Martin, Clarence

Service Highlights

  • Service Number: 727638
  • Born July 4, 1897 in East Nissouri Township, Oxford County, Ontario.
  • Enlisted at St. Marys, Ontario on March 4, 1916 with the 110th Battalion, CEF.
  • Next of kin listed in his service record as his mother, Mary Martin, of St. Marys, Ontario.
  • Sailed for overseas service in October 1916 and arrived in England in November 1916.
  • Transferred to the 58th Battalion, CEF and served in France.
  • Joined the 58th Battalion in France as reinforcement for the Vimy fighting in April 1917.
  • Wounded on April 11, 1917 at Bois de la Folie and suffered a compound fracture of the right femur from a gunshot wound.
  • Invalided to Canada in March 1918 for further medical treatment.
  • Discharged medically unfit on March 9, 1920.
  • Farmed and raised a family of four in the St. Marys area after the war.
  • Passed away on November 15, 1963.
  • Commemorated through the St. Marys Legion Veterans Banner Program.

A Life and Service Remembered

Clarence Martin was born in East Nissouri Township in 1897 and enlisted in St. Marys in March 1916, joining the 110th Battalion just six months after his brother Norman had enlisted. He was one of Joseph and Mary Martin’s eleven children. His father died in 1904 when Clarence was just six years old.

He sailed over to England on the same ship as his brother, the SS Caronia October 31 1916. After reaching England, Martin was transferred to the 58th Battalion and sent to France. In April 1917 he joined the battalion as reinforcement during the fighting connected to Vimy. On the morning of April 11, near Bois de la Folie, he was part of a group attempting to take enemy trenches when he was shot and suffered a compound fracture of his right femur. The Legion account records that enemy gunfire prevented rescue during the day, and that he used his rifle as a splint before crawling back to his own lines and surviving through the night until evacuation the following day.

The wound changed the course of his life. His service file shows lengthy treatment in hospitals in France, England, and later Canada, and he was eventually invalided home for further care. He spent years recovering and was finally discharged as medically unfit in March 1920. A pronounced limp remained with him for the rest of his life.

After the war, Clarence farmed and raised a family of four in the St. Marys area. He passed away in 1963, and his story remains one of courage, endurance, and the lasting cost of war carried home by so many veterans.

Major Battles and Operations

  • Service with the 110th Battalion, CEF in Canada and England before transfer overseas.
  • Reinforcement to the 58th Battalion, CEF in France in 1917.
  • Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917.
  • Fighting at Bois de la Folie on April 11, 1917, where he was seriously wounded.

Learn More

Royal Canadian Legion Military Service Recognition Book Volume 4 & 5
https://on.legion.ca/remembrance/military-service-recognition-book/msrb/

Canadian Great War Project
https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=831837