Noel Martin

Brigadier George Noel Chadwick Martin, (23 December 1892 – 24 August 1985 ) was a British Army officer and international golfer from Northern Ireland.

Early life and military career Martin was born on 23 December 1892 in Portrush, Ireland. His father, John Charles Martin, was a doctor born in British India and trained at Trinity College, Dublin.

Martin attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and from there was commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 19 July 1912. Clement West, Colin Jardine, Harold Price-Williams and Bernard Young, all future general officers, were among his fellow graduates. On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, he accompanied the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to France, and served on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in commanding a battery under fire. The citation for The medal reads:

He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Order for having brought a field gun into action ahead of his supporting infantry.

By the end of the war, he held the rank of captain (acting major) and commanded B Battery, 74th Brigade RFA, which was serving with the Guards Division.

Between the wars After the war, Martin remained in the army, attended the Staff College, Quetta from 1926 to 1927, and became a prominent golfer. As a member of the Royal Portrush Golf Club, he won the Irish Amateur Open Championship in 1920 and 1923, and the Army golf championship in 1928. Martin also played several international matches for Ireland, captaining the team in 1930.

Second World War During the early stages of the Second World War Martin commanded the 18th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, leading the regiment overseas to France in September 1939. The regiment formed part of the 2nd Infantry Division, then commanded by Major General Henry Loyd, which itself formed part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and, not immediately engaged in combat, the regiment spent most of the "Phoney War" digging defensive positions. In February 1940 the regiment transferred from the 2nd Division to the 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division, a first-line Territorial Army (TA) formation commanded by Major General Andrew Thorne, which had recently arrived in France the month before. He died in 1985, aged 92, and is buried at St. Martin's New Cemetery, St. Martin, Guernsey, Channel Islands.