Hugh William Marshall

Hugh William Marshall, pictured above, was born in 1890 at Kyneton, the only child of Scotsman James Marshall and his first wife,Mary Elizabeth Rees.
Hugh was only ten years old when his mother died. Mary Elizabeth Marshall passed away in Melville Street, Numurkah, on January 24, 1901, aged only 33 years. The cause of her death was "Asthenia, 18 months, and heart failure, 4 weeks. Asthenia was a term used particularly in the 1800s to denote a loss or lack of bodily strength; weakness; debility. Her husband James was living in Yarrawonga and running a hotel at the time of his wife's death, but Mary's widowed mother, Mary Ann Rees, was a baker in Numurkah, which is probably why Mary Marshall was there at the time of her death.

James did not let the grass grow under his feet before obtaining another wife...just under eight months after Mary Marshall's death, he married Rose Annie Sheridan at Yarrawonga.Ten years his junior, Rose Annie bore James nine children, raising all to adulthood except for their first-born, James, who died aged 6 of appendicitis and peritonitis, and baby daughter Annie Veronica (known as 'Veronica') who died of cholera aged six months.

Hughie Marshall was very close to his step-mother's brothers, particularly Peter and Nicholas who were closer to his own age. They would have been more like big brothers than step-uncles, and they all set off to War together in 1914. While Peter and Nick were sent home with bad health after serving at Gallipoli, Hughie almost served for the entire duration of the war. He was tragically killed just months from the War's end, on July 13, 1918, aged 28 years.
Although Hughie wasn't married, he did have a fiance back home...Irene Harris, of Tungamah.