The Ron Penhall Collection

The civil M.B.E., Second World War Chindit operations M.C. group of eight awarded to Captain H. C. Marshall, Border Regiment: during the course of prolonged operations behind enemy lines, his platoon once accounted for 25 of the enemy in a 48-hour period

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Civil) Member’s 2nd type breast badge; Military Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals; Efficiency Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, Territorial (Lt. H. C. Marshall, M.C., Border), extremely fine (8) £3000-3500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Ron Penhall Collection.

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M.B.E. London Gazette 13 June 1981.

M.C. London Gazette 5 October 1944. The original recommendation states:

‘Lieutenant Marshall led his platoon by forced marches over the most difficult country to intercept the Japs retreating from Kohima and on 28 June 1944 reached a position astride the road east of Furong. Here he started ambushing and searching out the Japs who approached their area. These operations were led with great dash by Lieutenant Marshall who showed exceptional determination and cool leadership. In two days his platoon killed 25 Japs and took five prisoners for no losses to themselves. Lieutenant Marshall’s determination to close with the enemy made the Jap retreat and break up into small, disorganised parties.’

Harry Charles Marshall was born in South London in December 1916 and was educated at St. Dunston’s College prior to entering Weatherby’s, the Controllers of Horse Racing, in 1938. At the time of the Munich Crisis in 1938, Marshall joined the London Scottish but on the outbreak of hostilities - and as a holder of an ‘A’ Certificate from his O.T.C. days - he was sent north to the O.C.T.U. based at Dunbar, being commissioned into the newly formed 4th Battalion of the Border Regiment, in which unit he fought in North Africa before being evacuated from Tobruk to Bombay in 1942.

In India, his unit discovered it was to form part of the 23rd British Infantry Brigade and Orde Wingate’s celebrated Chindit Force, later being titled 55 Column. Marshall and his men were duly prepared for jungle warfare before being posted in readiness for their first operational outing, but in the interim, in August 1943, he contracted amoebic hepatitis - and very nearly died. On recovery, however, he rejoined his unit, winning the M.C. for the success of his platoon’s subsequent excursion behind enemy lines in April-July 1944. As part of the 23rd Brigade, his platoon set off from its base in the Bhrama Putra Valley, completing many miles of marching with full-kit in uncharted regions of the Naga Hills, advancing from the North towards Kohima and thence to Ukruhl, all the time engaging Japanese personnel and supply lines. Of his platoon’s running battle with Japanese stragglers on 28-29 June 1944, Marshall later wrote:

‘Hardly were we in position when I heard voices and two Japs came around the corner of the road about 60 yards ahead of us and moved up the hill. I allowed them to pass through as I was keen to catch as large a party as possible. From then on there was an almost continual stream of enemy passing by us. They all came along in ones, twos or threes and at no time was there an organised party. As they drew level with us, the majority of them sat down on the roadside to rest. The whole time we were in position there were some sitting only a few yards from us. I never quite knew how many there were for as some arrived others moved on. We could see them plainly and hear them laughing and talking amongst themselves. We had little cover in the bright moonlight and I don’t know how we were never spotted. We must have got into position about 9 p.m. and at about 1145 hours the moon was just about to disappear and set. I decided that we must do something soon or we might lose the opportunity altogether. I crawled up to Sergeant Nelson, who said that he thought there must be about 20 of them below us. He had a grenade in his hand and I told him to throw it to set the ball rolling. We heard it land on the road and then following the bang all the L.M.Gs opened up. Many grenades were thrown and all landed on the road. 6 Section had several Japs right in the line of the L.M.G. sights. Private Dunford crawled to the side of the road, saw three Japs lying dead and four crouching together under cover of the bank. He had a grenade in his hand and threw it amongst them, thereby killing the lot. Altogether we counted 10 dead bodies but there must have been several more killed or wounded. I decided not to remain in position any longer and accordingly I blew my whistle and the Platoon collected a little way back as pre-arranged ... I decided to remain in the area till daylight and we moved down back towards the bridge. Here two lone Japs were spotted and both were killed by rifle fire, thus bringing the total bag to 12 ... We moved as fast as we could and after about a mile we came across the track junction which the Naga said was where the Japanese party would come out. After a quick look round I decided to lay the ambush on a stretch of open track about 300 yards long. 6 Section and Sergeant Nelson I put on a small knoll nearest the approaching enemy, 5 Section in the middle with its L.M.G. right on the roadside and 8 Section with myself at the front of the ambush. I was to spring the trap. We were just getting into position when word was passed up that the Japs were coming. Indeed I was still talking to Corporal Williams when the first of them appeared about 15 yards ahead of us. He was a big strapping fellow with a determined and wary look on his face. He was closely followed by some others. When we opened up with everything we had got, they were away in no time. Although the ambush was about 300 yards long, only seven enemy had got into the box. Of these we had killed four and others must have been wounded. Shots were fired from other enemy following these up but no damage was done and no other offensive action was taken by them. One wounded Jap was reaching for his rifle but we caught him in time. After searching the dead, I decided to withdraw to the bivouac ... ’

Returning to his former employment after the War, Marshall was awarded his M.B.E. in 1981 in respect of his services as the Secretary of the Jockey Club Licensing Committee.

Sold with a highly impressive array of original documentation and related artefacts, including:

(i) A remarkable series of photographs taken by the recipient during the Naga Hills and Kohima operations of April-July 1944 (approximately 85 images), each with captioned reverse and numbered sequence of events, one of the last of them taken one day before his M.C.-winning exploits, and like the majority, deep inside enemy held territory.

(ii) The recipient’s handwritten account of the same Naga Hills and Kohnima operations, bound in 2 volumes (approximately 150pp.), providing a hitherto unseen and fascinating record of a highly successful Chindit column in action, other features including maps, list of column personnel / components, general operational statistics, field orders and photographic inserts.

(iii) A Japanese “Hokobukuro” ensign (a.k.a. “Prayer Flag”), in silk, as taken by the recipient in the above related operations.

(iv) An interesting series of wartime manuals, among them , issues 1-6 of the Special Force Commander’s Training Notes, together with No. 19 of Notes for Theatres of War, Burma 1943-44, a Soldier’s Guide to the Japanese Army, Jungle Jottings, 1945 and Warfare in the Far East 1944, in addition to Military Training Pamphlet No. 52, the majority inscribed with the recipient’s name and for ‘Restricted Use Only’.

(v) The recipient’s own handwritten / typed notes for his platoon’s personnel (issue of weapons, supplies, etc.), together with one or two secret orders, a burial of the dead service card and U.S. Army field ration card boxes (3), as brought back from the Naga and Kohima operations.

(vi) A selection of wartime maps for India and Burma (18), covering such regions as Manipur State, the Naga Hills and Upper Chindwin, three of them with green backing for operational use and one of these annotated with air supply drops.

(vii) A series of telegrams and letters charting the recipient’s hospitalization with amobic hepatitis in 1943; together with a selection of Chindit-based newspaper cuttings and other miscellaneous documentation, largely of a wartime vintage.

Provenance: Ex Sotheby’s, 17 September 1992 (Lot 187).