Presented to the City of Cambridge

This wall plaque in the Guildhall was presented to the City of Cambridge to celebrate the Octocentenary Year, by Mr Michael Marshall, CBE, DL, Chairman of Marshall of Cambridge. I was delighted to come across this, as I was employed as a draughtswoman by the company after leaving Civil Service. The history is very interesting. Marshall's was established in 1909 by David Gregory Marshall in a small lock up as a chauffeur drive company. It became an immediate success and moved to larger premises, eventually relocating to Jesus Lane in 1912 and expanding to selling cars and servicing vehicles required for the 14-18 war effort. Their first involvement with aviation was when, in 1912, they helped repair a British Army Airship, which had made an emergency landing behind the garage on Jesus Green. Son Arthur learnt to fly after gaining an engineering degree at Jesus college in 1926, then the new aerodrome was established on the outskirts of the city. 1938 saw over 600 new R.A.F. pilots trained there before the Battle of Britain. The training scheme still continues.