Tom Martin

Tom Martin was born in Southwell c1884.  His parents were Thomas Martin and Harriet (nee Moore).  In 1891 the family were in Ellis’ Yard, High St, Leadenham where Thomas was a mason’s labourer.  

In 1901 Tom (17) had left home to work as a waggoner at farm in Winthorpe.  In 1905 he married Gertrude King at Fulbeck.  By 1911 they had 2 children (they had a 3rd later) and were living in Feathers Yard, Leadenham, where Tom worked as an ironstone labourer.   The family later moved to Long Bennington.

At the outbreak of the Great War Tom volunteered for the Royal Army Medical Corps.  After training at Belton Park he was sent to France in Nov 1915, where he served with 56th Field Ambulance.

A Field Ambulance was a mobile unit (not a vehicle) supporting a front line brigade.  It operated bearer relay posts and walking wounded collection stations to take casualties from the front line regimental aid posts, and operated advanced and main dressing stations.

In July 1916 Tom was wounded in the thigh by shrapnel during the Somme campaign and was in hospital in France for some time.   In Aug 1917 he was home for 10 days leave for the first time in 18 months.

By Oct 1917 he’d been promoted to Cpl.  Whilst working with the stretcher bearers he was wounded in the knee and gassed and taken to 46 Casualty Clearing Station at Proven, Belgium.  He died of wounds on 29th Oct (aged 35) and was buried at Mendinghem Military Cemetery, North West of Ypres.   His name is on the Long Bennington and Leadenham War Memorials.

Two years later Gertrude re-married Hubert Clements, a widower, also of Long Bennington.  Tom’s father Thomas died in 1924.