Navigator and Countryman: The Memoirs of Vice Admiral Sir John Martin KCB, DSC

The Memoirs of Vice Admiral Sir John Martin KCB, DSC; A very personal account of war-time service in the North Atlantic, Dunkirk, mine-sweeping in the Med and later in the Far East. He had command appointments in the West Indies, Dartmouth. the Persian Gulf and as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. On retirement from the Royal Navy he became the Governor of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The memoirs cover his upbringing as the son of a senior Naval Surgeon, his time as a 13 to 17 year old cadet at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, followed by his service as a midshipman in the Mediterranean Fleet aboard the flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and other ships during the time of the Spanish Civil War. In his early war service he survived a bombing of HMS Pelican on the way to Norway and later when the ship hit a mine off the Thames Estuary. Whilst on sick leave, he was called to join a Thames Tug on which they made three trips to the Dunkirk evacuation. They were probably the last ship alongside the mole at Dunkirk. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for Navigating a mine-sweeping flotilla in the Mediterranean including the Sicily and Salerno landings. He sailed to the Far East in the fast minelayer HMS Manxman and took over as fleet Navigator for the Pacific Fleet at the time of the surrender of Japan. He rose quickly through the ranks in his post war service and was appointed Commodore in 1961 to be Senior Naval Officer West Indies where he was involved in various security, hurricane relief and liaison duties including providing the security for the McMillan and JK Kennedy talks in Bermuda and the Bahamas. His next appointment was as Captain of the Britannia Royal Naval College where he oversaw the modernization of the training for cadets and Sub-lieutenants. On appointment to Rear Admiral he was posted to Aden just before the British withdrawal and then to Bahrain to establish a new Joint Forces Headquarters. At that time, the Persian Gulf was relatively peaceful but he clearly foresaw the potential threats to the stability of that area which would be a consequence of the withdrawal of British forces from ‘East of Suez”. After a spell in charge of Naval personnel at the Admiralty, he was promoted to Vice Admiral as the British deputy to the US Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. Here his role was mainly one of liaison. This was his last job in the Royal Navy, but shortly after his retirement he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Here he became fully committed to maintaining the fabric of society and worked tirelessly, mainly behind the scenes, for the wellbeing of the Islands. He was greatly privileged to be in post for Her Majesty the Queen’s Silver Jubilee visits to Guernsey, Sark and Alderney. On return to the UK he continued to play a full role in the Nautical Institute and in the affairs of his village, Soberton, in the Meon valley in Hampshire. Throughout his life he took a keen interest in sailing and was elected to the Royal Yacht Squadron. He was involved in country sports and was a particularly accomplished fisherman. Throughout the memoirs it is apparent how important to him were his family and friends. John Martin exuded enthusiasm for everything in which he was involved; the professional seaman, the countryman, the servant to his community, the committed Christian, the yachtsman, the gardener, the angler, the family man, the Governor!