MARTEN, Henry Humphrey
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Unspecified British Units |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia , 2 March 1894 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St Peters College, Caius College and Cambridge University |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Died: | Killed In Action, France , 13 August 1915, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Aug 1915: | Involvement Lieutenant, Officer, Unspecified British Units, Killed in Action |
|---|
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Henry Humphrey Marten was born in Adelaide and later while at the School proved to be a fine sportsman who in 1910 represented St Peter's College in intercollegiate Tennis. His older brother left for England to study medicine in April 1909, and when Henry followed in March 1911, he studied at Cheltenham College; he subsequently entered Caius College, Cambridge. In August 1914, he joined the 6th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps at Winchester Barracks as a second lieutenant but as the battalion was not going to France, he sought and gained an attachment to the 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment. 1
The 2nd Battalion was formed at Curragh, Ireland in August 1914 as part of 14th Brigade, 5th Division and at the outbreak of war proceeded to France. 2
The Manchester Regiment saw its share of action in the Great War, a fact evidenced by their estimated 13,770 casualties. Among the thousands of officers and men in the regiment who received awards and decorations, eleven received the Victoria Cross. 3
Between April and late July 1915 the 5th Division, which included the 2nd Battalion, 14th Brigade, held a relatively quiet sector astride the Comines Canal when they were withdrawn and moved to the Somme area.
At the beginning of August, the division was on the move again and by 9 August was north of Maricourt where it relieved a French Division. While there, the 2nd Battalion came under desultory shelling and sniper fire and Lieutenant Henry Humphrey Marten, just four days short of being gazetted Captain, was killed in action on 13 August 1915 a day earlier than reported below; he was 21 years of age.
He was made Lieutenant in May, and mentioned in June by Sir John French in despatches, ‘for gallant and distinguished service in the field.’ He met his death in action, being mortally wounded by a sniper on August 14th, while commanding a company of the 2nd Manchesters.
2 James, E A, Historical Records of British Infantry Regiments in the Great War 1914-1918, Rank Xerox Copy Bureau, Birmingham Revised Edition, 1976, p. 149
3 ibid., p 243
4 St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, December 1915, p. 55
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