Albert Marshall

Albert Elliot "Smiler" Marshall (March 15, 1897 in Elmstead Market, Essex - May 16, 2005 in Ashtead, Surrey) was a British veteran of the First World War and the last surviving British cavalryman to have seen battle on the Western Front.

Joining up with the Essex Yeomanry in 1915, at the age of 17, after lying about his age, he took part in his first major battle at Loos in the same year. In March 1917, "Smiler" was shot in the hand and sent back home. On his return, he joined the Machine Gun Corps. He then fought at Cambrai. Later, he was captured by the Germans, but freed because they were short of rations.

After the war, he volunteered for duty in Ireland, and was stationed near Dublin. After being demobbed in 1921, he married Florence, with whom he had five children. He was survived by one son, 12 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

In his last decade, "Smiler" was awarded the Légion d'honneur, appeared on numerous TV shows, attended the veterans' party at Buckingham Palace and took part in three pilgrimages to battlefields of the war, including one to mark the 80th anniversary of Passchendaele.

His nickname "Smiler" came about because he threw a snowball at a drill sergeant who threatened to "give him something to smile about". This happened during his basic training at Stanway. Whilst doing physical jerks (the rest are his own words) "Sergeant Beavis of Clacton-on-Sea said 'Trunk forward, bend!', I bent down, and I was a bit of a lad - threw a snowball at the row in front and it hit a chap up the behind. He jumped up, and so did two or three of the others. 'Ah! Very funny!' said the sergeant, 'You can break your mother's heart, but you won't break mine!' I tried to look innocent. 'Yes, son, I'm talking to you, smiler!'"

ee also

* Veterans of the First World War who died in 2005

Further reading

* Arthur, Max. "The Last Post" (2005) ISBN 0-297-84644-2