January 1916
Mary Martin’s diary commences on 1 January 1916; her intention is to write it
in the form of a letter to her son Charlie, missing
in action on the Salonika Front. He was last posted in Salonika, Greece and Mary’s most recent contact with him was a letter sent at
the end of November 1915 in which he referred to the intense cold.
Mary spends much of this month making enquiries about Charlie using as many channels as she can, both official channels such as The Red Cross, the Washington Embassy, the Austrian Ambassador and the British Army paymasters Cox & Co. and Major Whyte and personal friends such as Ernest
Lambkin. However, information is hard to come by, particularly since cables are
not getting through to Salonika, where Charlie was
last stationed.
Towards the middle of the month, Mary receives a cable from The Red Cross informing her that
Charlie was at Ghergheli Ridge and had a
wounded leg and arm; it is hoped that he has been imprisoned. She is also heartened to
hear from General Cox, Charlie's commanding officer, who
speaks highly of Charlie’s actions and has
recommended him for a captaincy. She is disappointed when news comes in of seven prisoners
who have been found in Bulgaria, but Charlie is not among them.
Mary’s eldest son, Tommy, is also in the army and
currently recovering at Bere Island. Her daughter Marie is a nurse and is posted in Malta; she writes home describing Christmas in the hospital there.
Towards the end of the month, Aunt Lily is called up to work on a hospital ship, the ‘Frankland’. Mary's other sons head
off to Downside, their boarding school in England,
towards the end of January, as the new term commences.
(No Reference Available)
Charles Andrew Martin
Born 3 June 1895, Charles Andrew was Mary Martin's son. This diary is dedicated to him. He was reported wounded and missing in December 1915 and died of his wounds on December 8 while in Bulgarian captivity, aged 20. However it wasn't until July 1 1916 that official confirmation of his death was received. Salonika
Large city in Greece and disembarkation point for the ill-fated Allied attempt to aid Serbia against Germany and her ally Bulgaria. This was the nearest Allied city to where Charles Martin died. Comité International de la Croix Rouge (International Committee of the Red Cross)
The Red Cross based in Geneva in Switzerland which provided succour and supplies to prisoners of war in World War One. Embassy at Washington
The British Embassy in Washington. At this time, the US was a neutral country and as such often had quicker access to information about prisoners of war than combatant countries. Cox & Co.
Regimental agents and paymasters for the British Army. They were often a good source of information on prisoners of war. W H Whyte
Major W H Whyte of the 6th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, where Charles Martin served and died. Ernest Lambkin
Son of Ernest Lambkin, close family friend of the Martins, serving in the British Army. Ghergehli Ridge
This is an error by the Red Cross. The train station where the British battalions alighted to march to the front line was at Ghevgeli in Macedonia. Charles Martin went missing in a Bulgarian attack on Crete Rivet a hill between Causli and Kosturino close to the Greek border
General P. Cox
General P. Cox. As Colonel Cox, he was the commander of 6th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, the battalion Charles Martin served and died in. Bulgaria
Ally of Germany during World War One and whose army Charles Martin fought against in his final campaign. Thomas Patrick Martin
Born on St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1891 and died in 1954, Thomas Shannon Patrick was Mary Martin's son and was known in the family as Tommy. He served in the 5th Battalion of the Connaught Rangers, a famous Irish regiment of the British Army but survived the war. Bere Island
An island off the west coast of County Cork used by the British Army as a training centre during the First World War. Marie Helena Martin
Born 25 April 1892 and died 27 January 1975. Marie Helena was Mary Martin's daughter and worked in Malta and France as a VAD nurse during the First World War. In 1937 she founded the religious order Medical Missionaries of Mary. Malta
Mediterranean island south of Sicily and part of the British Empire. Marie Martin served there as a VAD from October 1915 to April 1916. Lily Levins Moore
Born 1875, Lily Levins Moore was Mary Martin's sister. Downside School
Public school for boys located near Bath in south-west England which all Mary Martin's sons attended. | 
