MANY people in the Coleford area would have been saddened by the recent death of Frank Marshall.
During the Second World War he served with The Royal Artillery. Arriving in France in October 1939 he was sent to Lille. During the retreat Frank was on rearguard action.
On one occasion he was on demolition work around the perimeters of Lille, blowing up ammunition dumps. It was here that he saw three of his comrades killed when a dump went up unexpectedly.
His company eventually reached Dunkirk and were taken off on May 27, 1940.
Frank was later sent to Burma. Training with the Indian Army he gained his wings and became a paratrooper. With five other paratroopers he was dropped behind enemy lines to blow up a petrol store.
Frank was for several days lost in the jungle, surviving on roots and berries, not knowing if they were poisonous or not.
He was eventually picked up by an Indian Army patrol. The other five soldiers in the patrol were never seen again.
On June 30, 1949, Frank again faced danger when he survived the floodings at the Arthur and Edward Colliery.
The passing of a hero. Lest we forget. – Michael Burns, Parkhill, Whitecroft.