MARTIN, Douglas Thorne
| Service Number: | 407681 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 December 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Semaphore, South Australia, 4 January 1920 |
| Home Town: | Semaphore, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Woodville High School, Prince Alfred College and St Marks College, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, 11 January 1943, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Leuchars Cemetery Leuchars Cemetery, Leuchars, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, North Adelaide St. Mark's College WW2 Honour Roll, St Clair Woodville High School Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 7 Dec 1940: | Involvement Sergeant, 407681 | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Dec 1940: | Enlisted Adelaide | |
| 7 Dec 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 407681 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Help us honour Douglas Thorne Martin's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Grace Neuhaus
Douglas Thorne Martin was born on the 4th of January 1920 in Semaphore SA to parents Philip Thomas and Ruby Emmeline Martin.
He enlisted into the RAAF on the 7th of December, 1940 and served as a Sergeant and Second Wireless Operator Air Gunner with the No. 455 Squadron, RAF Station Leuchars, Fifeshire, Scotland.
On the night of the 11th of January 1943, Martins aircraft, Hampden AN166 was one of 12 planes from the squadron tasked with targeting enemy vessels off the coast of Norway. The aircraft crashed soon after takeoff from Leuchars. There were four crew members on board, of which three survived. Douglas Thorne Martin was not among them.
He is buried in the Leuchars Cemetery in Fifeshire, Scotland.
Biography contributed by Woodville High School
Douglas Thorne Martin, born on the 4th of Januar 1920 in Semaphore, his father was named Philip Thomas Martin, and his mother, Ruby Emmeline Martin. He attended Woodville High School from the years 1933 to 1934, which then he switched to Prince Alfred College from 1935 to 1937. He studied Latin, French, English, Physics, Chemistry, Maths 1 and Maths 2. He played tennis, swimming and lacrosse. He served as a Corporal in Prince Alfred College Cadet Corp.
He then studied medicine at Adelaide University, from 1938 to 1940, where he passed Physics 1, Chemistry 1, Zoology 1 and Botany 1.
He enlisted into the RAAF on the 7th of December of 1940, at 20 years of age. His service records describe him as 5 foot 9 inches, chest measurement was 32 inches and a half and his weight was 148 lbs. He had hazel eyes and fair hair. Martin embarked from Sydney to the United Kingdom, on the 13th of September 1941.
He was initially assigned to the No. 233 Squadron, on the 29th of April 1942, before being switched to the No. 455 Squadron, on the 20th of May, 1942 where he served as a Sergeant and Second Wireless Operator Air Gunner at the RAF Station Leuchars, Fireshire, Scotland.
11th of January, of the year 1943 during the night, his aircraft, the Hampden AN166, was one of the 12 planes from that squadron that were tasked to target enemy vessels off Norway’s coast. The aircraft crashed soon after takeoff from Leuchars. There were 4 people on the plane, but he was the only one that died, the others survived.
He now rests in peace in the Leuchars Cemetery in Fifeshire in Scotland.
Bibliography
Primary Resources.
Terrace, V. (2025). View digital copy. [online] Naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5522121
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2025].
Findagrave.com. (2024). Sgt Douglas Thorne Martin (unknown-1943) - Find a... [online] Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69074426/douglas-thorne-martin
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2025].
Genge (2015). DVA’s Nominal Rolls. [online] Dva.gov.au. Available at: https://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1012695&c=WW2#R
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2025].
Secondary Sources
Wikipedia Contributors (2021). No. 455 Squadron RAAF. Wikipedia.
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