Dedicated fireman who was "Pompey through and through" and saved lives across the city dies with tribute paid
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A kind and popular fireman who was “Pompey through and through” has died at the age of 92.
Maurice John Martin passed away on December 5 after suffering a heart attack. He served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was a fireman in Portsmouth City Fire Brigade, saving lives and tackling blazes for nearly 30 years.
His daughter Marie Manley said she looked up to his dedication to the job and has fond memories of visiting him at Copnor fire station. “He was Pompey through and through,” she told The News.
“We believe up until his passing he was the oldest ex-fireman in Portsmouth City Fire Brigade. He was very proud of the service, and the comradery was brilliant. The fire brigade was a big family. Lots of ex-firemen will be going to his funeral.”
“The RAF instilled good things in him”
Born in 1933, Maurice would go on to live in Portsmouth, Bedhampton, Leigh Park, and Cowplain. He was the son of William Martin, who was the oldest British soldier who served the Second World War.
William was demobilised and released from active service aged 72 in 1948, after previously serving in the Boer War and fighting at the Battle of Ladysmith in the First World War.
Maurice initially worked as a yard boy at Portsmouth dockyard between 1948 and 1951. He was called up to the RAF through national service, and signed on for a further two years. While being enlisted between 1952 and 1956 at RAF Amman in Jordan and RAF Fulton in Bristol, he served on operations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beirut in Lebanon, and elsewhere.
Marie said her dad being in the military taught him how to be a good fireman, uncle, and father. “The comradery with his mates in the RAF instilled really good things for him,” she added.
“It’s a community”
After learning the ropes of firefighting in the RAF, Maurice joined Portsmouth City Fire Brigade in April 1956. He would go on to be stationed in Southsea, Copnor, and Cosham - regularly saving lives and risking his own while putting out blazes across the city and surrounding area. Maurice married his wife June in 1960.
Marie said she remembers him being treated following a fire at a hospital, and how worried her mum would get. Despite the job’s challenges, she was happy her dad was a part of it. “It’s a community,” she added.
“With working long hours overnight, you have to rely on each other. If you’re going into a burning building, you want to know your mate and colleague is there for you. It’s scary enough now hearing about firefighters losing their lives. In those days, it must have been horrific. I would have thought he saved many lives.”
Retirement
Thing were not always easy for the family in the service, with Maurice joining the fire brigade strike between November 14, 1977, and January 16, 1978. The family had to be supported by charities while Maurice was on the picket line.
He retired on February 28, 1985, and proceeded to work as a bag packer in supermarkets across the Portsmouth area and as a part time gardener for the elderly in Bedhampton. His favourite drink was a whisky mac with ginger wine, and loved ballroom dancing, going to discos, watching Portsmouth FC, and visiting the New Forest and Hayling Island.
Marie said he was always a family man, especially after he stopped working and spent more time looking after his grandchildren, Charli and Will. “Everybody that met him said he was a very lovely man,” she added.
“My mum and dad looked after my children a lot while I was working. My daughter said he helped bring her up. He was always there to give a wise word if needed and raise a glass of whisky. He was a very good dad, patient, and a great listener.
“He would take it all on board and create some sort of plan. Maurice was very sociable, popular, and kind, very kind.” Maurice’s funeral will be held on January 8.