In 1901 the Martin family were living at The Schoolhouse, Fowlis Wester, Perthshire: Father, Joseph Rundle (Schoolmaster) (44); Mother, Jane (41); Son, William (15); Son, John (14); Son, James (9); Son, Peter (4); and Son, Henry (1).

Henry (Harry) Martin enlisted in Perth in March 1917. Following 6 months of basic training he joined his Battalion in September 1917, at which time they were based around Dirty Bucket Corner in an area to the North West of Ypres.

Soon after Harry joined them, the Battalion was involved in the Battle of Menin Road Ridge which was part of the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). They were then moved south to Cambrai and were part of the attack which led to the capture of Bourlon Wood. The Battalion was moved briefly out of the Cambrai battlefield for a rest, but was on it’s way back again when the enemy attacked on 1st December, re-capturing virtually all of the ground gained.

In early 1918 they took part in the Battles of St Quentin and Bapaume which were phases of the Second Battle of the Somme. They had remained in the Cambrai area until 21st March 1918, when the enemy launched an overwhelming attack on the fronts of the Fifth and Third Armies.

The defensive front around Flesquieres formed a salient and was strongly held by the British. The enemy decided not to attack it frontally, but instead drenched it with gas while attacking on either side. The pressure grew during the day, and from early evening they were part of a fighting withdrawal that took it back several miles over the next few days, through Baumetz, towards Bapaume. There then followed the Battles at Estaires and Hazebrouck.

On 1st April, the 51st Highland Division entrained for the Bethune area, where it was hoped things would be quieter. Unfortunately, the enemy opened a second phase of it’s offensive on 9th April 1918, and the Highland Division moved into defensive positions behind Richebourg Saint Vaast, where it played a key part in beating off incessant attacks at great cost.

At the beginning of May, the Division moved to Oppy near Arras, where it stayed until 11th July in a relatively quiet spell. The Battalion was then committed, as part of the 51st Highland Division, to the Battle of the Tardenois, a part of the Second Battle of the Marne.

The Regimental history states that the 6th Battalion was subjected to heavy artillery fire and suffered numerous casualties on 23rd July. 51 Gordon Highlanders were killed on that day. It was during this action that Harry Martin was killed. 

He was 18 years old. 

Henry Martin is also commemorated on the Fowlis Wester Parish War Memorial.