The Making of a Hero: James Neville Marshall VC

Published on 22 December 2025
Submitted by Peter Lees

In the Great War James Marshall served first in the Belgian Army and then the British Army as an Irish Guardsman (1st and 2nd Battalions). He was seconded to three Lancashire battalions.

His own war diaries (which had lain dormant for 105 years), together with those of Battalions, Brigades and Divisions in which he served, reveal an extraordinary individual. He earned the soubriquets of Marshall-of-the-Ten-Wounds and The Mad Major.

This presentation by Peter Lees looks into his truly extraordinary war record.

The Making of a Hero : James Neville Marshall VC
Key benefits of membership

Becoming a member of The Western Front Association (WFA) offers a wealth of resources and opportunities for those passionate about the history of the First World War. Here's just three of the benefits we offer:

Searchable Magazine Icon
Searchable Magazine Archive

Identify key words or phrases within back issues of our magazines, including Stand To!, Bulletin, Gun Fire, Fire Step and lots of others.

Youtube Channel Icon
Subscribe to the WFA's YouTube channel

The WFA's YouTube channel features hundreds of videos of lectures given by experts on particular aspects of WW1.

Magazine
Historical Magazines

Read post-WW1 era magazines, such as 'Twenty Years After', 'WW1 A Pictured History' and 'I Was There!' plus others.

Other Articles

Gemini Generated Image 7D9krb7d9krb7d9k
12 May 2026

Francesco Baracca: Italian WW1 air ace and the Ferrari connection

Read more
Invisible Foe (1) (1)
3 May 2026

The Invisible Foe: The 62nd Division in the Second Battle of the Marne 1918

Read more
Vol 1 Example Pages
2 May 2026

What happened to the Bond of Sacrifice?’‘

Read more
Gemini Generated Image Nizgwnnizgwnnizg
28 April 2026

Alexander Kazakov – Russia’s greatest fighter ace of the First World War

Read more
64852F7b Ad22 46B4 9276 40121F4ec3f2
21 April 2026

The Lonely Anzac

Read more