Arthur Martin-Leake VC and Bar

b. 04/04/1874 High Cross, near Ware, Hertfordshire. d. 22/06/1953 High Cross, near Ware, Hertfordshire.

Arthur Martin-Leake (1874-1953) was born on 4th April 1874 at “Marshalls”, High Cross, Ware, Hertfordshire, the fifth son of Stephen Martin-Leake, who was originally from Thorpe Hall, Essex. His father was a barrister and author of legal texts. His mother was Isabel nee Plunkett. Stephen and Isabel were married on 24th September 1859 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Arthur was one of eight children, with two sisters called Georgina and Isabel, and five brothers. Four of his brothers became officers in the Army. The other brother, Frank became a Captain in the Royal Navy. Sadly, one of his brothers, Theodore, was killed in a ballooning accident in World War I. He was educated at Grange Preparatory School in Stevenage, Westminster School (1888-1891), and the University College Hospital in London, and qualified in Medicine in 1898. He then became an Assistant Demonstrator to various surgeons and studied under the foremost neurosurgeon of the time, Sir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley CB. He was then employed as House Physician at University College Hospital, London, a locum at Surrey County Lunatic Asylum and then his first medical appointment was at West Herts Infirmary in Hemel Hempstead. This was a short term appointment, as soon as the Second Boer War broke out the following year, he joined the Hertfordshire Yeomanry as a Trooper.

Arthur Martin-Leake VC*

Arthur remained with this company during it’s year service in South Africa, taking part in several important engagements, notably Princeloo’s surrender and the relief of Hoar’s laager. When the Company went home he remained in South Africa, and was employed with the Army as a civil surgeon. Later, when the South African Constabulary was formed by General Baden-Powell, he joined that force at the rank of Surgeon-Captain, and served with it until he was invalided home due to wounds. It was during this service, he was involved in the action which led to the award of the Victoria Cross (London Gazette, 13th May 1902).

During the action at Vlakfontein, on the 8th February, 1902, Surgeon-Captain Martin-Leake went up to a wounded man (Sergeant W H Waller), and attended to him under a heavy fire from about 40 Boers at 100 yards range. He then went to the assistance of a wounded Officer (Lieutenant TOP Abraham), and, whilst trying to place him in a comfortable position, was shot three times in the right arm and left thigh, but would not give in till he rolled over thoroughly exhausted from a loss of blood. All the eight men at this point were wounded, and while they were lying on the Veldt, Surgeon-Captain Martin-Leake refused water till everyone else had been served. Major General Robert Baden-Powell, commander of the South African Constabulary, recommended Arthur for the VC following a Board of Officers convened by Major Fair to collect statements from members of the unit, including Sergeant Waller. The recommendation was forwarded to Commander-in-Chief South Africa, Lord Kitchener, on 3rd March 1902. Kitchener and his predecessor, Lord Roberts VC, believed Martin-Leake was only carrying out his duty and recommended the DSO, but Sir Redvers Buller VC thought he deserved the VC. Under pressure from William St John Brodrick, Secretary of State for War, Roberts, by then Commander-in-Chief in London, made the recommendation to the Military Secretary, “Submit to the King for the VC”. King Edward VII then duly approved the award on 8th May 1902, the last VC of the Boer War.

Martin-Leake was presented with his VC by King Edward VII at St James’ Palace, London on 2nd June 1902. Arthur had been treated at he SAC Hospital in Heidelberg before being granted six months’ leave and invalided home. In June 1902, he was operated on by his former tutor, Sir Victor Horsley, who repaired his hand. His ulnar nerve had been severed, and despite the surgery, the hand remained inflexible and partially paralysed. As soon as he was able to, he returned to the medical profession, and having passed the necessary examinations, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in June 1903. He was not permitted to perform surgery however, and received disability and wound pensions of £100 per annum each from the SAC funds.

In the autumn of 1903 he went to India to take up an appointment as an Administrative Medical Officer of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, an appointment he would hold for a long period of time. He remained in India until 1912 when he returned to England for a period of leave. Whilst he was in England, the Balkan War broke out, and the British Red Cross set up a unit to serve with the Montenegran Army, and Martin-Leake volunteered for active service. He saw a lot of fighting, and was awarded the Montenegran Red Cross decoration by King Nicholas. He was also awarded the British Red Cross Society Balkan War Medal (1912-13) with clasp “Montenegro”, which was presented to him by Queen Alexandra at Marlborough House on 8th July 1913. On the morning of 5th August 1914, the news of the declaration of war against Germany was received in India where Arthur had returned.

Arthur quickly obtained a leave of absence from the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, and sailed back to Europe. They didn’t quite make it back to England, eventually arriving in Paris on 30th August 1914. He was almost arrested as a spy, wearing his Indian volunteer uniform, but the British Embassy arranged for him to serve with the RAMC. Martin-Leake was appointed to the 5th Field Ambulance, 2nd Division with the rank of Lieutenant. By the time he linked up with his unit, the Germans were in retreat from the Marne and were holding positions on the Aisne. The German subsequent advance on the Channel ports were checked during the First Battle of Ypres between 19th October and 17th November 1914. It was during this period that Martin-Leake became the first of only three men to date to be awarded a Bar to his Victoria Cross (London Gazette, 18th February 1915).

The citation read as follows: Lieutenant Arthur Martin Leake, Royal Army Medical Corps, who was awarded the Victoria Cross on 13th May, 1902, is granted, a Clasp for conspicuous bravery in the present campaign: — For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty throughout the campaign, especially during the period 29th October to 8th November, 1914, near Zonnebeke, in rescuing, whilst exposed to constant fire, a large number of the wounded who were lying close to the enemy’s trenches.

Martin-Leake VC and Bar (Thomas Stewart)

Martin-Leake received the Bar to his VC at Windsor Castle from King George V on 24th July 1915. He had left India in such haste that he had left his VC behind, so it had to be sent for by the Military Secretary to have the Bar added before the investiture. He had been promoted to Captain in March 1915, and then Major in November 1915. He was also awarded the British Medical Association’s Gold Medal on 30th June 1915, but did not receive it until 25th July 1922, when visiting Glasgow on leave. Owing to his previous experience in the Balkans, he was selected to accompany the “Adriatic Mission” which was to assist the Serbians with supplies and medical help. He was deployed to Corfu on 28th January 1916 with elements of the 143rd Field Ambulance, but the mission was short lived and when the French took over he returned to England on 6th March. He returned to France as second in command of 30th Casualty Clearing Station on 22nd March 1916 and served briefly with the Royal Flying Corps in September, until being recalled due to a shortage of doctors. On 3rd April 1917, he was given command of 46th Field Ambulance, and promoted to Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel, and subsequently commanded 42nd Casualty Clearing Station with the 1st Army. Captain Noel Chavasse (then VC, and later VC and Bar) passed through 46th Field Ambulance and was seen by Arthur, although Chavasse was mortally wounded. Arthur was mentioned in despatches on 7th April 1918. At the termination of his contract in September 1918, he left the service, and after some leave in England, he returned to his pre-war job on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway in January 1920. He joined the Bengal Flying Club in 1927, qualified as a pilot in 1928 and bought a Gypsy Moth.

Arthur was described as peers as a bit of a misogynist, as he openly disliked nurses, hated “railway wives”, disapproved of the suffragette movement, and had no time for vicars’ wives. However, he made an exception for his future wife, as they both loved India, enjoyed hunting and the outdoors. He married Winifred Frances Carroll nee Nedham, at Christ Church, Westminster on 1st October 1930. She was the widow of a railway employee, Charles Carroll, who had died in 1929. Arthur and Winifred had no children, and he was the only one of his siblings to marry. Tragically, Winifred committed suicide in their railway carriage at Chandla Road Station in the Central Provinces, India on 14th October 1932. She was buried without inquest or post-mortem in a tiny churchyard next to St Augustine’s Church at Bilaspur.

He chose to return to England, leaving India on retirement on 1st October 1937, and settled into his family home, Marshalls, near Ware.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Arthur volunteered again for service and worked as a surgeon in a mobile medical unit. The unit was set up at the White House Inn at High Cross near Ware in May 1940. He taught First Aid classes there and at nearby Puckeridge and his mobile unit won many prizes in inter-unit competitions. Following the end of the War, he again returned to retirement. Martin-Leake died of lung cancer at his home, Marshalls, on 22nd June 1953, aged 79, and was cremated at Enfield Crematorium. His ashes were interred at St John the Evangelist Church, High Cross, near Ware, Hertfordshire. The grave was refurbished by the RAMC in 1989.

In addition to his VC and Bar, he received the Queen’s South Africa Medal 1899-1902 with three clasps (Cape Colony, Transvaal and Wittebergen), King’s South Africa Medal 1901-02 with two clasps (South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902), 1914 Star with “Mons” clasp, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19 with Mentioned in Despatches oakleaf, George V Silver Jubilee Medal 1935, George VI Coronation Medal 1937, Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953 and the Indian Volunteer Forces Officers’ Decoration. His medals are held by the Museum of Military Medicine which is currently being relocated from Keogh Barracks in Aldershot to Whittington Barracks in Lichfield, Staffordshire. His medals were presented to the Museum by his cousin, Dr Hugh Martin-Leake on 26th June 1955.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: MUSEUM OF MILITARY MEDICINE, WHITTINGTON BARRACKS, LICHFIELD, STAFFORDSHIRE.

BURIAL PLACE: HIGH CROSS CHURCHYARD, HIGH CROSS, HERTFORDSHIRE. (ASHES)