Cyril Gordon Martin

Last updated

Cyril Gordon Martin
VCCyrilGordonMartin.jpg
Born19 December 1891
Foochow, China
Died14 August 1980 (aged 88)
Woolwich, London, England
Buried
Eltham Crematorium, London, England
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Service/branchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Years of service1911−1946
Rank Brigadier
Service number 1006
Unit Royal Engineers
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Victoria Cross
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order

Brigadier Cyril Gordon Martin VC CBE DSO (19 December 1891 – 14 August 1980) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Contents

Martin was educated at Clifton College [1] He was 23 years old, and a lieutenant in the 56th Field Company, Corps of Royal Engineers, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 12 March 1915 at Spanbroekmolen on the Messines Ridge, Belgium, Lieutenant Martin volunteered to lead a small bombing party against a section of the enemy trenches which was holding up the advance. Before he started he was wounded, but, taking no notice, he carried on with the attack which was completely successful. He and his small party held the trench against all counter-attacks for two and a half hours until a general withdrawal was ordered. [2]

He later achieved the rank of Brigadier and served during World War II. Martin was with the Northern Command in India in 1939 as Deputy Chief Engineer. He served in Iraq in 1941 as Chief Engineer, British troops. From 1945-47 he was Chief Engineer with the North-West Army, India. During this time he was also ADC to King George VI.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham, Kent.

Related Research Articles

Captain Theodore Wright, VC was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Alexander</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Major-General Ernest Wright Alexander, was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Neame</span> British Army general (1888–1978)

Lieutenant General Sir Philip Neame, was a senior British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, and the winner of an Olympic Games gold medal; he is the only person to achieve both distinctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Fenton Aylmer, 13th Baronet</span>

Lieutenant-General Sir Fenton John Aylmer, 13th Baronet was an Anglo-Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was in command of the first failed efforts to break the siege of Kut in 1916. From a military background, Aylmer was commissioned into the Indian Army, and immediately involved in fierce fighting on the north-west frontier. In a singularly heroic action, still in his twenties, he helped rescue Townshend's garrison at Chitral, spearheading the relief column. For his valorous conduct he was awarded the Victoria Cross, and rapid promotion through the officer class.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Colclough Watson VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Toye</span> English Victoria Cross recipient (1897-1955)

Brigadier Alfred Maurice Toye was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Major General Sir Howard Craufurd Elphinstone, was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Cloutman</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Lieutenant-Colonel His Honour Sir Brett Mackay Cloutman, VC, MC, QC was a British Army officer, barrister, and Official Referee of the Supreme Court. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lennox Dawson</span> Scottish Victoria Cross recipient (1891-1967)

Colonel James Lennox Dawson VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Pemberton Leach</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

General Sir Edward Pemberton Leach was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Leonard Knox</span>

Major Cecil Leonard Knox VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Henry Johnson</span>

Frederick Henry Johnson was a British soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Calveley Foss</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Brigadier Charles Calveley Foss, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. A professional soldier in the British Army, he was awarded the VC in 1915 for his actions during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premindra Singh Bhagat</span>

Lieutenant General Premindra Singh Bhagat, PVSM, VC was a general in the Indian Army and an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. The Victoria Cross was conferred on him for his actions in the Sudan Theatre during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Coffin</span>

Major General Clifford Coffin was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claud Raymond</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Claud Raymond VC was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. As a member of an old County Kerry family with strong links to the Indian Army, Raymond is also regarded as an Irish VC.

Colonel James Morris Colquhoun Colvin VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of a British or Commonwealth force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Findlay</span> Scottish Victoria Cross recipient (1889-1967)

Colonel George de Cardonnel Elmsall Findlay VC MC & Bar was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Henry Johnston</span> Recipient of the Victoria Cross

William Henry Johnston was a British soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal Engineer Group</span> Military unit

The Bengal Engineer Group (BEG) is a military engineering regiment in the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The unit was originally part of the Bengal Army of the East India Company's Bengal Presidency, and subsequently part of the British Indian Army during the British Raj. The Bengal Sappers are stationed at Roorkee Cantonment in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

References

  1. "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. p304: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
  2. "No. 29135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 April 1915. p. 3815.

Bibliography