Mamie Martin

Mary "Mamie" Evelyn Martin (; 7 July 1891 – 24 September 1928), also known as Nyankhutowa, was a British missionary active in Nyasaland (present-day Malawi). Her life and letters inspired the establishment of the Mamie Martin Fund, a Scottish charity dedicated to improving girls' education in Malawi, and her letters have formed the basis of two books.

Life Martin was born Mary Evelyn Telfer on 7 July 1891 in Calcutta, British India (present-day Kolkata, India) to Alexander Prentice Telfer and Margaret Thomson Telfer . Both of her parents worked as missionaries in Calcutta. The family returned to Scotland in 1897, when she was five, after her father was asked to lead Tarbet United Free Presbyterian Church. He led that church for 28 years, settling in Tarbet on the side of Loch Lomond. Martin gained three younger sisters while in Tarbet.

She met Jack Martin at a family picnic in 1911. They soon discovered they were both set to study arts at the University of Edinburgh. During their enrolment there, she would write to him three times a week. They married and she again wrote to him as he served in the army during World War One.

The Martins were travelling to Nyasaland to serve as missionaries at Bandawe. She was particularly impressed, that year, after hearing Harry Kambwiri Matecheta speak. "Reverend Harry" was to be the first African minister in Malawi.

Women missionaries were generally expected to be subservient, however Martin did get to lead. Experienced female single missionary women would be expected to respect newly arrived male missionaries who would be given more responsibility. The partial exception was when the male lead of the mission was away for a few weeks. Then his wife was expected to take his role. Wives were not paid, but Martin was happy to teach without a salary.

Mamie and Jack had a daughter, Margaret, who is said to be the first baby to be baptised by an African (at their mission).

On 24 September 1928, Martin died in Bandawe from Blackwater fever following childbirth.

Legacy In 1988, her descendants discovered hundreds of letters she had written during her years in Malawi. Margaret Sinclair later wrote a book based on the letters her mother had sent between 1921 and 1928. Margaret's ashes lie by her mother and both of them are close to Bandawe Girls Secondary School which is one of the schools that receives funding from the charity they both inspired. Isobel Reid wrote another book, published in 2024, which uses Martin's letters as a significant source.