Henry Humphrey Marten in 1914
Henry Humphrey Marten was the second son of Robert Humphrey Marten, Tib, the brother of Florence Evans. He was born in 1894 in Adelaide where his father was a surgeon, but was educated in England at Cheltenham College and was destined to study at Gonville and Caius College Cambridge. His Aunt and Uncle lived in Cheltenham, and his father had obtained his medical degree from Caius College.
He and his brother Roy were therefore close to their English based cousins – Hal Lewis and Wilmot Evans. Indeed Hal Lewis was educated at both Cheltenham and at Caius and himself went to Australia in 1910, before finishing his degree.
Henry Humphrey Marten at school in Cheltenham
How far Henry got with his education is not clear but he joined the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, Manchester Regiment, aged 20, the day after war was declared. He rapidly obtained his commission as a Second Lieutenant and was deployed to France in Nov 1914. He was killed by a sniper on 13 August 1915 whilst clearing barbed wire. He was due to be promoted to Captain at the time of his death.
Both his brother Roy and his father served in the war and survived.
Molly Evans his first cousin writes in her diary for Sat 21 Aug 1915 “heard of Henry’s death”. Later on that same day she received news of the death of a Hagley neighbour, Lionel Townsend.
The probate of his estate of £359 was granted to his Aunt Nettie in Cheltenham on 5 Oct 1915.