INSPECTOR MARSHALL

Full Name:	Inspector Marshall
Nationality:	British
Organization:	Special Branch
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Bernard Newman
Time Span:	1935 - 1968

ABOUT THE SERIES

Inspector Marshall is an agent with the Special Branch.

When we first meet him, in an action taking place in 1918 at the tail end of the First World War, he is a sergeant working for what is referred to as the Special Service of Scotland Yard. It would be in a very serious and dangerous matter involving German infiltrators trying to assassinate then Prime Minister Lloyd George.

Over the next five decades, ending with an adventure in the 60s, he will see a decent series of well deserved promotions which take him to be an Inspector in that organization followed by holding the same rank in the renamed Special Branch. He will see a temporary assignment to the unusually name Ministry of Food, though considering the amount of black marketeering and American-supplied relief prompting large scale stealing, perhaps it is not so odd. This was now in the midst of the Second World War.

Marshall will receive a promotion to Chief Inspector as he is transferred to Special Branch and then shortly thereafter, sometime around the end of the 40s, he will return to his old haunts at C.I.D. but now he is a Superintendent in charge of a lot of people. That will not last more than a couple of years, though as the Cold War starts heating up and his services will again be needed running a segment at Special Branch yet again.

As the 50s come to a close, Marshall will be running the whole show at Special Branch as now he is made the head of the entire department.

During all this activity and all the various adventures that he will either be a part of out in the field or directing the flow of intelligence back at Headquarters, Marshall - whose first name we never learn - will be a vital support to the narrator of all these tales, Bernard Newman - the same man who is credited with penning the stories for publication.

Newman will become a vital part of the professional and personal life of Marshall, becoming his best friend and frequent companion and even best man at Newman's wedding. Regarding his own personal life, however, we learn virtually nothing. While it would not be unusual for a dedicated man like Marshall to "live for his work" whatever else he might be doing when not on the job remains a secret.

Many of the adventures will be either helping or directing or coercing help from a French master spy-catcher named Papa Pontivy (his first name is also a mystery). These two men will also become close friends who trust and rely on each other without hesitation.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	16
First Appearance:	1935
Last Appearance:	1968

As you will see by looking at the adventures listed below, there are no cases or missions in which Marshall operates without the involvement of Bernard Newman, the narrator and scribe of the books, as well as the frequent presence of the indomitable Papa Pontivy.

At all times Marshall is a vital support character, which makes it so unusual for him to have his own entry in this compendium.

In fact, his personal page is due only to the fact that numerous lists of series by Bernard Newman include Marshall as having his own set of stories and I felt it necessary to clarify matters.

To clarify, Bernard Newman is the center or co-center of every Marshall adventure shown below. Papa Pontivy is the other frequent co-center.


1			Spy Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1935 Book #1 in the Bernard Newman series. A supposedly fictionalized account of his own early days as a spy, this book depicts the adventures of Bernard Newman as a British spy against WWI Germany. This will include investigating the attempted assassination of the sitting Prime Minister of England in 1918, Lloyd George. Marshall is a Sergeant with "the Special Service men from Scotland Yard" who shows up towards the end at Newman's request for help with the Lloyd George matter.

2			Secret Servant Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1935 Book #2 in the Bernard Newman series. With the actual fighting of WWI on the fields done, the fighting over the Treaty of Versailles gets underway. Captain Bernard Newman must infiltrate a highly secret organization who would love to reignite the conflict. Marshall, now an Inspector with "the Special Section of Scotland Yard", is now temporarily stationed in Paris with the British Delegation to the treaty negotiations and works with Newman in his latest mission.

3			The Mussolini Murder Plot aka The Mussolini Murder Case Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1936 Book #3 in the Bernard Newman series. Supposedly based on actual events, this tells of the adventure where Captain Newman learns of a plot by "an international association of students" to assassinate Italian dictator Mussolini in 1935. Not wanting to see the fascist leader become a martyr to his cause, Newman works with Inspector Marshall to save the man's life. This is the first reference to Special Branch as being where Marshall hangs his official hat.

4			Death Under Gibraltar Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1938 Book #4 in the Bernard Newman series. "Not every man is given the thrill of reading his own obituary notice". That is what Captain Bernard Newman tells us when a body identified as Newman is found in the southeast of Spain. Newman feels obliged to investigate which will get him deeply involved in the Spanish Civil War, not to mention forcing him to marry Mitza, a fearless young gypsy girl. Marshall again plays a major role in helping Newman solve his own "murder".

5			Black Market Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1942 Book #6 of the Papa Pontivy series. Pontivy decides to forego for a while chasing German agents and concentrate on another major issue plaguing his beloved France - the Black Market. It is wrecking havoc on the economy and bringing down morale so Pontivy decides to spend time investigating and he pulls Newman in to help. Newman has also been temporarily pulled by spy-hunting to go on an extended lecture tour for the Ministry of Information. Inspector Marshall is again a major part of this adventure although he is temporarily on loan to the Ministry of Food.

6			Second Front - First Spy Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1944 Book #7 of the Papa Pontivy series. With the fall of France to German forces, Papa Pontivy has been forced to relocate to England to help with the war effort. He and Captain Newman begin a search for German sleeper agents - people placed into position years before to be available when called. Inspector Marshall is a key player in this adventure.

7			Dead Man Murder Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1946 Book #9 of the Papa Pontivy series. Claiming that he is tired of catching spies, Papa Pontivy cries for a simple murder case. He gets one immediately but soon finds that the death of his dinner host, a former colonel in British Intelligence, is murdered in his own home. Now he and Bernard Newman have a killer to catch but the killer has his own plans. Marshall is very much involved in this case and has now been promoted to Chief Inspector. He is still with Special Branch though he is already involved in a murder investigation when approached by Pontivy and Newman.

8			Moscow Murder Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1948 Book #10 of the Papa Pontivy series. It is the late 1940s. The citizens of Moscow distrust everyone, especially each other, so it is no surprise when a visiting Bernard Newman is pulled in for questioning for no apparent reason. Which is why he will be spotted and pulled in to help with investigating a murder at his hotel. The deceased is a British citizen who had worked for years as a propagandist for the Soviet Union in England. Now in Moscow, he is dead and a Russian inspector wants Newman to help solve the case. Newman in turn calls upon Papa Pontivy when it is learned there is a German involvement in the matter. Marshall back in England is deeply involved in this one investigating the dead man's actions and connections.

9			Cup Final Murder Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1950 Book #15 in the Bernard Newman series. Bernard Newman is invited by an old friend, Nicholas Prince, to attend the Cup Final at Wembly Stadium. Neither expected to be through into a murder investigation. Prince is actually a former Russian Prince now an American citizen now a high ranking part of the FBI. The murder involves the death of a bookmaker of apparent natural causes but Prince recognizes the clever method of murder used and now it is up to he and Newman to unearth the killer. Being on his home turf, Marshall plays a major role in this adventures. He has again been promoted, now being a Superintendent in the C.I.D. having left the Special Branch.

10			Centre Court Murder Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1951 Book #16 in the Bernard Newman series. The death of a top tennis player, Annie Sharp, in the middle of a major match brings in Bernard Newman, along with his FBI friend Nicholas Prince, one of the many spectators in the stands at the time, to help investigate. While the deceased was engaged to be married to her manager, it is learned she had a secret lover as well and this person seemed to go by quite a few different names. As he searches for the truth, Newman will find other victims. Superintendent Marshall of the C.I.D. will, naturally, be called in to help out in a large way.

11			Double Menace Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1954 Book #11 of the Papa Pontivy series. The blurb on this adventure cries "McCarthyism comes to 1950s Britain". An English press magnate is starting his own version of communist-bating, pushing strongly for the establishment of a police state to combat this perceived problem. Papa Pontivy is suspicious and decides to investigate, with Bernard Newman's help. They will discover there is a major Soviet agent presence in the matter but the question remains what is the purpose? Marshall is definitely a major player in this matter although he is said to again be working again in the Special Branch, still as a Superintendent .

12			Silver Greyhound Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1960 Book #14 of the Papa Pontivy series. A high ranking official in the British Foreign Office wants the help of retired French spy-catcher Papa Pontivy to act as Queen's Messenger and deliver vital dispatches to a British agent behind the Iron Curtain. That official asks Bernard Newman to help convince Pontivy, which of course leads to Newman playing a major part in the matter. Marshall plays a small role in this adventure, largely just getting info that Newman needs.

13			This is Your Life Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1963 Book #15 of the Papa Pontivy series. George Allin was a very, very smart man. He was also quite bitter about the way he had been treated by life and society and decided to declare war on that society by going into a life of crime. He was very good at it, enough so that he was able to gain respect as a philanthropist, even as he continued his life of crime. The authorities decided they needed help bringing to justice so they appealed to Papa Pontivy to turn his spy-catching into criminal-catching. Pontivy, aided by Bernard Newman, chooses to use the popular This Is Your Life television program to catch him. It is Superintendent Marshall who is behind asking Pontivy's help and he plays a major part in the assist.

14			The Travelling Executioners Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1964 Book #16 of the Papa Pontivy series. The term Travelling Executioners was used for the muscle men of Stalin's O.S.2 department, tasked with tracking down and eliminating any "enemy of the regime". When Khrushchev disbanded the organization, one of its leaders transferred himself to London to take over spying there. When he goes after a young diplomat with a honey trap, Papa Pontivy is asked to step in to help bring the spy cell down. Since Soviet spies are in London, the involvement of Marshall of the Special Branch is easy to understand.

15			The Spy at No. 10 Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1965 Book #17 of the Papa Pontivy series. Marshall of the Special Branch entices both Papa Pontivy and Bernard Newman into helping in an espionage-hunting case. Usually the Soviet operatives are very sophisticated and hard to spot. Not so with newly arrived Tomski who seems to make it a point to stand out as a spy. The question then is why. The answer will lead them all into a matter involving blackmail, theft, and murder. Marshall is now described as being the man in charge of the Special Branch.

16			The Jail-Breakers Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1968 Book #20 of the Papa Pontivy series. The escape of a notorious spy named George Blake from Wormwood Scrubs prison was the talk of the town. Papa Pontivy and Bernard Newman are asked to help find out how the escape happened. They will discover a prolific jail-breaking gang is at work and the pair will have their work cut out for them bringing the team down. Marshall is very much behind asking for Pontivy and Newman to assist and he plays a major role in the matter.

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	4
First Appearance:	1945
Last Appearance:	1945

In 1945 a collection of 31 stories of espionage was released in the volume titled Spy Catchers. Four of those tales involved Inspector Marshall in one form or another.


1			Radio Spy Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1945 Story #2 in the collection Spy Catchers. Inspector Marshall is not at all happy with letting a known German agent continue to broadcast over British radio waves but his superiors have a plan.

2			The Wholesale Spy Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1945 Story #10 in the collection Spy Catchers. In a tale involving Inspector Marshall, Bernard Newman, and Papa Pontivy, the letters coming from a prisoner in a POW camp in Germany is somehow connected with a major spy ring operating in Birmingham.

3			Spy Trap Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1945 Story #14 in the collection Spy Catchers. The German attacks on an important war center of production was astonishingly accurate and causing tremendous vital damage. Obviously some German agent was providing intel. It becomes the chore of Inspector Marshall and Bernard Newman, along with their colleagues, to find that operative.

4			Papa Pontivy and the I.R.A. Written by Bernard Newman Copyright: 1945 Story #25 in the collection Spy Catchers. The year is 1938. The I.R.A. is making threats against the Dominion Secretary and it falls to Inspector Marshall to find a way to quell those plots. When he mentions to Bernard Newman and a visiting Papa Pontivy about the matter at dinner, the two decide they must help.

MY COMMENTS

As I implied above, I pondered for some time whether to give Inspector Marshall his own page in this compendium since he had no adventure which was not better attributed to someone else; in this case to Bernard Newman or to Papa Pontivy.

Obviously since you are reading this, I elected to proceed. This was because of the listings I had seen elsewhere about Sgt./Inspector Marshall adventures.

Also obviously since there are quite a few entries above, Marshall was a very active individual. He does not really deserve his own slot here but here he is, nevertheless.

At least now in case someone is curious, they can see not only the two books or four books traditionally attributed to him but all the others in which he played some role or another.

GRADE

My Grade: B

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