231566 L/Cpl. Dominic Martino British Army Yorkshire Regiment Dominic Martino was my Grandfather. He served with the Yorkshire Regiment 11 April 1915 to 2 September 1918.
He was crippled in the right arm and right leg by German machine gun fire which left bullet hole and notches in his ear as the machine gunner traversed his body with fire. He was listed as KIA and his wife Maria received a telegram to that effect. After discharge from a hospital he was declared unfit for future military service and received an honourable discharge.
He arrived home unexpectedly to everyone's surprise one day. His name is spelled both Martin and Martino on his records and medals. His regimental number (23282) is the only fixed factor.
Worse was to come for my beloved Grandmother when their only son, Kenneth Albert Martino joined the Royal Navy and he was a radio operator on North Atlantic convoy in WWII being on HMS Hardy torpedoed off Murmansk, he was saved when the appointed destroyer made the single sweep by to pick up survivors and one of his shipmates hanging off the pickup net grabbed him by the hair and pulled him inboard. Dad was hospitalised in Russia and yet again my Grandmother received a telegram to the effect that her only son (five daughters) had been KIA. He too was to arrive home unexpectedly to a grieving family.
Posted to the Pacific Theatre of war for a brief period he met and married my mother, an Australian. They had only one child, me! I was lucky enough to be drawn out of the ballot when conscription was introduced during the Vietnam war. I returned from Vietnam in receipt of a Totally & Permantly Disabled Soldiers pension.
It could be said that the three Martino's had a charmed life in defence of this democracy which the average citizen takes foolishly for granted. I do not wish to see my sons, grandsons or my great grandson devoting any of their time at war, although the way the world is going with the terrorist menace I don't feel too confident about that if we are to maintain a democratic way of life.
I am currently in the process of making a plaque with wartime photographs, medals and hat badges of the three generations of Martino's who have served, offering their all to a blasé population who take the sacrifices of Veterans for granted.
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