Alan John "Jock" Marshall (17 February 1911 – 20 July 1967) was an Australian

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, academic and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

. Marshall was born in

Redfern, New South Wales Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney located 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Strawberry Hills is a locality on the border with Surry Hills. The area ...

. Despite having lost an arm in a shooting accident at the age of sixteen, he was active in several natural history expeditions, and had a distinguished service record during World War II in New Guinea, 1941–1945. He was

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zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and comparative

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at St Bartholomew's Medical College,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, 1949–1960, and foundation professor of zoology and comparative

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

, then Dean of Science, at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

1960–1967. He will be remembered by older generations of radio listeners as "Jock the Backyard Naturalist", a regular on the

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until 1946. Marshall died in

Heidelberg, Victoria Heidelberg is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, northeast of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Banyule local government area. Heidelberg recorded a population of 7,360 at the 2021 census. Once a large ...

. During his lifetime, he published numerous books and scientific papers and had been awarded the

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's Back Award in 1948.British Museum
/ref> He was elected a

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of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union in 1958.

Publications

*Marshall, Alan John. (1937). ''The Black Musketeers. The Work and Adventures of a Scientist on a South Sea Island at War and in Peace''. William Heinemann: London. *Marshall, Alan John. (1938). ''The Men and Birds of Paradise. Journeys through Equatorial New Guinea''. William Heinemann: London. *Marshall, Alan John. (1942). ''Australia Limited''. Angus & Robertson: Sydney. *Marshall, Alan John. (1954). ''Bower-birds, their displays and breeding cycles. A preliminary statement''. Clarendon Press: Oxford, U.K. *Marshall, Alan John. (1970). ''Darwin and Huxley in Australia''. Hodder & Stoughton: Sydney. *Marshall, Alan John. (Ed). (1966). ''The Great Extermination. A guide to Anglo-Australian Cupidity, Wickedness and Waste''. Heinemann: Melbourne. *Marshall, Alan John; & Drysdale, Russell. (1966). ''Journey Among Men''. Sun Books: Melbourne.

References

*Robin, Libby. (2001). ''The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001''. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press.

External links

Jock Marshall: One Armed Warrior- Bright Sparcs Exhibition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Alan John Australian ornithologists Australian military personnel of World War II 1911 births 1967 deaths Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Australian science writers 20th-century Australian zoologists