Sergeant Harold Marshall (September 2008)

[Badger]

We've all seen the famous pic of him from WWII....

From Wikipedia ...

Harold Marshall

Harold A. Marshall was a Canadian scout and sniper sergeant who served in the Second World War with the Calgary Highlanders' Scout and Sniper Platoon.

On 30 January 1942 the Hamilton Spectator mentioned him in an article about ongoing training simulations the Highlanders were engaged in at an undisclosed location in England.

He was wounded on 15 December 1944.

The well-known photograph shown here was taken by Army photographer Ken Bell of the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit near Fort Brasschaat in Belgium in September 1944. He is carrying a Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 (T) and wears a modified version of the Denison smock. Other equipment includes a No. 36M grenade and a camouflage face veil worn as a head covering. The handle of a Kukri can be seen above his belt at his left side.

In 1973, he was profiled again for Bell's commemorative book Not in Vain, which showed him as a curling enthusiast back in Calgary.

Here's some current pics of him ...

Regards,
Doug

Sergeant Harold Marshall - September 2008

When Hollywood film-makers require a "small, elite" band of soldiers to fit a storyline, they usually create a reconnaissance unit to fill that role. Films such as Cross of Iron and Heartbreak Ridge depict the actions of these small groups of hand-picked, resourceful men who perform deeds out of proportion to their numbers, sometimes stretching believability. In The Calgary Highlanders in the Second World War, the Scout and Sniper Platoon actually existed, made famous by Ken Bell's photograph of Sergeant Harold Marshall in Belgium in October 1944. The battalion War Diary noted:

The Scout platoon came into the limelight when Lt. Bell of "Army News" came around to get pictures and a write-up about Calgary's Western Scouts. The photographers found Lt. G. Sellar, Sniper-Sgt. H. Marshall and Scout J. J. Levesque very photogenic...The entire Scout platoon had a group picture and in all, the Army photographers were very satisfied with their visit.

In September of this year, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vernon and Regimental Sergeant Major Emmett Kelly were pleased to renew ties with Sergeant Marshall, paying a visit to him and his wife Cathy in their home.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Mmmmmmmmm, no camouflaged paint on his rifle.

[Warren]

But is the scope painted ???

[newcastle]

no bipod , rail, light attachment, grenade launcher, forward hand grip either, and it's not black or camouflaged. No way that guy is part of an elite group

[PrinzEugen]

Big bad knife though! Maybe should be added to the CES 'wish' list along with the silenced Mk6 sten.

[brianV]

Adding another photo, taken by Ken Bell on the same day:



He looks like an old-time actor.

[Peter Laidler]

We've been here before........... Grenades clipped to belt by striker lever - not the sign of a clever lad in my opinion

[Roger Payne]

A touch of the Errol Flynns with a little artistic license for the photographer, perhaps?

[browningautorifle]

I would say Roger. That one's a posed photo, a sniper's not going to carry things hanging on the outside. Most of his work is stalking and that's mostly crawling.

[Simon]

Very much a posed photograph, not unlike this one of Harry Furness. The photo was taken in Barracks just after the end of the War and as Harry said "I wouldn't have lasted long in the field with boots that shiny".

Anyone else notice that Sgt Marshall has the long Bren sling on his rifle?

Cheers,

Simon.