Edwin William Sidney MARTIN (1875-1917)

Captain Edwin William Sidney Martin (1875-1917) was in the Royal Army Medical Corps attached to the 9th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment and served with Cyril Sladden in Mesopotamia.

Edwin Martin was born at Dromore, County Down, Ireland, in 1875, the son of John E Martin. He trained as a doctor in Ireland, qualifying in 1899. At the time of the 1911 census, he was living at Brithdir, Glamorgan. He was unmarried.

3rd April 1915, Dr Martin was gazetted temporary Lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He first went overseas some time in 1915 as he was eligible for the 1915 Star. He was attached to the 9th Battalion and went with them to Mesopotamia in 1916, rising to the rank of Captain.

Captain Martin was killed on 16th February 1917 in an unfortunate incident. Against orders he went to assist Captain Busby who had been hit. Captain Martin was hit, too, and then a stray bullet also hit 2nd Lieutenant Jones who was watching the incident.

Cyril Sladden wrote in a letter to his fiancée, Mela Brown Constable: “Never have I known such a stroke of bad luck as we had yesterday in officers’ casualties. Three have been killed ….. Busby (the fellow the New Zealand Sladdens knew well) was killed by a bullet in the face. Our Doctor Captain Martin hearing he was hit, went out contrary to orders and got a bullet through his head across the forehead, from which he died at the field ambulance some time this morning. He was a splendid regimental doctor, and all the men are very distressed at losing him, and the officers certainly not less so ….. Three hits, like that, all fatal, seem the high water mark of sheer ill luck.”

Captain Martin was buried in Amara War Cemetery and is commemorated on the Brithdir War Memorial. His sister, Mrs M K Vaughan of Dromore, made application for her late brother’s medals.