The Madras College Archive

     


Former Teacher Biographies

Hugh Forgan Martin M.A., B.A. (1886 - 1954), Rector
 
 

Hugh Martin was born in Forgan Parish, Fife on 25th October 1886, the son of the Very Rev. Dr. Thomas Martin, M.A., B.D. who was  minister at Forgan Parish Church, then at Cramond Kirk and was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1920.

Mr Martin came to Madras as Rector in October 1920. He had a first class honours classics degree from Glasgow University in 1909 and went on to be Snell Exhibitioner at Balliol College Oxford that year. He was a junior assistant in Latin at Glasgow university in 1912 before going to teach at Glasgow High School in 1914. In October that year he joined the The Highland Light Infantry and served in France before leaving in 1919 with the rank of captain. He was Principal Classics Teacher at Hamilton Academy until he came to Madras. He went on from Madras to be Rector of Dollar Academy from 1923 to 1935. There were over 40 applicants and a short leet of 7.

He subsequently went to Edinburgh to be Headmaster of Daniel Stewart’s, which he had himself attended as a pupil. He retired on medical grounds in 1945 and died in 1954. He had served as president of the Scottish Schoolmasters’ Association and as vice-president of the Association of Headmasters of Senior Secondary Schools.

Daniel Stewart’s FP News December 2018 Magazine reported:

‘WW2 at Daniel Stewarts: The then headmaster Hugh Martin, reputedly a bibulous individual who retired on health grounds, led the nightly fire watching duties.’