100
years ago on this date, 25 October 1915, Private James Martin was only 14 years
and nine months old when he succumbed to typhoid during the Gallipoli campaign.
I will post information about this child soldier from Wikipedia and other
links.
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Private James Martin
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.anthonyhillbooks.com/soldierboymain.html]
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James Charles Martin
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Nickname(s)
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Jim
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Born
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3 January 1901
Tocumwal, New South Wales |
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Died
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25 October 1915 (aged 14)
At sea, off ANZAC Cove |
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Service/branch
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Rank
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Private
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Battles/wars
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World
War I |
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Awards
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1914–15 Star
British War Medal Victory Medal |
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James Charles (Jim) Martin (3 January 1901 – 25 October
1915) was the youngest Australian known to have died in World War I. He was
only 14 years and nine months old when he succumbed to typhoid during the Gallipoli
campaign. He was one of 20 Australian soldiers under the age of 18 known to
have died in World War I.
Early
life
James
Martin was born to Amelia and Charles Martin on 3 January 1901 in Tocumwal, New South Wales. His father was born
Charles Marks, in Auckland, New Zealand; however, after emigrating to Australia and settling in Tocumwal, he
changed his name to Martin to avoid discrimination for being Jewish. Charles
worked as a grocer, handyman and (horse-drawn) cab driver,
while Amelia was born in Bendigo in 1876 to
Thomas and Frances Park. Her parents had emigrated to Australia during the gold rush in the 1850s. The youngest of
twelve children, she married Charles just before her 18th birthday. Martin's
family moved to many different suburbs in and around Melbourne before finally settling in Hawthorn
in 1910. He was the third of six children, and the only son. He attended
Manningtree Road State School from 1910 to 1915, during which time he also
received basic military training as a junior cadet under the compulsory
training scheme.
World
War I
After
the outbreak of World War I
Martin enlisted in the Australian
Imperial Force on 12 April 1915, against the wishes of his family.
His parents finally agreed however when he made it clear that he would sign on
under an assumed name and never write to them if they did not consent. He gave
a false date of birth to the recruiting officer, claiming to be 18, when he was
actually 14 years and three months. His father had earlier tried to enlist but
had been rejected as being too old. Martin joined the 1st Reinforcements of the
21st Battalion
as a private and
trained in Broadmeadows
and Seymour
(later Puckapunyal) camps in Victoria
before boarding HMAT Berrima
in June 1915 to deploy to Egypt, arriving there in
late July.
In
late August, following the failed August Offensive, he was sent to Gallipoli
on the steamer HMT Southland, to take part in the
fighting against the Turks, which had by that time developed into a bloody
stalemate. En route, Southland was torpedoed by a German submarine off
the island of Lemnos and Martin was rescued after
spending four hours in the water. After being picked up, he rejoined his
battalion at Mudros Island where they were transferred
to the transport ship Abassieh on 7 September to resume their voyage to
Gallipoli. The following morning, just before 2:00 am, Martin's platoon, 4
Platoon, landed at Watson's Pier in Anzac Cove. He then served in trenches
around Courtney's Post, which was positioned on the ridge overlooking Monash
Valley. During this time he wrote to his family telling them that "the
Turks are still about 70 yards (64 m) away from us" and asked them
not to worry about him as "I am doing splendid over here". Throughout
his time in Gallipoli, although his family were writing to him, Martin did not
receive any letters from home due to a breakdown in the mail system.
As
the campaign dragged on, winter approached and the weather on the Gallipoli
Peninsula began to take its toll on the soldiers in the trenches. Following a
period of cold temperatures and heavy rain Martin contracted enteric fever in the trenches. After
suffering mild symptoms for about a fortnight during which time he refused
treatment, he was subsequently evacuated to the hospital ship Glenart Castle
on 25 October 1915 after he developed diarrhoea. He died of heart failure that
night, at the age of 14 and nine months, and was buried at sea the next day. At the time of
his death only Martin's parents and his best friend, Cec Hogan—who was himself
only 16—knew Martin's real age. Nevertheless, on 18 December 1915, Melbourne's Herald
newspaper reported Martin's death in an article titled "Youngest Soldier
Dies".
Honours
and awards
Martin
was awarded the 1914–15 Star, the British
War Medal, and the Victory Medal. His name is recorded on the
Australian memorial
at Lone Pine and on the Australian War Memorial roll of honour in Canberra.
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