Robert Marshall (dramatist)

[3] His father's death curtailed his studies and he spent some time as the articled pupil of his uncle,[4] a solicitor but he tired of this and chose to enlist in the 71st Highland Light Infantry,[3] his brother having graduated from Sandhurst with distinction.

[5] After three years service in the ranks, he was given a lieutenant's commission in the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment, at that time stationed in the Bermudas.

While on guard duty on Agar's Island, he used his off-duty time to write his first play The Subaltern, which was produced by The Amateur Dramatic Club of Bermuda for which he also acted and painted sets.

His next piece was a burlesque entitled Guy Fawkes with music composed by the regiment's band-master.

While in Barbados, he wrote a play about the Jacobite rising of 1745–1746 entitled 1746 but although it was bought by an agent, it was never produced.