History
| Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision for the granting of scholarships in commemoration of the assistance received by the United Kingdom under the European Recovery Programme and known as Marshall Aid; and for purposes connected with the matter aforesaid. |
| Citation | 1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. 39 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 31 July 1953 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The commission was established by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 (1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. 39) of the UK Parliament, in recognition of the Marshall Plan, which had provided economic support to Western Europe (including the UK) in the aftermath of the Second World War. The principal architect of the scheme was Sir Roger Makins (1904-1996), a Deputy Under Secretary in the Foreign Office. Soon after the bill was passed by parliament Makins was appointed British Ambassador to the United States. He was subsequently ennobled as Baron Sherfield.[1]
The commission has up to ten members, who are appointed by the British Government. The first chairman was Sir Oliver Franks (1905-1992), who had been British Ambassador to the US while the Marshall Plan was in operation.[2] The work of the commission is administered by the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
Twelve Marshall scholarships were awarded in the first year. The number of awards increased over the years with forty new awards made in 2017.[3][4] Since 1954, approximately 1,800 Marshall Scholarships have been awarded.[5]
Marshall Sherfield Fellowships were established in 1997 for postdoctoral research. The fellowships are named after Lord Sherfield, who as Sir Roger Makins was the architect of the commission.[3]
Total expenditure in the year to March 2016 was £2,157,267, of which 93% was funded by the UK government. Some scholarships were jointly funded from other sources.[3]
