A chance find in an antiques shop has prompted an appeal to Courier readers for information about a teenage Black Watch soldier who carried out a dangerous role in the Second World War.
Gavin Purdon from County Durham stumbled on the story of Corporal R Marshall of the 5th Black Watch when he saw a battered soldier’s cap in an antiques centre in York.
“It looked as though it could tell a tale or two so I bought it and as things turned out it certainly could,” said Mr Purdon.
“Tucked inside the cap was a letter, almost 70 years old, from the Black Watch corporal to his mother written just as he came off the battlefield in south-east Holland at the close of 1944.
The envelope was missing but a faint impression on the folded letter when he addressed the envelope was just readable as Kingston on Hull.
“Part of the letter was also missing but most of it has survived,” said Mr Purdon.
“It is clearly headed 14428118 Cpl R Marshall, 14 Platoon, C Company, 5th Black Watch, British Liberation Army, Holland.”
Called up in early 1944 and posted to Queen’s Barracks, Perth, the letter reveals he had met a local girl, Sheena Kennady, whose address was 9 Charles Street, Perth.
The soldier tells his mother about stalking and shooting a lone German artillery observer who was hiding in a tree overlooking the British frontline and directing a bombardment on to the 5th Black Watch’s slit trenches.
“Corporal Marshall says to his mother that what he is doing in Holland is not easy to talk about,” says Mr Purdon.
“It’s his duty and he has to do it but he’s sick of it and hopes it will soon be over.”
During his research Mr Purdon unearthed an Imperial War Museum picture of an unnamed C company 5th Black Watch sniper taken in Holland in February 1945 which could be Corporal Marshall the company only had two snipers at any one time who wrote his letter 10 weeks before the picture was taken.
“That would have been a long time for a sniper to survive being killed, wounded or becoming burned out by mental strain,” said Mr Purdon.
Snipers were often unseen and silent, gathering intelligence information, and would only fire at high-grade targets that could alter the course of a battle.
“Any such shot would likely bring down a swift artillery barrage around its firer,” said Mr Purdon.
He has found no record of Cpl Marshall being killed but he would love to know more about what became of the man whose cap also contained a prayer book, lucky heather, two dog tags and a sniper’s badge.