Sergeant James Marshall DCM
11300 2/5th East Lancashire Regiment
Lived at 12 Pheasantford Street
Burnley Express 18/05/1918 - 06/05/1919

The citation for the D.C.M. published in the London Gazette of 3rd September 1918

BRICKLAYER'S BRAVERY WINS D.C.M. (Burnley Express 18th May 1918)

Word has been received though no record of his act is described, that Sergeant J. Marshall of the East Lancashire Regiment, 11300, has been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He enlisted in August 1914 and previous to going out to France in January of this year he had served in the Dardenelles. Formerly he was a bricklayer, and connected with St. John's Roman Catholic Church, Burnley Lane. His wife and three children live at 12, Pheasandford Street. Sergeant Marshall is 29 years of age.

Unfortunately the last letter written to my grandfather was in 1940 and it was returned from Bristol stamped address unknown. The area he lived had been heavily bombed. We were unable to make contact after that or to find out what happened to him.
His two sons both served in the Royal Engineers in the second world war. The eldest William (my father ) returned safely but the youngest Dennis was killed in Libya 7th June 1943 aged 29. He left a wife and two children and is remembered on the Sabden War Memorial.
We knew my grandfather had medals but had no idea about the DCM. Reference was sometimes made to ' the medal ' but it was never mentioned by name and we thought it was a reference to a sports medal.
The photos are poor quality but one is of my grandfather with his youngest son Dennis who was later killed in Libya. I think it was taken in the early 1930's

(Information and later photographs by permission of his grandaughter Margaret Harrison)