Captain Reginald Ernest MARTIN
Ceylon Defence Force

Date of birth: 9th March 1892
Date of death: 25th March 1941

Killed on active service aged 49
Commemorated at the war grave SS Britannia
He was born at Norwood, Middlesex on the 9th of March 1892 the only son of Ernest Meteor Martin, civil engineer, and Minna Margaret (nee Harris). He was christened at St Mary's Church, Hanwell in Middlesex on the 1st of May 1892.

He was educated at Ripley Court School and at the King's School Canterbury from September 1905 to July 1909 where he gained a Junior Scholarship and played for the Cricket XI from 1907 to 1909, being Captain in 1909. He played at full back for the Rugby XV in 1908/9 and was a member of the Fives Pair in 1909. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps for two years. The Canturian wrote of his 1908/9 rugby season:-

"Had no idea of tackling in the early part of the season, but made a striking improvement and should do well. Fields and kicks excellently."

On leaving school he spent two years at University College Hospital, where he served as a member of the London University Officer Training Corps. On leaving university he worked for eighteen months as a journalist for TP's Weekly before moving to Ceylon where he worked as a tea planter at the Powysland Estate, Agrapatnas.

Following the outbreak of war he applied for a commission in the army on the 25th of January 1915 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 10th (Service) Battalion Hampshire Regiment on the 19th of April 1915. He saw service in Egypt and Salonika, but returned to England suffering from nerves.

In May 1915 he was treated for his condition at the Roland Gardens Hospital for Officers at 47 Roland Gardens in Kensington. He was married at St Peter's Crawley Gardens in London to Kathleen de Faye (nee Larkinson) on the 28th of March 1916. He was passed by a Medical Board as being fit for light duty on the 1st of August 1916 and was posted to the 13th (2nd Reserve) Battalion of his regiment based at Bovington Camp, Wareham in Dorset, joining them on the 8th of August. On the 1st of September 1916 the unit was re-designated as the 34th Training Reserve Battalion. On his recovery he was posted to B Company, 15th (Service) Battalion of his regiment and returned to France where he joined his battalion in the field at Schaxken on the 16th of July 1917.

On the night of the 3rd of August 1917 the 15th Battalion Hampshire Regiment moved into the line near Hollebeke where they relieved the 11th Battalion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment. The relief was completed by 2am the following morning. Two companies were allocated to the front line with the remainder of the battalion being placed in reserve in the Lock House Tunnels. Reginald Martin led a party of fifteen men to a forward outpost in front of the main positions. This was the first time he had been into the line with his new battalion. The day passed quietly until 10pm when the Germans opened heavy shelling on the Hampshire line which lasted throughout the night until 4am when enemy infantry joined the attack. The enemy began to work their way around Hollebeke which forced Captain Fowler's Company, on the left of the line, to withdraw leaving Martin's party cut off. They were quickly surrounded and forced to surrender with the loss of one man killed. Only a Sergeant managed to escape and report what had happened.

He was interned in a prisoner of war camp at Limberg where he suffered a serious knee injury during a rugby match at the camp in October 1918. Following the armistice he left the camp on the 29th of November 1918, boarded a ship at Calais on the 4th of December and landed at Dover later the same day.

On his return he made a statement to the War Office regarding the circumstances of his capture, in a letter dated the 8th of January 1919: -

"Sir
I was stationed in a small advanced post, some 60 yds in front of Hollebeke, recently captured. I took over at about 10pm August 4/5th 17, having come up that night with a guide. I had never seen to the position by daylight. The weather had been very bad and mud was knee deep everywhere. I had under my command four rifles and a Lewis Gun section. Close on my right was a M.G. Corps section, which I was told was there to protect my right flank, but was not under my command. At 4am (about) enemy artillery opened barrage on Hollebeke and just behind my trench. At 4.30am (about), dawn was affording a certain amount of light, but this was nullified for observation purposes by a thick mist and fog. The enemy counter-attacked and our first view of them was at a distance of about 40yds from trench. I opened rapid fire. Enemy immediately assumed prone position in a semi-circle, my trench as centre, radius 20-30yds. He proceeded to fill my trench with stick grenades. I noticed S.O.S. rockets go up in rear, but it was apparently invisible, owing to fog, to our gunners. My L-G. section were put out of action during firing of their first burst. All of my riflemen went down almost immediately after. During all this time the Vickers gun on my right had not fired a round. They either quitted their post before or at commencement of action. I believe they have been dealt with since. Finding myself alone, I gave orders to any who could follow me back to Hollebeke to re-join main body. No one accompanied me. In the fog I missed Hollebeke and ran into the flank of the enemy's main attack. After moving about trying to discover a way out of trap, I tripped on some loose barbed wire and went down. Two of the enemy who for some time, and in company with several others, had been taking pot shots at me at about 30-40yds and missing, ran up. Being entirely alone and seeing no military object to be obtained by further resistance. I allowed them to take me prisoner."

He was granted leave until the 3rd of February 1919 when he returned to duty and was based at the Repatriation Centre at Morn Hill, Winchester.
He continued to suffer from the knee injury he had received during the rugby match while a prisoner and was asked to explain the circumstances under which the injury occurred. He did so in a letter to the War Office dated the 26th of February 1919: -

"Sir,
I have the honour to report re above, received today (26th inst.), that I suffered the accident to my knee during the course of a properly organised Rugby Football match, which took place at Friberg amongst officer prisoners of war. The match was one of a series in a competition contested by four selected sides under the captaincy respectively of Lieut. Walker R.I.R., Lieut. A.C. Arith Northamptonshire Regt. Lieut. O.R. Bolton, Queen's and Lieut. Dicey whose regiment I do not remember. This actual match was between Lieut. Walker's XV, of which I was a member, and Lieut. Dicey's XV. The accident occurred as a result of my being cross tackled from behind, just at the moment of getting clear away, by Lieut. Norman Hill of the Australian Infantry, who brought me down very heavily and inadvertently fell across my outstretched leg--thus tearing, according to medical testimony, the internal lateral ligament of my left knee. The match took place on the field regularly appointed by the camp authorities for such games, and was witnessed by a considerable number of officers, prisoners of war. If evidence should be required, corroborative of this personal statement I can furnish the names of several officers, prisoners of war, now resident in and about London, who can testify to witnessing the mishap."
I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant
R.E. Martin, Lieut. Hampshire Regiment

He was demobbed and sailed for Ceylon from Liverpool on board the SS City of London on the 26th of July 1919. On his return there he worked as a merchant with Messrs George Steward and Company of Colombo and became a member of the Ceylon Defence Force.

On the 11st of March 1941 he set sail from Liverpool on board the 8,799 ton Anchor Line steamer SS Britannia which was carrying members of the armed forces to Bombay via Freetown and Durban. In all she had four hundred and ninety two passengers and crew aboard and was part of a small convoy protected by three destroyers. At some point during the voyage SS Britannia separated from the convoy as she was considered fast enough to avoid U Boats. On the 24th of March 1941 the ship was passed by the German surface raider Thor which was disguised as a Japanese vessel and was sailing in the opposite direction. They passed without incident. At 7.30am on the morning of Tuesday the 25th of March 1941 they were some 750 miles west of Freetown, Sierra Leone when the Thor returned, this time flying the swastika. Thor then circled and opened fire from the port quarter. Armed only with one light gun the crew of the SS Britannia attempted to defend the ship but the gun was knocked out of action with a number of the crew being wounded. The raider ceased fire and, manoeuvring around the smoke floats which the SS Britannia had deployed, she re-opened fire from a range of 8,000 yards.
SS Britannia caught fire and was quickly burning from stem to stern, her deck strewn with dead and wounded. After an hour the passengers and surviving crew were forced to take to the lifeboats. The Thor came alongside and fired shots below the water line causing the SS Britannia to sink bow first. Thor made no attempt to pick up survivors but the Spanish steamer Bacji later picked up one boat with 63 people on it whilst another boat with 38 people on board managed to reach Brazil after 23 days at sea.

Reginald Martin was one of 127 passengers and 122 crew who did not escape the ship. The wreck is designated as a war grave by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Holme House

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