Sgt. Harold A. Marshall – Canadian Badass

Yeah, that about sums it up.

This photo by Ken Bell was one of the most iconic images of Canadian fighting men of WW2. Sergeant Marshall served with Calgary Highlanders’ Scout and Sniper Platoon. He was wounded on 15 December 1944, several months after the above photo was taken.

The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel D.G. MacLauchlan, speaks with scouts Corporal Kormendy and Sergeant Marshall, Kapellen, Belgium, on 6 October 1944. Photo by Ken Bell. Yes that’s a kukri on his belt.

In Ken Bell’s 1973 book Not In Vain, there was a photo of him curling in a Calgary rink. Looking very natty, and like he could still kick ass. I gather he spent his retirement years breeding champion Samoyd dogs, and as of 2008, was still alive.

I salute you sir, and all the other Canadians who served.