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Colonel Jack Marshall
- Accession Number
- 2010-5-19
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2010-5-19
- Material Format
- moving images
- Physical Description
- 2 DVDs
- Date
- 2003
- Scope and Content
- This accession contains one original and one copy of a digital video recording documentary relating to the life of Colonel Jack Marshall. It was produced by his nephew, Dr. Lawrence Gaum in 2003.
- Administrative History
- Jack Marshall was born in 1919 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. His parents were Louis and Rose and he was the seventh of 11 children. His father owned a tailor shop and made a fair living. Unfortunately, Louis passed away in 1933 and the family had a difficult time making ends meet after his death during the Depression years. Jack was a fair student and a talented athlete. After he graduated, he completed a year of business studies at Mount Allison University but had to drop out due to lack of funds.
- He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Ordinance Corps on 6 May 1942. He was first stationed in Aldershot, England, where he was selected as a pre-officer cadet. Rather than attending officer training school, Jack decided to join the North Shore New Brunswick Regiment and head off for battle. His regiment partiicpated in the Normandy Beach invasion in 1944. He served for 58 days and after surviving that bloody battle, he returned to England to complete his officer training courses. After he graduated, he was appointed a Lieutenant with the Canadian Infantry Corps. For the following year he served in Holland and Germany and took over the D Company platoon.
- While in England, he married Sylvia Rothman who was from Britain. Towards the end of the war, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. The couple moved to Canada and established roots in Glace Bay and later Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, where they had their three children. Jack opened up a chain of drug stores on the island. In 1950, he joined the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and was promoted in 1953 to Major and Commander. He later was raised to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and ultimately in 1959, was apointed Commander of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
- In 1968 he decided to run for office for the Federal Conservative Party.He won his seat and served as the MP for his riding up until 1974. In 1978, Prime Minister Trudeau named him to the Senate. He subsequently established and chaired the Senate Sub-Committee on Veterans Affairs. During this time and later on, he became known as one of the great advocates for Canadian veterans. During the 1990s, in fact, he served as National Commander of the Jewish Veterans and was later appointed grand president of the Canadian Legion.
- He retired from the Senate in 1994 at the age of 75 and opened up a bed and breakfast with his second wife, Evelyn White. In 2004, Jack Marshall passed away at the age of 84.
- Source
- Archival Accessions