men leaving from SA to join the great war, Marshall boarded the H.M.A.T Ascanius in Adelaide after a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, The Ascanius proceeded to the Mena camp near Alexandrina in Egypt, the soldiers arrived in early December. 

The Mena camp is where Marshall and the 10th battalion underwent training, the camp was held right at the base of the pyramids. Training went for 8 hours a day and 6 days a week, they trained in drills and maneuvers in full uniform and heavy backpacks. Lots of men became ill with heat stroke as they were not used to the intense training in the hot conditions. The soldiers did occasionally get leave where they went exploring the markets in Cairo, you can still see the Australians graffiti on the pyramids and tombs today. 

The first Christmas was very strange for the soldiers training to go to war, they felt lonely being so far away from family and friends, and they hadn’t received mail since the first week of November. On Christmas days the soldiers were given normal army rations but with a special treat of plum puddings, preserved fruit, wine, nuts, and dates. The Australian soldiers also received a gift of chocolate from England's Princess Mary which was a treasured souvenir.
On the 12th of March Marshall and the rest of the Battalion boarded the HMT Ionian, which took them from Egypt to Lemnos, a little island approximately 100km from the Gallipoli Peninsula. After the forces received a pre-invasion report from British generals, Marshall, and the 10th battalion boarded the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and went to Gallipoli the boat landed at Gallipoli at approximately 4:30 am.

Marshall Marshall wrote a letter home that referred to his catch-up with his friend from Hog Bay, Tiger Simpson, and shared their experiences of being with the 10th Battalion at the Gallipoli landing.

His letter was published in “The Register” (Adelaide) June 9, 1915. ( Stuck as if glued. Pte. A. Marshall, A Company, 10th Battalion, Australian Infantry, writing from the Base Hospital on April 28)
“Here I am again, and still alive, but it is only my luck that I am.
We have had our first fight, and I can tell you it was as severe as a fight could be. I am on my way to the base with a slight flesh wound, but I hope to be into the thick of it again in a day or two.
We, 10th Battalion, were the first to land, and under a pretty heavy rifle and artillery fire. We started to go ashore at 4 am last Sunday.
The Turks were waiting for us on the hills behind the beach, and as soon as the boats started they commenced firing.
When we got ashore, without waiting we fixed bayonets and up the hill after them. We scattered them, and kept up the chase for two miles inland. Just what was wanted, so as to give the others a chance to land.
At the firing line we got a warm reception, for they started with machine guns, rifles, and artillery, and poured shrapnel into us as fast as they could. Shells were bursting all around. 
During this time a lot of reinforcements had arrived, but we stuck to it as if we were glued there.
We were getting thinned out, but it made no difference; we wouldn’t give the enemy a chance to advance on us.
The bullets were flying around us like flies in a butcher’s shop.
I left the line about 3 or 3.30 the same afternoon, and on Sunday night I was on one of the warships, and it was fine to see them cutting off the enemy’s reinforcements.
They caught sight of a lot of Turkish artillery and cavalry going along the hill.
Two boats started shelling them, and through the glasses you could see them being blown in all directions.
The boats were bombarding all day long, blowing up batteries as fast as they came along.
We have got a pretty good footing now, and I think the 3rd Brigade have done what they were expected to.
I believe on the Monday we made a charge and got hold of a lot of prisoners (3,000 I heard), and I think more have been taken since.
It was cheering in the firing line to hear someone call out “Are we down-hearted?” and then the crowd would answer ‘No!’ I think it will be a great surprise to everyone when they hear the full account, especially after the names we got, ‘’The Ragtime Army,’ &c.
I will give you an instance of the treachery of the Turks.
Three of our chaps, walking along, came across a wounded Turk, and one of them picked up his water bottle and put it in his hand. Just as well one chap was a few yards behind; for when the other turned his back, after giving the enemy the water, the Turk pulled out his revolver, and was about to shoot, when the chap in the rear fired and blew the Turk’s brains out.
Another instance was when a couple of stretcher-bearers were carrying a German off to attend to him, and he tried to stab one, but he got the worst of it.
The Turks were firing at us from every direction. That is why so many got hit.
The shot that hit me came from the side, and went through a bit of flesh on my thigh and out again. Stamford Simpson, from Kangaroo Island, is here with me. He got a bullet through the ear.
Another KI chap also got wounded, but have not heard how any others are. I should like to have been in Adelaide when the news of the gallant stand of the 3rd Brigade arrived.
The King sent a cablegram congratulating us, and word also came from the naval officers.
We heard that the naval officers reckon that it was one of the finest things in history.
Our worst time is over now, as we couldn’t get a worse day than last Sunday. If it did happen to get worse which I think is impossible - I don’t think there would be any of us left. What put us back was that we couldn’t get any artillery into action; but since then we have landed some.”
(The 10th Battalion along with the 9th, 11th and 12th Battalions formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division referred to in Pte Marshall’s letter.)

 As Marshall said in his letter, the 10th Battalion distinguished themselves at the Anzac Cove landing but they suffered heavy losses, nearly 50% of soldiers were hurt in the first few days. Marshall survived 5 days fighting at Gallipoli until he got a gunshot wound to the thigh, because of this he was admitted to the 15th General Hospital in Alexandrina, Egypt.

On the 6th of April, Marshall was moved from the hospital to a convalescent depot in Mustapha. Marshall was in the depot as he needed to rest so he could return at full fitness before joining his unit again. After being at the convalescent depot for a month Marshall embarked on the HMAT Itonus back to Gallipoli where he served at the front line for 2 months. 

When Marshall returned to Anzac Cove, conditions for the soldiers were awful. There was poor sanitation and poor hygiene for the soldiers, even officers were being evacuated with illnesses like dysentery and typhoid. On the 28th of August 1915, Marshall was suffering from diarrhea and was then transferred to the hospital on Lemnos. On the 5th of September, about three months before the evacuation of the tenth battalion, Marshall left Gallipoli on the HMT Scotion bound for a hospital in London. Marshall arrived on the 18th of September he was in hospital for just over 2 months and was then admitted to Abby Wood which was the 5th convalescent depot in southeast London and it was here that Marshall had a brush with the law.

It was 9:45 pm on the 22nd of January 1916 and Marshall Aitken Marshall was walking down Wickham Road next to the cemetery near Abby Wood. He was drunk and arguing with two men. Captain A. Simpson and Captain Gaskell arrested Marshall and started to escort him to the guard room. Marshall soon became violent and started to use inappropriate language as he didn’t want to be escorted away. Once arriving at the guard room cell he was still violent and when confronted he admitted to having “a few too many drinks” 

 After Marshall's adventurous time in England, he embarked on a boat for France. He arrived in Marseille on the 16th of April 1916. The tenth battalion initially went to the “nursery sector” near the Belgium border, a quieter section of trenches. Throughout March and June 1916, the tenth battalion learned how fighting was done on the Western Front and learning about new weapons such as gas. While Marshall was in the “nursery sector” he was treated by the 3rd field ambulance for a sprained ankle on the 18th of May. 

  In July of the same year, Marshall and the tenth battalion saw their first major battle on the Western Front. This was at Pozieres, which was no easy fight with 350 casualties between the 22nd and 25th of July. Marshall came through Pozieres without any injuries. On the 8th of August the battalion was involved in the battle for Mouquet farm or “moo cow” farm as it was called by the Australians.

In this battle, Marshall’s service record shows that he was injured and went back to England to a command depot called Perham Downs. On the 1st of September, Marshall was sent to reinforce his battalion after spending some time in Etaples recuperating and re-training. Marshall and the 10th battalion then went to Belgium for the winter of 1916-17. 

This winter was the coldest the Australians would have ever known. Soldiers experienced the lips and eyelids being frozen shut while they slept and when they tried to eat their bread it was frozen solid, even hot cup of tea froze in 20 paces from the kettle. Sergeant R.A. McInnes, after a night on a shelf cut into the side of a trench, wrote, “When I woke I was terribly cold. My feet protruded from my overcoat and the caked mud on my big legging-boots were covered with white frost.”

 As Winter turned to Spring, Marshall and the 10th battalion returned to the Somme where they were first involved in action near Le Barque. The next major battle the 10th Battalion went to was the Second Battle of Bullecourt. Charles Bean, the WW1 historian, said that this battle was “the stoutest achievement of the Australian soldier in France.”

Due to all the brave actions from the 1st 2nd and 5th Australian divisions at this battle, the Germans started retreating. 
During the tail end of this battle, on the 18th May Marshall was taken to the doctors and then to hospital by the 3rd field ambulance because of an injury. He re-joined his battalion on the 1st of June. Later that month, Marshall was taken again to the hospital by the 7th field ambulance, this time because of a veneral sore (an ulcer on his penis). He was in the 39th field hospital in Le Havre for 59 days then returned to the 10th battalion. 

Marshall stayed with the 10th battalion for around a month which was around the time of some major campaigns for the Australian soldiers. These battles include Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Passchendaele. After the awful conditions he would have seen in these battles, Marshall used his leave and spent around 20 days in England on rest and recreation. It isn’t said exactly what Marshall was up to but it was believed that Australian soldiers spent lots of their money and got up to some rowdy behaviour. At least Marshall wasn’t arrested on this visit to England!

 After Marshall’s adventures in England on his leave, he came back and went to gas school. Gas school taught soldiers how to put on their gas masks effectively and quickly, and clean out gas from their trenches. The gas used in WW1 caused the victims to start to suffocate and it also irritated eyes causing some soldiers to go blind. Marshall spent around 8 days at this school and then he re-joined the 10th battalion.

 In March to April 1918, the 10th Battalion were helping to stop the Germans from capturing the city of Amiens. If the Germans were able to capture this city, it would have meant there was not a connection between Paris and the English Channel, which was how troops and supplies were coming from England. The 10th battalion was defending sectors near Hollebecke and then Meteren in Belgium. Late in May, most Australian divisions went back to the Somme, but the 1st division (the 10th battalion’s division) stayed on the French-Belgium border, engaged in heavy fighting. Marshall and the tenth battalion re-captured the town of Merris. After this victory, the 10th battalion rejoined the rest of the Australian divisions at the Somme.

 On the 8th of August, the Battle of Amiens began, led by Lieutenant General John Monash. He was the first Australian to be given command over the Australian corps. Marshall and the 10th battalion were lined up, and at exactly 4:20am, 900 allied guns opened fire and headed towards the German lines. In 3 hours, the enemy’s front line had been overrun. This offensive that started in Amiens was later called the “100 Days Offensive” and is considered the beginning of the end of WW1. 

Two days into the battle of Amiens, Marshall received a gunshot wound to his right arm and was taken to the 5th Australian Field ambulance and then went back to battle. One day later, Marshall received gunshot wounds on his back and leg. He was initially treated at the 55th casualty clearing station, then he was admitted to the second Canadian General Hospital in Le Treport. Unfortunately, Marshall received a gas infection and needed his leg amputated. After fighting for his life in the hospital for 13 days, Marshall Aitken Marshall passed away on 25/8/1918. Just 78 days before the war ended. 

On the 11th of November 1918, the guns fell silent and the dust of the battle had settled. The 10th battalion had suffered 1,010 deaths, one of these being my Great, Great, Great, Uncle Marshall Marshall. Uncle Marshall is buried at the Mont Huon Military Cemetary in Le Treport. 

Anzacs like my Uncle Marshall put their lives on the line, they knew what they were facing but they did it anyway, their legacy will be carried on for years to come because of the Anzac Spirit they showed.

Lest we forget!

 
 
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