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War Memorial
Australia

Son of John Griffin Martyn and H. Martyn. Native of Armidale, New South Wales.

PAUL MAXWELL MARTYN (11.6.1892 – 10.5.1918)
Called Max.
From Faulkner Street, Armidale. His-father John Griffin Martyn was a Surveyor.

At TAS 7 ½ years from Feb. 1903 to June 1910. Senior Day Boy Prefect. Captain 1st Football XV, 1st Cricket XI. Colour Sergeant in Cadets. "Though perhaps not brilliant in school work was a splendid  type of Australian boy. In the field of sport he showed to great advantage, he was a brilliant wing three-quarter, and nothing suited his taste more than a good, hard competition match."

After leaving school he went out to Mrs Wright's Wongwibinda Station to gain some knowledge of pastoral life, and later was in charge of the shearing shed at “Thalgarrah”. From there he went to be an under-manager at Ramornie Meat Works, where he showed special qualities for the command and control of men. Having a natural bent for engineering, he turned his attention to mechanical  engineering and at time of enlistment he was in the employ of a Sheep Shearing Company." 

Enlisted at Armidale 24.8.1914 and embarked with the first Expeditionary Force that
sailed from Sydney in October, 1914.
Served as a Driver in the Divisional Ammunition Column, 1st Australian Pioneers.
Subsequently he service at Gallipoli with the Engineers, to which Unit he was transferred whilst in Egypt. On the reorganisation of the Australian Forces after the evacuation of Gallipoli he was attached  to the First Pioneer Battalion A.I.F. and with it proceeded to France where he shortly after got his commission as 2nd Lieut. He received the Military Cross at Pozieres in 1916 and a Bar for it at Ypres in  Sept. 1917 and he received another Bar for it after that.

The citation for his MC reads "For conspicuous gallantry when in charge of a pioneer party clearing and consolidating a trench. When the enemy counter attacked he collected his party and repelled the  attack under very difficult circumstances.” ' In June/July 1916 at Pozieres he killed 5 Germans with a shovel. His father wrote to the Armidalian "It was the fact of his keeping his nerve and holding the  position, which was an important one until reinforcements , in the shape of some British Infantry, arrived and drove back the Germans, which gained him the M.C. In a letter I received from him he says: "I don't know how it got about that I had nerves; I have had no more than if I stayed at home". In December he went to hospital suffering from muscular rheumatism. Killed - C.E.W. Bean  records that he died of illness (Vol. 3 p. 565). The Australian War Memorial records he died of disease. He was aged 25.
Buried Surrey I. Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Obituary "Possessing an abundant stock of dry humour, and being of a pleasant disposition, which made him popular with all ranks, he withal had those qualities which make men leaders, a calmness of manner and undoubted confidence in himself, that stood him in good stead on many an occasion, and won for him the respect of his Brother Officers the admiration of his men, and with the passing of  Max Martyn at Wandsworth Hospital the First Pioneer Battalion lost a leader and a friend, and the Australian Imperial Forces a bright and fearless Officer of the type what can ill be spared. His brother  Lieut. Col. Athel Martyn, is one of our Old Boys who has very greatly distinguished himself in the War. His father Mr J.G. Martyn, and his sisters who live in Armidale, are very close and interested friends of the School".

Brother - His older brother Lieut.-Col. A.M. Martyn was one of the first boys at TAS in 1894 and after getting Second Class Honours in a Bachelor of Engineering Degree served in the War and was  awarded the C.H.G., DSO. and Croix de Guerre. AM Martyn was Captain of the School in 1899.