I was sorry to read in Whitstable Pro's message on the gate start thread that Dick Marshall died last winter. For many years he was a stalwart at Ranelagh S C first in Nat. 12s then in MRs during the 50s. As far as I can remember he only had one MR which was 'Chindit' no. 578. I believe her name referred to  Dick's army service in Burma during WWII. I crewed for Dick in 'Chindit' on my 21st birthday. Another memory I have of Dick at RSC is when I was sailing 'Dizzy' no. 490 with my late father, running by the lee close to the Fulham wall we suddenly capsized, Dizzy's mast hit Dick on the head and nearly knocked him out!

Dick was class chairman in 1957 when we went to Torquay. He led the attempted 'invasion' of the Imperial Hotel on the Friday evening. John Stokes wrote an article about that for the Spring 2004 edition of our magazine.

Later Dick and Peggy went to the south coast and I think Dick became Commodore of Parkstone Y C. Unfortunately we fell out when I was class chairman in 1980 and we couldn't agree how the 1981 championship should be run in Poole Bay, we went to Exmouth instead.

Dick was a great man, who if they were there, could forget his "Beach Master Ship" of the 1964 and 1967 Pool-Sandbanks Championships his "Radio Sandbanks" whiled away the time waiting for wing. He was indeed a "Chindit" part of The Forgotten Army a Burma Star Veteran and one of the Kohima Few and thus a very brave man. "Chindit" was bought in 1960 by Roy Briggs from Minima and thus became the first Merlin Rocket I sailed in a few Wednesday Evening races at half terms. When he was sailing secretary at Parkestone in the 1960's he was very king to us visitors. A man of quality.