Obituary: Julian Marshall
Meat Management was saddened to receive news of the death of Julian Marshall.
Julian pictured with his wife Philippa at his 60th birthday celebration.
For some years Julian was publishing director of Meat Trades Journal when under the ownership of International Thompson Publishing. After his retirement, and as from 1986, he helped the publisher of Meat Management magazine Graham Yandell with consultancy advice in relation to the newly launched Yandell Publishing business and eventually became involved with some of the company’s directories in an editing capacity.
Although many would describe Julian as a typical English gentleman, he was actually born in Calcutta, India on 31st July 1928. As his father was also born in India, he had to be naturalised to prove he was a British Citizen.
On returning to England as a young boy, he had a traditional upbringing and education, going off to boarding school at seven years old. He attended Sunningdale Prep School, followed by Wellington College. Here he excelled at sport, playing in the first teams in rugby, cricket, hockey and football. His name lives on in the placards in Stanley House at Wellington College.
He left school to carry out his National Service from 1946 to 1948. He completed basic training with the Berkshire Regiment, followed by a stint in Northern Ireland before being commissioned and posted to the 5th Regiment with the Royal Horse Artillery.
Having been decommissioned from the army, in 1949 he went to Kenya to join Smith Mckenzie as a shipping agent in Mombasa. He then transferred to Zanzibar and Tanga. In 1953 he was asked to join the Kenya Regiment because of his previous army experience, so he enlisted for a period of two and a half years. He was quickly commissioned and promoted from 2nd Lieutenant and ending up as a Major.
He took up a post as a tracker commander with the Devonshire Regiment fighting the Mau Mau. He had a few harrowing experiences. He was once sent in to a village to retrieve three dead bodies of fellow Regiment soldiers. Another time when he came under fire a bullet passed through his shirt sleeve leaving a hole on his uniform, fortunately missing his heart by inches.
He returned home on six-month leave and fell in love with his wife to be, Philippa Shuttleworth. A year later Philippa followed him out to East Africa and they were married in Mombasa Cathedral on 3rd October 1953.
In 1960 they decided to return home and leave East Africa as it was becoming an impossible place to live with independence looming.
They returned to Farnham, Surrey to a family house and Julian started a new career in publishing with Thompson Newspapers. Family members have early memories of him going off at crack of dawn in the morning with starched studded collars, bowler hat and umbrella and returning home late at night.
Julian Marshall in earlier days at work.
He was rapidly promoted and in 1968 he was asked by Lord Thompson to help launch two evening start up papers based in Hemel Hempstead – the Evening Echo and the Evening Post.
It was around this time that Julian and his family became heavily involved in horses, travelling around to shows every weekend. As usual, it wasn’t long before Julian was made chairman and treasurer of the local Tring and District Horse Association.
In 1976 the family moved to Meadow Farm in Hudnall to acquire more land for ever-expanding horse activities. The purchase of two Aberdeen Angus Heifers for his birthday also soon expanded into the Hudnall Herd of Aberdeen Angus.
Around 1980, Julian was asked by Thompson’s to go to Manchester as Managing Director to head up some of their magazines and trade and technical journals.
Around two years later he returned to London as publishing director of the food and farming division, at the time running some of the business magazine division’s most important titles such as Big Farm Weekly and Meat Trades Journal. These were challenging days with the trade unions in full flow causing havoc and frustrating management every time something new was suggested.
He retired early at the age of 57 as he was found to have an irregular heart beat after a director’s annual medical check-up. Although he had the opportunity of taking another directorship within the company, he chose the early retirement option.
Meadow Farm was a brilliant alternative to the publishing world for Julian as it provided him with a much healthier life style and an opportunity to rekindle his love of golf. He joined Whipsnade Golf Club and within a short period of time he became senior captain.
He would always answer the telephone with the words ‘Marshall here’ and he kept his conversations short and to the point. To the confusion of some of his staff and amusement of his colleagues he never said goodbye; he simply put the phone down, leaving many people bewildered.
Julian became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers in 1984 and attended many meat trade functions, particularly in later years with publisher Graham Yandell.
Graham comments: “Julian was a true gentleman and someone for whom I have the greatest respect. He did a great deal for Meat Trades Journal back during a golden period, for what was then a weekly newspaper with a large paid circulation, and he gave me great support and empowerment as its publisher.
“It was a real pleasure to work with Julian over many years both at International Thompson and at Yandell Publishing. We have lost a true friend and a wonderful man.”
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