In 1919, Brigadier-General William Martin VD ADC was officially placed on the retirement list after 41 years of continuous service.
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He was the fourth Tasmanian officer to rise to such a prestigious rank.
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Brigadier Martin, who was the fourth son of a former Captain in the Indian army, was born at Westbury in 1856.
He attended school at Launceston Church of England Grammar school and took up law as his profession.
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May 1878 marked the beginning of his military service.
He joined the Launceston Company of the Tasmanian Volunteer Rifle Regiment where he served as a private for more than a year.
In 1887, after rising through the ranks Brigadier Martin was appointed to the rank of major.
He commanded the Launceston Rifle Regiment, which was later known as the 2nd battalion, for 10 years before being appointed to lead the 12th Australian Infantry Regiment as a Lieutenant Colonel.
In 1898, he was presented with the Imperial Volunteer Long Service Medal for 20 years of service and the Imperial Volunteer Officer's Decoration.
Five years later, in 1903, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and made a member of the Defence Committee for three years before leading the Tasmanian Brigade from 1907 to 1914.
In 1915, Brigadier Martin volunteered himself for active service in World War 1.
He was declared medically unfit for overseas service but that didn't stop him serving his country.
He served in a variety of roles at throughout the war and in February 1919 was named among others in Military Order No. 77 as having rendered exceptionally meritorious service.
Brigadier Martin passed away in a private hospital in Launceston at the age of 82 on July 11, 1938.
At his funeral, Reverend W. Greenwood described the Brigadier-General as a man who had truly done his duty.
"He was a man of whom it could truly be said that he did his duty to his God, his country and the state in which he lived," he said.
His funeral was well attended, Mr Greenwood said the late Brigadier-General was one of the most loved citizens of Launceston.
This article is based off research conducted by historian Doug Wyatt OAM.
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