- See Leonard Marshall’s entry on the Board of Trade’s Ancestry public tree.
- This information updates the group’s previous research published on the former DTI website (now archived by the National Archives).
- Do you have any more information about Leonard Marshall? If so the War Memorial Research Group would love to hear from you.
Name recorded on Board of Trade Memorial: L. Marshall
Born: January 1887, Runcorn, Cheshire
Date of Death: 11 August 1917
Age at death: 30
Service, Regiment, Corps, etc: King’s Liverpool Regiment
Unit, Ship, etc: 1st Battalion
Enlisted: Liverpool
Rank: Private (Service no: 25781)
Decorations: WW1 Campaign medals (Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1915 Star)
War (and theatre): WW1 (France and Flanders)
Manner of Death: Killed in Action (KIA)
Family Details: Son of Edwin and Mary Marshall, 7 Stanley Villas, Runcorn
Residence: Runcorn
Home Department: Board of Trade – Labour Department (North Western Division)
Civilian Rank:
Cemetery or Memorial: Gorre British and Indian Cemetery, Pas de Calais (IV.E.5); Board of Trade War Memorial, London; Memorial to Staff of the Ministry of Labour; Runcorn War Memorial; Brunswick Chapel War Memorial, Runcorn; Helsby High School, Frodsham, Cheshire
Biography:
Leonard Marshall was born in about January 1887 in Runcorn, Cheshire. His parents were Edwin Marshall, who was a clerk to the local sanitary authority, and Mary. He had one twin brother called Percy Marshall (1887-?) who was living in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1911.
In 1891, the Marshall family are living at 137 Greenway Meadows, Greenway Road. In 1901 the Marshall’s have moved to live at “Heathside”, Heath Road, Runcorn and then in 1911, they are living at 7 Stanley Villas, Runcorn. In 1911, Stanley is working as a foreman tanner.
Growing up in Runcorn, Leonard attended Helsby High School, Frodsham, Cheshire (which was at the time a boys grammar school) and then later found employment at the local Labour Exchange.
During WW1, Leonard enlisted with the 1st Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment and according to his WW1 medal index card he first landed to serve in France on 7 November 1915. The 1st battalion were a line infantry unit with a long military history originally dating back to 1685. The 1st Batallion was originally deployed to France in August 1914 and remained on the Western Front thoughout the war.
Leonard was killed in action aged 30 years old on 11 August 1917. His death was reported on 24 August 1917 in the local Runcorn Guardian newspaper. According to the report, Leonard died as a result of an exploding shell that landed close to him whilst the trench mortar battery with whom he was fighting was engaged in providing covering fire during an attack on the German defences.
According to the newspaper report, Len was buried on 12 August by his chaplain. The report also mentions that moving letters from his chaplain and senior lieutenant paint a picture of Leonard’s character both as a soldier and as person.
Leonard is buried at Gorre British and Indian Cemetery. This Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery is located in a small hamlet about 4 kilometres east of Bethune, near Festubert, France which for most of war was about four kilometres from the front line until later in April 1918 it became a support post directly behind the front line. The cemetery was originally in the grounds of Gorre chateau and now contains graves of over 930 WW1 Commonwealth casualties as well as 9 burials of other nationalities but mostly German.
Leonard is also commemorated at the Brunswick Chapel, Runcorn (the memorial of which is lost), a war memorial at the Helsby High School and is one of 400 men named on the Runcorn War Memorial. He is remembered on two Civil Service war memorials in London – the Board of Trade and the Memorial to the Staff of the Ministry of Labour War Memorials.
Board of Trade War Memorial 