Photo: Clare Taylor

Bertie Marshman, one of 9 known children, was the 5th born of 7 brothers and had 2 elder sisters. His father George Marshman was born in 1854 at the village of Croscombie, Somerset where he was baptised April 23rd 1854. With little possibility of work as a young man, he alone moved to Risca, Monmouthshire, Wales, where he met local girl Sarah Ann born 1854. In the surrounding area there were collieries, tinplate and steel works, an iron and steel foundry, a brewery, fire-brick works and limekilns. George easily found employment as a coal miner and by 1881 he and Sarah Jane had 2 children, William born at Risca, May 19th 1876 and Mary born December 14th 1879 in the civil parish of Panteg, where they were living at Sebastopol. A year later they had moved to Scotland where George Marshman Jnr was born, July 22nd 1882 and finally settled in England at Castleside, near Consett, where son Thomas was born in 1885 and Elizabeth, January 7th 1888. George Snr had found employment as a pitman at the steel works and William (14) as a labourer at the iron works, whilst they were living at Stanefordham, Mary and George, 12 and 8, were scholars, Thomas and Elizabeth 5 and 3, remained at home with their mother. Over the next 10 years they remained at Stanefordham and Sarah Ann gave birth to a further 4 children, Frederick 1891, Bertie 1894, Arthur 1897 and Percy, February 7th 1900. George and son William had by 1901 been joined at the steel works by George Jnr (18) and Thomas (15) working as fitters.

Sarah Ann died in 1908 aged 52 years, George Marshman Snr aged 55 years in 1909, registered in the district of Lanchester. This led to the break-up of their family. Arthur (14) was taken in by his eldest brother William and his wife Mary Jane, living at 14, Blumont Terrace, Consett, where William was employed as an engine-man hammer driver at the steel mill, who had a 5-year-old boy George William Edwards. Percy Marshman (11), in the 1911 census is listed as the adopted son of John Joseph Cuthbertson and his wife Mary Jane, who was in fact his sister. George Marshman (27) employed by the Railway Company as a porter was one of 2 boarders in the Donaldson household at 9, Loud Cottages, Annfield Plain, the head of the household Thomas Henry Donaldson was also a porter. Thomas Marshman who had married at the Wesleyan Chapel, Shotley Bridge, February 3rd 1906 to Elizabeth Bell (Isabella) Leath is listed in 1911 as a visitor in the home of widow Elizabeth Hurley at 7, Thorpes Lane, Grantham, West Riding, Yorkshire, occupation unknown, whilst his wife and 1-year old son, Kenneth, born May 5th 1909 at Gateshead, County Durham, were living in 2 rooms at 12, Stanefordham, Consett. Frederick Marshman (19), married for less than a year, to Elizabeth Wood Hardy, employed by a steel manufacturer as a stationary engine-man was living, listed as one of 5 boarders, in the home of his in-laws and family at 10, Palmerston Street, Consett. Bertie (16) was taken in by his sister Elizabeth Ann and her husband Isaac Thompson at 7, Park Terrace, Castleside, who had 2 children, Stanley and Florence, 4 and 1-years old. He and his brother-in-law were both employed by the Consett Iron Company in 1911.

Bertie Marshman was married, August 23rd 1915 in the district of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, to Jane Anne Kipling of 5, Gill Bridge Avenue, Bishopwearmouth, born 1896, the daughter of naval pensioner Nathan Kipling. They settled at Annfield Plain and by the time their daughter Vera Jane was born, February 8th 1915, at 2, Percy Terrace, Bertie had already enlisted and was in training with the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, although it was he who registered his daughter’s birth.

The first wave of men of the 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry departed for the front in France, April 19th 1915, as part of the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division. Private 203367 Bertie Marshman was not amongst them but was drafted to join his regiment in the field as of January 1916. He would have seen action in Belgium on the Ypres salient until August 1916 before moving to the Somme where his regiment participated during the final phases suffering heavy casualties at Le Sars in September 1916. He must have obtained leave to the UK or was recuperating from wounds or ill-health, during the latter part of 1916 as his wife gave birth to their second child Edna May, June 20th 1917.

In 1917 the battalion fought during the Arras Offensive, April 9th-May 16th and at a major offensive at Cherisy in the September before moving to the Ypres salient for the final stages of the 3rd Battle of Ypres which had raged since July 31st, concluding November 10th 1917. They spent the remainder of the winter in the mud filled trenches of the salient, however, when the Germans attached on the Somme front again, March 21st 1918, they were rushed back to France, although in reserve, they were soon in retreat with the rest of the 50th Division having encountered fierce resistance. In April 1918 they were fighting on the River Lys which further reduced their numbers until May 27th 1918 the 8th Battalion was almost destroyed during the fighting on the River Aisne. This was their last battle as in June the surviving soldiers were sent to other battalions and the 8th was disbanded in France, November 6th 1918, 5 days before the declaration of the Armistice. It may have been at this point in time, if not before, that Private Marshman was transferred to the Royal Engineers with a change of serial number 458761. Awards British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Having returned to England Bertie resumed his employment at Annfield Plain and he and his wife welcomed the arrival of a son, Nathan, 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1919. In 1922 they took the decision to join Jane Ann’s brother in Australia. They left their last known address of 2, Edward Street, Hare Law, Annfield Plain, County Durham, taking with them their 3 children, they departed 3rd Class from the Port of London, February 3rd 1922 aboard the S.S. Largs Bay, bound for Sydney, final destination Boolaroo, care of Mr A. Kipling, Jane’s elder brother Albert.

Bertie found employment as a miner supporting his family which now consisted of 6 children as his wife gave birth to daughter Dora, January 9th 1923, George Albert, April 22nd 1925 and Eric post 1925 exact date unknown.

It is unclear if Jane Ann Marshman died or the couple separated, as in 1937 in Hornsby New South Wales, Bertie Marshman married Hilda Gertrude Hagart born Mach 20th 1889, Brunswick Victoria. In 1954 they were living at Boolaroo Road, Teralba, Robertson, N.S.W., where he, circa 60 years of age, was still working as a miner. The last known entry for Bertie Marshman in the Australian electoral roll is 1980 where he was living alone at 7, York Street, Teralba, aged 86 years. There are no available details of his wife Hilda Gertrude after 1963.

Their daughter Vera Jane married William H. Jones born in 1934 at Newcastle, N.S.W. She died September 3rd 1997 in Sydney, N.S.W., aged 82 years. Edna May married April 20th 1937, William Robert McGhie of Cloncurry, Queensland, born August 9th 1898. She died aged 85 years, November 3rd 2002 and was interred at Pinaroo Lawn Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland. Nathan Marshman was married in Hamilton, N.S.W. in 1941 to Betty Balmore Barwick and died at Belmont, February 21st 2015 aged 95 years. George Albert Marshman died December 19th 2013, Sydney, N.S.W., aged 88 years. Details as regards Eric Marshman unknown.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.