His father was a chief steward for the Great Western Railway and his mother was institutionalised from illness when he was two years old.
[2] At the age of seven, he developed a tuberculosis illness in his legs, and he became exceptionally thin and missed large amounts of schooling.
[1][2] While he was initially registered as an "essential worker", Marshall was conscripted for World War II in 1942 and joined the Royal Artillery.
Marshall began developing his own style of pottery, inspired by his interpretation: unlike his mentor Leach, he never visited the country and instead learned about potters like Kitaoji Rosanjin from conversations and stories.
[1] By the 1960s, Marshall's strong and simple style had been firmly established: he used his oriental, English and North American influences to evoke the spirit of the Cornish coastal landscape.