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He was a member
of the Army Medical Department, later to be the Royal Army Medical
Corps, the RAMC. He was born at Marshalls in High Cross, Hertfordshire
on 4 April 1874. He was one of eight children born to Stephen and
Isabel Martin-Leake. He had two sisters Georgina and Isabel and
five brothers. Four of whom were officers in the army, Stephen,
William, Richard and Theodore.
One, (Frank),
was in the Navy and was Captain of the first ship in WW1 to be torpedoed
by the Germans. One of his brothers (Theodore, of the balloon section
of the army) was killed in a ballooning accident in the English
Channel. Arthur's life was interesting and varied.
He came from
wealthy ancestors, although his wealth had gone, he was comfortable
at the end. The money had disappeared, mainly due to bad investments.
He spent most
of his career in India as Chief Medical Officer for an Indian Railway
Company. He was the only one of the children who married, even though
it was for a short time, his wife dying in 'unusual' circumstances
in India. His first VC was won as a member of the South African
Constabulary in the Boer War. His second was won in WW1.
Deeds
8 February 1902
(Surgeon Captain). At Vlakfontein, South Africa, under heavy fire
from the enemy 100 yards away, he went out to the firing line to
dress a badly wounded man. He then attended a wounded officer and
while doing so was shot himself. He only gave up when thoroughly
exhausted and then refused to take water until other wounded men
had been served.
Google Earth Co-ordinates
51° 51' 0.31"N 0° 1' 14.61"W
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