Pensioner, 72, choked to death on his Christmas dinner in front of his horrified family despite their desperate efforts to save him
- Brian Marshall sat down to dinner with his family in Havant just after 4pm
- He choked on a bit of food so family members performed Heimlich manoeuvre
- His nephew, 40, did CPR until ambulance arrived but medics couldn’t save him
A pensioner choked to death on his Christmas Dinner in front of his family after they desperately battled to save him.
Brian Marshall, 72, sat down to eat with his family at his nephew’s house in Havant, Hampshire, at around 4pm on Christmas Day.
But soon after they started eating, the pensioner choked on a bit of food and was unable to breathe.
One of his relatives performed the Heimlich manoeuvre before his nephew, 40, started CPR while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
The family of six were devastated when medics were unable to save him.
Brian Marshall, 72, sat down to eat with his family at his nephew’s house in Havant, Hampshire, at around 4pm on Christmas Day, but started choking shortly afterwards. He died later that day
Mr Marshall’s sister Mary Hemley, from the nearby village of Cowplain, said the six family members and friends who were gathered at the house have been distraught since.
The 67 year old said: ‘We had only just sat down for lunch and Brian began choking on something.
![Pictured: Brian Marshall, who died aged 72 on Christmas Day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/12/31/10/22833304-7839797-image-m-35_1577788483730.jpg)
Pictured: Brian Marshall, who died aged 72 on Christmas Day
‘He looked at me and I could see he was obviously in trouble – I asked if he was alright and he shook his head to say no.
‘He passed out soon after. He wasn’t breathing, so my youngest son, who is 40, started doing CPR until the ambulance and air ambulance arrived. They were with us for about 45 minutes but he didn’t make it.’
Just hours before his last meal, a Christmas spread of lamb and roast beef, Brian was mingling with loved ones and exchanging Christmas presents.
Mrs Hemley said she is so upset she will not celebrate Christmas again for fear of reigniting the tragic memories that followed.
She added: ‘I’m not doing Christmas again. Time is a great healer but what happened is just horrible.’
Brian, a great uncle to Mary’s grandchildren, worked as a draughtsman for most of his life.
Mary said: ‘He had a dry sense of humour and always knew how to make people laugh.
‘Brian had been through a lot in his life but he was a proper fighter and this is such a tragedy. I don’t think I’ll ever get over what happened.’
The family thanked South Central Ambulance Service and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance which attended the scene.
Mrs Hemley said: ‘They worked so hard to bring him back and never gave up.’