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411236 Sergeant Geroge Edward MARTIN.
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. B.Martin of Eltham.

George Martin was born at New Plymouth on the 10th March 1920. He received his secondary education at the Stratford Technical High School. From the time of leaving school in 1935 until applying for enlistment in aircrew, on the 9th December 1939, he was employed in the grocery trade at Fordell.

Sergeant Martin was enlisted at the Initial Training Wing, Levin, on the 15th February 1941, and on the completion of his training there embarked on the 27th March for Canada to train under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Sergeant Martin was posted to No.3 Wireless School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the 17th April and then to No.7, Bombing and Gunnery School, Paulson, Manitoba, on the 1st September. Here on the 29th September he was awarded the Wireless Operator Air Gunner's badge and promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Afterwards proceeding on the 6th October to No.1 'Y' Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for embarkation to the United Kingdom.

Sergeant Martin arrived at No.3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, on the 24th October 1941 and early in December was posted to No.1 Signals School Cranwell, Lincolnshire, for his advanced training. On the 20th January 1942 he proceeded to No.11, Operational Training Unit, Steeple, Morden, Hertfordshire, and later at Bassingbourne where he crewed up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. While at this later base he took part in an operational raid on Bremen in Germany. During July he converted to Stirling bomber aircraft at No.149 Squadron, Conversion Flight, Mildenhall, Suffolk, joining the squadron at Lakenheath on the 20th July. From this base he took part in a further nine operational flights the targets including Duisberg (2), Saarbrucken, Dusseldorf, Kassel, Nurenberg and Frankfurt, all in Germany.

Sergeant Martin was a member of the crew of a Stirling bomber which took off during the night of the 10/11th September 1942 to attack a target at Dusseldorf. The aircraft failed to return to its base and all the crew including Sergeant Martin were classified as missing. Later, information was received from a German offical