Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
2 photographs : b&w ; 21 x 26 cm
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Gartshore Martin, Col. DSO, MID, Q.C., was an officer in World War II and later became a lawyer in Kitchener, Ontario. The youngest son of John Alexander and Jessie (Wilson) Martin, John studied at the University of Toronto and was employed at the Waterloo Manufacturing Co. Ltd. until he enlisted in the Canadian army in 1941. At that time, he was posted to the Highland Light Infantry regiment as a reinforcement officer with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Before enlisting, he was a member of the Scots Fusiliers of Canada and trained with them at Niagara, Brockville, and Camp Borden. He also worked on staff at a military school in Vernon, British Columbia before being posted overseas in September, 1943. In 1944 he was transferred to the Lincoln and Welland Regiment (infantry), which participated in the landing at Normandy and the Allied advance through Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany. Martin was promoted to the rank of Major and was awarded several medals, including a Distinguished Service Order and mention in despatches. After returning to Kitchener in 1946, he married his fiance Mary Ann Kabel (daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Art Kabel of Kitchener) and enrolled in law school at Osgoode Hall. Upon graduating in 1949, he practiced law in Kitchener and retired as a senior partner of the law firm Clement, Eastman, Dreger, Martin & Meunier. Martin was involved in community service at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and several organizations in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. He and Mary Ann had three children: Cathryn Jean, John Jamieson, and David Alexander.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Two copies of a photograph likely depicting a group of individuals gathered during a reception celebrating the opening of a new local Legion Hall that took place following the outdoor investiture ceremony at which Major John Gartshore Martin received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). From left to right, the individuals pictured are Jessie Gartshore Martin; Margaret Alexander, Countess Alexander of Tunis; Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis and 17th Governor General of Canada; Gerald E. Eastman, law partner of John Gartshore Martin; and an unknown individual.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
General note
On Saturday, May 31, 1947, Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, attended an outdoor investiture ceremony in Victoria Park, Kitchener. During the event, twenty‑five officers and men were decorated by Alexander, then serving as Governor General of Canada, including Major John Gartshore Martin, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). After the investiture ceremony, Alexander proceeded to the newly opened Legion Hall, where he unveiled a stained‑glass memorial window.[1]
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Martin, Jessie Gartshore (Subject)
- Eastman, Gerald Ernest (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Language of description
Script of description
Sources
[1] "Park Investiture Peak of Big Day - Decorations at Home Historic; Legion Unveiling is Impressive." Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Saturday, May 31, 1947, p. 3, 12.
At the time of the original donation, identifying details of the photograph were unknown; however, additional contextual information was provided in 2026, and the description was updated.