Private 8414 Jeremiah (Jerry) Martin

Killed in Action on Friday, 18th December 1914, age 21.
Commemorated on Panel 1 of Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium.

2nd Bn., Scots Guards. 20th Brigade of 7th Division.
Formerly 8414 3rd & 1st Bn. Scots Guards.

Son of the late Mr John Martin and Mrs Maria Smith (formerly Martin), and step-son of Mr Thomas Smith, of 51 Spring Close Street, Leeds, Yorkshire.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Leeds, Resident: Leeds.

First landed France & Flanders, 22nd September 1914.
Medal entitlement: 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives survived and transcribed.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because he was born in Tipton.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/870240/

Genealogical Data

1891 Census
31 Tudor Street, Tipton, Staffs.
John Martin (30, Wharf Labourer, born London), his wife Maria (28, born Moxley), and their 3 children: Phoebe (9, Scholar, born Tipton), Maria (3, born Tipton), and Jane (2, born Tipton).

Birth of Jeremiah Martin registered December quarter 1893 in Dudley (born 4th November 1893).

John Martin died in September quarter 1895. Maria married the widowed Thomas Smith (also of Tudor Street) on 23rd August 1896 at St. Paul’s Church in Owen Street, Tipton. Thomas’s forename was registered as William. The family moved to Leeds between 1898 and 1901.

1901 Census
26 Ark Street, Leeds, Yorkshire.
Thomas Smith (43, Boilermaker, born West Bromwich), his wife Maria (40, born Darlaston), and their 2 children: Samuel (3, born Tipton) and Albert (1 month, born Leeds).
Also 3 of Thomas’s children from his first marriage: Richard (11, born Dudley Port), William (9, born Dudley Port) and John (7, born Dudley Port).
Also Maria’s 5 children from her first marriage: Maria Martin Smith (15, Spinner in Flax Mill, born Dudley Port), Jane Martin Smith (12, born Dudley Port), Joseph Martin Smith (8, born Dudley Port), Jeremiah Martin Smith (6, born Dudley Port), and Mary Ann Martin Smith (5, born Dudley Port).

1911 Census
17 Harry Crescent, Leeds, Yorkshire.
Thomas Smith (56, Boilermaker, born West Bromwich), his wife Maria (53, born Darlaston), and their 2 surviving children of 3: Samuel (13, Boilermaker’s Apprentice, born Tipton) and Albert (10, born Leeds).
Also 3 of Thomas’s children from his first marriage: Richard (21, Brickworks Labourer, born Tipton), William (19, Brickworks Labourer, born Tipton) and John (17, Brickworks Labourer, born Tipton).
Also 3 of Maria’s children from her first marriage: Joseph Martin (19, Iron Founder, born Tipton), Jeremiah Martin (17, Coal Miner, born Tipton), and Mary Ann Martin (15, Piecener in Cloth Mill, born Tipton).

Personal Data

Jeramiah Martin was born in Tipton in November 1893, but before he was 8 years of age his family had moved to live in Leeds. His father had died in 1895 and his mother married widower Thomas Smith in 1896. Between 1898 and 1901 the extensive family moved to Leeds, they consisted of Smith children, Martin children, and Smith children from the new marriage.

Jeremiah's brother Joseph Martin (Pte 8475, 2nd Scots Guards), and his half-brothers Samuel Smith (Pte 23077, 1st Northumberland Fusiliers) and Albert Smith (Pte 44632, 5th Lincolnshire Regiment) were also killed in the Great War. Albert was born and resident in Leeds so is not commemorated on this Tipton website, but Joseph and Samuel are both commemorated on this website.

Jeremiah Martin enlisted in Leeds on 23rd September 1912 as Private 8414 with the Scots Guards for a period of 3 years with the Colours and 9 years in the Reserves. His enlistment papers incorrectly state that he was born in Birmingham, he was born in Tipton. He was 20 years and 10 months old, 5 feet 8½ inches tall, weighed 149 pounds with a 39-inch chest, and was employed as a Coal Miner at Waterloo Main Colliery, Temple Newsam, Leeds. He had hazel eyes, brown hair and his complexion was described as sallow. Jeremiah’s next of kin was his mother, Mrs Maria Martin (actually she was Mrs Maria Smith since 1896) of 17 Harry Crescent, Richmond Hill, Leeds.

After training with the 2nd Battalion at the Guard’s Depot at Caterham, Jeremiah was transferred to the 1st Battalion Scots Guards on 18th February 1913. On 3rd April 1913 he was marked as ‘Absent’, and then 3 weeks later on 24th April ‘Off Strength – Deserted’ as he was still absent. It was 15 months later when he returned.

It would seem that he was detained under Civil Powers (ie by the Police) on 11th July 1914 and handed over to the military authorities on 14th July, then held in the Guard Room from awaiting trial. He was tried by District Court Martial on 20th July for (1) Desertion and (2) Loss of equipment, clothing and regimental necessities. He was found guilty and sentenced to 42 days detention, with stoppages of 3/6d (3 shillings and 6 pence). His former service was forfeited, and service was to reckon from 20th July 1914.

He returned to duty should have been on 31st August 1914, but with war being declared it appears that he was transferred to the 3rd Battalion Scots Guards on 8th August to catch up on his training.

After Jeremiah’s death, his outstanding army pay and allowances amounted to £4/13/10d (4 pounds, 13 shillings and 10 pence); this was divided between his sisters Phoebe Ramsden, Maria Butterfield, Mary A. Martin, and Jane Brookbank, and sister-in-law Rosina M. Martin in February 1916 and May 1917. His War Gratuity was £5/0/0d (5 pounds exactly), this was paid to his sister Phoebe Ramsden (£4/0/0d) and sister-in-law Rosina Martin (£1/0/0d) in September 1919. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that Jeremiah had enlisted in approximately August 1914.

No Dependant's Pension was granted in respect of Jeremiah. This is difficult to explain as Dependant's Pensions were granted in respect of his half-brothers Samuel and Alfred Smith.

Action resulting in his death

Jerry Martin joined the 1st Battalion Scots Guards on 22nd September 1914 when they were serving on the Aisne. In mid-October they arrived in the Ypres sector and saw heavy fighting especially at Nonne Bosschen on 11th November. Jerry transferred to the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards on 12th November 1914; in the 7 weeks that Jerry served with the 1st Scots Guards they had 349 men killed, an astonishing 212 men during the Nonne Bosschen action.

The 2nd Battalion Scots Guards (2/SG) were part of 7th Division (“the Immortal Seventh”) who occupied positions between Neuve Chapelle and Armentières, and for three weeks in December 1914 made repeated attacks on the German trenches. On 18th December, the 2/SG attacked the German trenches at Rouges Bancs, about 1 mile north-east of Fromelles. Their line started where the Fromelles Australian Memorial Park stands today, and stretched 400 yards to the north-east.

The attack was only partly successful as the German line was not fully captured by the Scots Guards; the attack by the 2nd Border Regiment on their flank had failed. Because of this, it was decided that they would not be reinforced and on the morning of 19th December they were told to fall back to their start positions.

The War Diary commented that: “Cross fire from well-placed German machine guns played a big part, and this accounts for our very heavy casualties amounting to nearly 50%, about 180 men, being killed or wounded”. A total of 97 men of the 2/SG were killed on that day, including Jerry Martin. The majority of the 2/SG men killed that day, Jerry included, have no known grave and are commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.

If anyone would like more detail, then some follows.

The attack was commanded by Captain Loder who wrote the following report in the War Diary:
“The attack was timed for 6pm. It was arranged that at 6pm the men should be posted over the parapet and to crawl out under the wire fence and lie down. When this was done, I was to blow my whistle and the line was then to move forward together, and walk as far as they could until the Germans opened fire and then rush the front-line trenches. Having reached the trench, I was to try and hold it if occupied, and if unoccupied, to push on to the second line.

At about 3 minutes to 6pm the men were hoisted over the parapet and lay down. I blew my whistle as loud as I could, but owing to the noise of our gunfire it appears that it was not generally heard. ‘F’ Company being on the right and ‘LF’ Company being on the left we began to move forwards. After about 60 yards I could see that in several places the line was not being maintained, some men moving forward faster than others. I could see this by the flash of the guns. I collected the men nearest to me, and I found myself practically on the parapet before the Germans opened fire. There was no wire entanglement at this point. We bayonetted and killed all the Germans we could see in the trench and then jumped down into it. There was a certain amount of shouting and confusion.”

The 2/SG returned to the same trenches on 23rd December. On Christmas Eve, the War Diary noted that the trenches opposite “were lit up with lanterns and there were sounds of singing”. In a very detailed account, the War Diary then recounts how a scout went out to meet a German patrol. He was given a glass of whisky and a message was sent back “saying that if we didn’t fire at them, they would not fire at us”.

Overnight, the guns were silent and on Christmas morning 1914, the War Diary recounts that: “...a party of Germans came over to our wire fence and a party from our trenches went out to meet them. They appeared to be most amicable and exchanged souvenirs, cap badges etc. Our men gave them plum puddings which they much appreciated”.

The War Diary also records that arrangements were made to bury the dead from December 18th/19th who were still lying between the trenches, the Germans bringing the bodies to a half-way line. Thereafter, “Detachments of British and Germans formed in line and a German and English Chaplain read some prayers alternately. The whole of this was done in great solemnity and reverence. It was heartrending to see some of the chaps one knew so well and who had started out in such good spirits on 18 December lying there dead, and some with terrible wounds due to the explosive action of the high velocity bullet at short range”.

Newspaper Cuttings

Skyrack Courier – Leeds, August 3rd 1917
HALTON (Editor: a district of East Leeds)
Private Joseph Martin (25) and Private Jerry Martin, both of the Scots Guards, have been killed in action. They had been in the Army five and six years respectively, and formerly were employed at Waterloo Main Colliery, Temple Newsam, Leeds.
Editor: This is not strictly true, neither brother had served quite 5 years, and Jeremiah’s service had been interrupted by 15-months desertion.