Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Cecil Richard Martin was born on the 21st May 1918 at Murwillumbah NSW to Duncan and Eva Martin.  He was the youngest of 9 children having 4 brothers…Frederick, Stanley, James, John…and 4 sisters…Myra, Ivy, Mary and Clara.  His great-granddaughter Larissa shares his birthday having been born on the same day 92 years later.  Larissa is my granddaughter. 

Cecil, or “Ces” as he was known, completed his schooling at Grade 7 in Cooroy QLD where his family were living.  A newspaper article dated the 9th June 1930 states that Ces, aged 12 at the time, went missing from the family home on the 7th June.  When he wasn’t home by tea time his parents contacted the local police who mounted a search party of 250 local residents.  They searched till late that night but failed to find him.  However, he was found by police the following day wandering a Brisbane railway station.  Apparently, he had walked the 4miles from his home to the Cooroy railway station and boarded a train for Brisbane.  It was later discovered that the police and some of his relatives were at the station at the time he boarded the train but they didn’t recognise him because he was dressed in his sister’s clothes.  The article states that he was known to have a quiet and obedient nature so this was very out of character for him but it also states that he had been unwell for some time prior the incident. 

Ces’s father was the Chairman of the Cooroy Shire Council and in honour of his service to the community a local road…Martins Road…was named after him.

After leaving school Ces worked on a dairy farm and as a truck driver.  He also spent 5 years as a ticket writer and prior to enlisting, he worked for his brother-in-law, Martin Bradow, as a houseman at Rolla near Gladstone in Queensland.  His hobbies and interests included tennis, swimming, football and playing the piano and violin. 

On the 23rd January 1939, aged 20, Ces enlisted in the Australian Army as a Private.  He’s described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a fair complexion, brown hair and green eyes.  His service number was Q15887 and his unit was the 9th/49th Battalion.  The 49th battalion was part of the Citizens Military Force, also known as the Militia and consisted of part-time soldiers.  Queensland's 49th Infantry Battalion was the "Stanley Regiment" and it was raised in 1921, with its headquarters and a company in Kelvin Grove and companies in Toowong, Ipswich, and Ipswich-Lowood.  It held its annual camp in the Redbank Plains area, west of Brisbane.  In 1934 the 49th joined the 9th Infantry Battalion to form the 9/49th Infantry Battalion.  In February 1940, the 9/49th went into camp at Redbank and received its first quota of recruits called up for compulsorily national service.  The 9/49th later moved to Chermside, a northern suburb of Brisbane, joining the 7th Brigade.  In September 1940, the brigade became full-time and after serving 1year and 9 months in this service, Ces was discharged to enable him to join the RAAF on the 28th November 1940 aged 22.  His service number was 23854 and his rank was Corporal which was then re-mustered to Mess Steward.   A comment on his enlistment papers states: “A sober, honest, respectable man and bears a good character.” 

He reported to the No. 3 Recruit Depot at Amberley QLD where he began his training at the No. 3 Service Flying Training School.  The following May he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman and was later re-mustered to Mess Steward. 

In April 1942 Ces proceeded to the No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School at Evans Head NSW then 4 months later in August he was posted to No. 52 Squadron, a reserve squadron.  In February 1943 Ces proceeded to the Base Torpedo Unit at Nowra NSW and then in July to the newly formed No. 6 Convalescent Depot at “The Manor” in Werribee VIC.  In early November, Ces moved with this unit to Paluma QLD, north of Townsville.  He remained there till April 1944 when he was posted to No. 8 Stores Depot at Townsville.  In July he proceeded to the No. 1 Reserve Personnel Pool at Aitkenvale near Townsville before discharging from the service on the 8th August 1944. 

His brothers Fred and James both served in the Australian Army during WW2 and the other brother Stanley served with the Australian Army in WW1. 

Over the following 5 years Ces worked as a cook at several places throughout Queensland including Swift’s Canteen at Gladstone, Laguna House at Noosa Heads, the Hotel in Cooroy and St Bernard’s Hotel at Tamborine Mountain. 

In Early 1949 Ces married Helen Winifred Smith and later that year their first son Peter was born.  The family were living in Tewantin when a second son, Duncan, was born in 1951.  A daughter and another son, Mary and Paul, were born in subsequent years. 

On the 25th February 1952, Ces re-enlisted in the RAAF aged 33.  For the 12 months prior to re-enlisting Ces worked as a garage assistant for Wickstrom & Hayes in Gladstone.  His service number was A13710 and his rank Aircraftman and then re-mustered to Cook.  He was posted to the Recruit Section at the Base Squadron at Amberley QLD where he undertook a 12 week course at the Recruit Training School.  Exactly 12 months later in February 1953 he was promoted to Leading Aircraftman.  In December that year he spent a week attached to the Base Squadron in Canberra ACT then returned to Amberley where he served as a cook in the Officers Mess.

In May 1955 Ces proceeded to the Base Squadron School of Ground Training at Rathmines NSW where he was a cook in the Airmen’s Mess.  During his time there he was found to have in his possession some foodstuffs that were against regulations and had to forfeit 4 days pay.  He remained at Rathmines until April 1959 when he was posted to the Base Squadron at Darwin NT.  While based at Darwin he committed 2 infringements of the regulations and was confined to barracks for 7 days on both occasions. 

In early July 1960 Ces was posted back to Amberley so the family moved to Ipswich to be nearby.  He served as a cook in the Sergeants Mess and remained at Amberley, enrolling in the Reserve RAAF in February 1964, then was discharged in April 1964. 

Conduct and Trade assessments were done every year and the following are some of the comments made on several of these reports done on Ces…“Of an excellent or very good character, with a sound knowledge of his trade, makes few mistakes and more proficient than most at his trade…a good tradesman, more reliable than most and dresses neatly and smartly, well suited to service life and willingly accepted extra duties.”  Comments made by his Section Commander state: “A good all round cook.  Both stove work and pastry have at all times proved satisfactory.” 

In civilian life he continued to do what he’d done in the RAAF and served as a cook in several places…Caboolture, Charleville…at the Corones Hotel and at the Biloela Hotel.  He and Helen eventually moved back to Caboolture.  In his final years of life Ces became blind and passed away in Caboolture on the 18th October 2001 aged 83.  He was buried at the Cooroy Cemetery.                

Cecil Richard Martin was awarded for service in WW2 the Australia Service Medal and the War Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith December 2020