Martin Family Veterans’ Exhibit in Franklin

By Thomas P. Caldwell

The Western Union telegram that arrived on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, was to the point: “The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your son Staff Sergeant Roger S Martin Air Corps has been reporting missing in action in Southeast Pacific Area since November 16 period Additional information will be sent to you when received.”

It would be almost a year later, on the anniversary of SSgt. Martin’s disappearance, that Sidney Martin received the letter from Major General J.A. Ulio, the Adjutant General of the War Department, confirming the death of his son, marking Franklin’s first casualty of World War II.

“It is my distressing duty to inform you that all possible efforts have failed to locate your son,” Ulio wrote. “Sergeant Martin was aboard an airplane which failed to reach its destination in a non-battle flight. … [A]ll available records, reports and circumstances relating to the disappearance of your son have been carefully reviewed and considered and an official finding of death has been made.”

The letter continues, “I very much regret that the conditions of warfare on many fronts and over isolated areas and vast expanses of water, as well as the disinclination of some of our enemies to report deaths in occupied territory, have all served to deny to some of us an accurate knowledge of the actual dates and circumstances of the deaths of our loved ones,” but those lost “must be ascribed the great honor of having given their lives for their country in her gravest crisis.”

That telegram and letter are now part of a new exhibit that officially opened on Memorial Day at the Franklin Historical Society Museum in Webster Place, off Route 3.

Neal Martin, who was Roger Martin’s younger brother and who served in the

European Theater during WWII — including during the Battle of the Bulge at Ardennes, the largest and bloodiest battle the United States experienced in the war — had saved all of the material his parents had, and when Neal died at age 100, it passed to his daughter, Lisa. She, in turn, approached the Franklin Historical Society, asking it to serve as the repository for both Roger’s and Neal’s wartime memorabilia, as well as material relating to a younger brother, Ray, who was too young for WWII but enlisted in the Navy and then the Air Force, serving in both Korea and Vietnam.

Historical Society President Leigh Webb said that, before accepting the material, he asked Lisa to consider donating it to the Wright Museum of

World War II in Wolfeboro, but she said it belonged in Franklin.

Circling Back To The Past

Roger Sidney Martin, born on May 28, 1918, graduated from Franklin High School in 1938, enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1941 after having worked as a stock clerk at F.W. Woolworth Co. in Franklin since graduation. He was assigned to overseas duties in Australia in January 1942. That fall, he was transferred to New Guinea.

Martin was recognized for the “clock drop” in a communiqué from Melbourne, Australia, on September 19, 1942: “This morning, a flight of the United States attack bombers raided the Japanese base in Lae, New Guin• Exhibit continued on page 33 ea. But it did not drop bombs. No. They dropped a present for the Japanese imperial headquarters, an alarm clock made in Japan…. The clock was dropped on the Japanese position by rear gunner, Sgt. Roger Martin, of Franklin, New Hampshire. It floated to earth attached to two small parachutes. Message attached …. ‘Watch this clock. It is a reminder that you will be bombed every hour, on the hour.’”

After learning of Roger’s death, Mayor Henry Proulx dedicated the football field behind Franklin High School to him, during a game between Franklin and Laconia. (Franklin won, Leigh noted.)

Franklin Mayor Ken Merrifield presided over a rededication ceremony at Roger S. Martin Field in 2012, and for the historical society dedication of its new exhibit this year, Merrifield returned to speak after Lisa introduced the display. Also attending was Kathy Fuller, the granddaughter of Henry Proulx.

“So there was a wonderful connection between the present and the past, with all of the Martin family reconnecting and reminiscing, and Kathy Fuller being her to represent her grandfather,” Leigh said. “We as the Franklin Historical Society appreciate the donation of all of this material to honor Roger and both of his brothers.”

Neal Leon Martin was born on August 25, 1921, and took part in four European campaigns during WWII: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe. His commanding officer granted him leave to return to Franklin after Mayor Proulx sent a request to have him attend the dedication of the football field to his brother.

After the war, Neal earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of New Hampshire and worked in the pulp and paper industry until his retirement in 1984.

Born September 24, 1930, Ray Ernest “Duke” Martin served four years in the Navy before continuing his military career with 22 years of service in the U.S. Air Force. He was a flight-based radar technician and flight instructor at air bases in Mississippi, Cape Cod, Denver, Colorado, California, and Tehran, Iran. His service included both the Korean Conflict and the Cold War.

The Martin brothers’ exhibits joined the historical society’s original exhibit, featuring a World War I tank corps uniform and a World War II uniform, both from the Gilchrists, also members of Kathy Fuller’s family.

“All this sort of expanded from there,” Leigh said.

The exhibit includes a Navy sailor’s uniform worn by John S. Shepard III, a 1940s wheelchair, a WWII window flag denoting three family members serving in the military, and many other items.

A special section honors Lieutenant Colonel Bernice Sinclair, a Legion of Merit award-winner who served in the Army Nurse Corps and was acquainted with General George S. Patton. Her cousin donated a three-ring binder of her WWII memorabilia, and the exhibit includes a copy of Patton’s famous speech to the Third Army that was featured in the film portraying the bom- bastic commander.

When Easterseals announced its intention of creating a veterans’ campus at Webster Place, Leigh said he thought it would be nice to put all of the military-related displays together in a separate portion of the museum, but the collection had grown so large that one display is in a separate location.

“That’s the one on the USS Daniel Webster atomic submarine,” Leigh

Maurice Tandy, who lived on Pleasant Street in Franklin before moving to Belmont, remains an active member of the historical society, and he had USS Daniel Web. He donated some items, including his dress blue jacket and pants, and put

Leigh in touch with a retired Marine colonel who donated more memorabilia “with the provision that, if we ever decided not to display it, it would have to be returned to the family,” Leigh said.

“I’ve offered to Easterseals the opportunity, once veterans are living here, that all they have to do is contact me anytime and I’d be happy to open the museum to them,” Leigh said, “because this is, in essence, a tribute to all those who served from Franklin, and we try to represent most of the branch-

The museum is open for the summer on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and all three days of Labor Day Weekend.

Summer fun begins here!

Summer fun begins here!

A Plein Air Event

Don’t miss the last of the Meredith On Canvas, A Plein Air Event. Sunday, July 2, marks the last day of painting for artists who will be working all along the shoreline in Meredith and around Main Street. Stop by to watch these talented painters recreate the scenes around town.

Plein Air painting is of or relating to painting in outdoor light. It is a branch of Impressionism that attempts to represent outdoor light and air.

One of the artists participating is Susan E. Hanna.

Susan E. Hanna, lives and works in New Hampshire. She creates outdoor scenes in oils, often on copper or aluminum panels.

Her work explores encounters with light, capturing the joy she feels when seeing light glowing through the leaves, across the sky, or skittering along wave tops and eddies. Patrons have described her art as “serene.”

Susan is a self-taught artist who has practiced in oils for over fifty years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts with majors in unrelated fields. After working for many years and raising a fam- ily, she earned her Juris Doctor and practiced law for several years.

During these times, Susan continued to paint. She credits decades of actively observing her surroundings with her ability to recreate what she sees through a lens of appreciation. She often states that there is beauty everywhere if one simply looks.

Susan has exhibited widely in New Hampshire with additional shows and representation in Maine and Massachusetts. Her paintings hang in homes and businesses throughout the United States.

Use the Do The Loop map to locate the artists, or you can stop by The Gallery at 30 Main to see where specific artists are located. Come to Meredith July 2nd and enjoy the day observing these talented artists. The best viewing time is between 10:00 and 3:00.

Join us Sunday, August 6, at Karlins Wine, Cheese and Provisions at 20 Main Street, Meredith from 1:00 to 3:00 for the grand finale, the closing reception and sale of finished work.

For more info contact meredithoncanvas@gmail.com

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