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| Ewan Martin |
This Remembrance Day, I'm following up on some Strelley /Martin
relatives. My three-times great-grandaunt, Georgina Grace Greasley Strelley
married William Martin and ended up with three boys who had distinguished
careers as teachers or clergy.
Georgina Grace Greasley Strelley m William Martin
1829-1907 1838-1893
John Rundle
Martin + William Martin +
Alexander Moody Stuart Martin
1856-1921 1860-1924 1868-1921
I have previously written about William Jrs sons- William
Strelley Martin and Thomas Partington Martin’s distinguished careers. https://robynandthegenies.blogspot.com/2016/03/brigadier-william-strelley-martin-and.html
Previously Georgina’s brother who was my 2x great grandfather William Strelley was
a pensioned soldier who had served in the Crimean War. https://robynandthegenies.blogspot.com/2017/11/everyone-is-called-william-william_22.html
Georgina’s first son Joseph Rundle Martin,
Schoolmaster, Fowlis Wester, and his wife Jane (McEwan) Martin had five
sons. Military service was in their blood. Dad, Joseph, had previously served
in the Scots Guards. His older brother
William, was a career School Master and Joseph’s two nephews were enlisted enlisted.
Joseph’s sons were
James Alexander Martin 1891-1951
Peter McEwan Martin (Ewan) 1897-2/12/1917
Henry Stewart Martin (Harry)1899-23/7/1918
The oldest of Joseph and Jane’s sons William Martin 1886-1980 was precluded from
signing up much to his lifelong regret. William Martin was a career school
teacher; he ended up being the principal teacher of maths and science at Pitlochry
High School and Brett Albain Academy, Aberfeldy. He died in Pitlochry in 1980,
aged 94.
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| Henry and Peter Martin |
The other four chose to enlist in the Great War : these two would
lose their lives before the end of the war.
First to die was Captain Peter McEwan Martin1897-1917 ( known to his family as Ewan), 11th
Border Regiment who was killed in action, 2nd December 1917.
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| Peter McEwan Martin (Ewan) |
After starting work at the Crieff Branch of the British Linen Bank, Peter (Ewan) Martin, enlisted around July 1916 as a private with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), Reg. Nos. 3164 and S/43260. He attained the rank of L/Cpl. and was then promoted to temporary 2nd. Lieut. with effect from 26th Feb. 1917 (Supplement to the London Gazette 5 April 1917) and transferred from a Service Bn. Royal Highlanders to the 11th Bn. Border Regt.
There is no record of his promotion to Captain, but it is
likely that he was promoted “in the field,” because of his leadership qualities
and heavy casualties.
Copies of letters he wrote to his sister in law Mary have survived. Initially he is upbeat about his experience and had seen his brother James several times as they are in the same division. They are both in good health. Weeks later they are in the trenches – the weather has turned and there is plenty of mud. “As long as one is in good health there is no reason for grumbling.”
By July 1917 he writes that he and James have both been
wounded. He was injured twice in five days but nothing too serious. All up he was wounded 3 times. His brother
James was injured and required convalescence locally – not back home.
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| Letter sent to Aunt Mary from the Front Aug 1917 |
As this August letter says he is a young Company Commander with perhaps more skill than the older boys- they will soon be off to action and “it will be up to me to pull them through.”
A MOONLIGHT
MASSACRE....
An Extract from “A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2nd December 1917” by Michael Stephen LoCicero tells the story. A detailed account of the night attack can be found here - from "A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2nd December 1917" by Michael Stephen LoCicero. P188
“With two companies in front and two immediately behind,
the 11th Border Regiment (CO Major and acting Lieutenant-Colonel T.F. Tweed,
MC) waited for Zero-hour along the 300-yard jumping-off tape. Silence was
maintained as the battalion ascended the gentle incline toward the summit of
Vat Cottage Ridge at 1:55 a.m."
"Confronting them was the anticipated collection of
occupied shell hole outposts comprising the Vorfeldzonelinie, the left-hand
portion of linear trench facing 16th HLI and, beyond the forward edge of the
Hauptwiderstandslinie and subsequent green line objective, the ramshackle
agglomeration of dugouts, shelters and trenches found, approximately 200 yards
south of the battalion’s final red line objective, in Mallet Copse."
"Another short stretch of linear trench, protected
by barbed wire and extending from Veldt Farm to Mallet Copse, had also been
noted by II Corps intelligence in the days leading up to the attack."
“The enemy remained quiet as the four companies of 11th
Border Regiment silently entered no man’s land. Sporadic rifle bursts –
immediately followed by a vicious fusillade and cascade of descending magnesium
flares – put paid to any hoped for surprise. Both front companies, resolute in
the face of fierce machine-gun fire, quickly swept over the Vorfeldzonelinie
and, topping the ridge crest, occupied the green line and seized Veldt
Farm."
"The two leap-frogging companies, passing through
the secured intermediate objective, rushed downhill to enter Mallet Copse at
its southern end. Bomb and bayonet made short work of any occupants discovered
among the haphazard warren of mined dugouts, corrugated metal-roofed shrapnel
shelters and narrow trench sections before the tiny copse was cleared and its
north edge gained. Any further advance from there through the muddy northern
valley towards the red line was stopped by machine-gun fire originating 200
yards northward from inundated Mallet Wood. Remnants of the leap-frogging
companies, their position now rendered untenable under a rain of bullets, fell
back to ‘the southern edge of the copse with their left flank refused"
“The 11th Border Regiment, notwithstanding heavy
casualties and resultant confusion, had been able to advance 500 yards and
occupy dispersal positions of the green line intermediate objective to – 200
yards short of the red line – Mallet Copse. This epic action by the ‘Lonsdale’
Battalion, was, as with other battalions of 25 and 97 Brigades, underlined by
many obscure human tragedies now lost to time.”
Although there is no definitive record of how Ewan Martin
lost his life, it would have been at some stage of this action.
The War Diary of the 11th Border Regiment states that
“Casualties included Capt. P.M. Martin along with other
officers”
Officer casualties for 11th Border Regiment were as follows:
Killed: Captains I. Benson, A.F. Sandeman,P.M. Martin; 2nd Lieutenants R.C.
Richardson, W.B. MacDuff. Wounded: Captain McConnan, 2ndLieutenants J.M. Jamie,
Fell, Hotchkiss, Malley Martin, Duff, Abbey. 34-year-old Captain Issac
Benson,33-year-old Captain Albert Fitzroy Sandeman, 21-year-old Captain Peter
McEwan Martin, 2nd Lieutenant Robert Cecil Richardson (age unknown) and
24-year-old 2nd Lieutenant William Brown MacDuff have no known grave and are
commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing.
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| Peter's obituary |
His Commander wrote this lovely tribute to mother Jane telling of her son’s service and death.
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| Reprinted letter from Peter's Lt-Cpl |
His little brother, the youngest of the Martin boys, Henry
Stewart Martin1899-23/7/1918, also known as Harry S. Martin, was with the 6th
Gordon Highlanders.
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| Henry Stewart Martin |
Henry (Harry) Martin enlisted in Perth in March 1917 not long after finishing school. According to information on the Commonwealth War Graves site, he commenced his basic training and joined his Battalion in September 1917 near Dirty Bucket Corner in an area to the North West of Ypres. Note I have not been able to confirm this as it is at odds with his age and the obituary below.
On 23rd July 1918 the 6th Battalion was subjected to heavy
artillery fire and suffered numerous casualties on 23rd July 1918. Fifty-one
Gordon Highlanders were killed including Henry on that day alone. Henry was
just 18 ½ years old when he lost his life.
The Battalion Diary shows there was difficulty with terrain and training.
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| 6th Highlander's War diary of the day |
Sometime after the 23rd of July Henry’s parents learned that their youngest son had been killed in action in France. His summer death seems to have come only weeks after he had finished his school career as he had enlisted during the spring. His death was recorded in the local newspaper.
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| Henry's Obituary |
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| Commonwealth War Grave - Henry is buried at Marfaux British Cemetery |
Henry Martin is also commemorated with his brother Peter on the Fowlis Wester Parish War Memorial.
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| The Fowlis-Wester Memorial at the local Church |
Up until their his enlistment the boys had been attending the distinguished Perth Academy, a traditional and highly reputed secondary school in Perth, Scotland.
It is noted that 165 former students lost their lives during
the Great War. As part of the Perth Academy remembers research project in 2014
students set about remembering the 168 former pupils and staff who lost their
lives in World War I.
The” Flowers of the Forest” Research Project remembered them during the
centenary of World War I. The current links for the research project on their
website are broken, but the war stories have been transferred to the relevant
people on the Commonwealth War Graves site. Peter McEwan Martin and Henry
Stuart Martin. Links are here.Captain
Peter Mcewan Martin | First World War Story | For Evermore and Private H S Martin | First World War Story | For Evermore story
The Great War Memorial in the school hall remembers the boys. Relative Sheila McMillan
visited the school on a recent return to the UK. She presented the school with
memorabilia she held for Peter McEwan Martin (Ewan). This is now displayed next
to the Roll of Honour. It includes medals, letters, and photos.
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| Memorial at Perth Academy with Peter's (Ewan's) Memorabilia framed to the right |
One thing led to another, the Perth Academy put me on to the fact that Sheila had provided the information and that she had emigrated to Australia. I tracked her down via her ancestry tree and discovered we lived close enough to meet up. So recently, I enjoyed a coffee with my Australian fourth cousin looking at her copies of photos, letters, and comparing notes. Too busy talking, and sorry, no photos.
Back to the Martin family...
Poor Jane and Joseph Martin, their second son, killed for
service of their country. With William jealously at home, Jane and Joseph
nervously waited news of their other two sons.
James Alexander Martin, 1891 - 1951, is the brother
referred to as injured in Peter's letters. His service with the King's Own
Scottish, service number 22369, where he was an Acting Warrant officer, Second
class. His brother Ewan’s letters back home in the early days mention seeing
James once or twice over in France, that he had been injured and had
convalesced.
His obituary has him demobilised with a rank of Sergeant
Major by the end of the War and no other war records can be found.
After the death of his father, Joseph Rundle Martin in 1921, he continued with his financial
career and married Gladys Mallet. In 1929, he travelled to Canada and was an
investment dealer with WC Pitfield and Co. and wife Gladys and his son Peter
Martin, born in Hampstead in 1928, followed in 1931 on the Ausonia. They
lived in St John and Monreal.
When the Second World War broke out, he enlisted in the Active Army, in which
he served for most of the war as an adjunct to the 2nd Battalion, St John
Fusiliers, with the rank of Captain. Post-war, he was transferred to Toronto as
manager for Hugh McKay & Co, which a post he held to his death, dying in York,
Toronto on 20/2/1951. He was survived by
his wife, Mabel, an active Red Cross worker, and his son, Peter.
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| James' Obituary |
The 4th Brother to serve was a career Soldier. John McEwan Martin
1886-1972 was the second oldest boy. By the time of his death he appears to
have been somewhat distanced from his remaining brother William who did not go
to war and of course his brother who immigrated to Canada. He had a
distinguished career as a professional soldier. The London Gazette lists him in
the 30th of March 1915 as temporary lieutenant. His war records cannot be
located. However, he has an interesting story and a very distinguished career
At the outbreak of the War he married Lanarkshire born Cecilia
Turnbull Anderson in 1915 in Lanarkshire. She had finished her medical training
in Glasgow. After the War ended the couple lived in London.
John signs the 1921 Census as Captain of the Royal Engineers.
He is 36 years old and an Analytical Chemist with the Ministry of Labour
Training College and she is a 36 year old physician and surgeon with the Public
Health Services of the Leyton District Council.
Later, he was promoted to Captain from 4 July 1922. In 1924,
he is with the London Divisional Engineer Corps of the Royal Engineers. She
died, possibly in childbirth, in 1927.
He married for a second time to Mabel Dickinson in 1935 in
London. Later, in 1937, John was promoted to Major. He was obviously involved
during World War II. (No records are available. ) Sheila feels he was involved
with research into flame-throwing technology and weaponry. Flame thrower incendiary devices were used in WWI and more widely in WWII as tactical weapons against battlefield fortifications and bunkers.
He was finally discharged in 1949 when he reached retirement age.
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| John's obituary |
After this time, he married for a third time in 1960 to Edna
Muriel Leighton, and they lived together until John's death in 1972. His
obituary shows he received an OBE, possibly for military service. Edna died in
2000 in Nottinghamshire.
As part of the research into these war stories, I looked into Georgina's remaining sons and grandsons. William, whose two sons were career soldiers, died in 1924. His sons served out two wars.
Alexander Moody, Stuart Martin, who married Christina Williamson,
were missionaries who migrated to Montreal in 1911. Their sons William and
Henry were too young to serve in World War I. Son William died in 1924, and
Henry and his clan appear to have followed in the family religious service
occupation.
Meanwhile Joseph and Jane continued to live locally, Joseph
dying in 1921 and Jane in 1951. Their plaque
commemorates their two dead sons also.
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| Jane and Joseph's tombstone |
This Remembrance Day I cannot begin to imagine how hard it would be to have your four sons serving in the war, especially after two were killed and another being injured.
I, myself have daughters who, for most of their life, have been safe from
enlistment. Two of them have grown up daughters now, who now would be called up
and would have to serve. The times have changed, and there'd be an expectation
that the women would be there.
I hope I never see this or my grandsons being called to
fight in another world war.
Thank you for your service, Martin family. Thanks for a job
well done.
Rest in Peace
We will
remember them on this Remembrance Day 2025.
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