William Marshall

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Peter William Marshall, known as William, was born on 2nd June 1888 to Scotsman George Hunter Marshall and his wife Jane (nee Polton), whilst George was working for the North Eastern Railway. By 1901 the family were living at the Windmill Hill School site in Bensham where George was the school caretaker and ten years later all the family except William were living in Heaton, Newcastle. At some time William spent 14 month as part of the Northern Cyclists’ Battalion, part of the Territorial Army.

It is difficult to ascertain when William arrived in Canada, although he did spend eleven months as part of the active militia the FCCE, 2nd Field Company, Canadian Engineers. September 1915 saw him enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Camp Niagara, Ontario, giving his occupation as clerk and naming his father in Newcastle-upon-Tyne as his next of kin and he became Private 540281 of the 124th Pioneer Battalion. Due to his previous military experiences William was promoted to Sergeant in December 1915 and on arrival in England on the SS Saxonia on 18th August he was promoted again, this time to be to Company Quartermaster Sergeant. Once in England the Battalion made for camp at Bramshott, travelling by train from Liverpool and arriving at 3am. After settling in they underwent more training and attended courses on topography, musketry, sniping and range finding amongst others. In November they moved to the camp at Witley and it was from here on 10th March 1917 that the battalion embarked for France, making for billets at Chateau de la Haie, where one of their first tasks, taking the men six hours, was to dig a cable trench 800 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2½ feet deep.

21st April 1917 saw CQMS Marshall accompanying a group working on the Souchez-Angres road, and the Circumstances of Casualty report reads “in order that he might familiarise himself with the conditions under which the men worked for the purpose of carrying out better his duties of providing meals for such parties. During the day several casualties occurred from shell fire, and he rendered useful services in attending the wounded. While returning to billets with the party he was hit by a piece of shell and instantly killed”.

William Marshall is remembered in his parents’ church at Heaton on H91.24, H91.25 and in H91.48

He is also remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Company Quartermaster Sergeant Marshall