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Martin Walter William CammMartin Walter William Camm was born in Saul on 25 November 1894, the son of Oliver Theodore Camm, a mariner, and Annie Laura née Coole. By 1911 the family had moved to present-day Fernleigh, The Green, the Frampton home in which his mother grew up. Before the war Martin worked as a driver and family members recall stories of him transporting goods up Frocester Hill by horse and cart. One of his jobs was with Cadbury's who could only offer him a temporary position when, in a letter dated 21 March 1917, they confirmed his wages of 32s. per week, with a 10s. war bonus. There was, however, a caveat as Cadbury's were keeping the original job open should its employee return from the war.
Martin enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps on 7 June 1917. His work as an air mechanic appears to have been partly at Training Depot Stations, and the absence of his name among the surviving medal rolls may indicate that he was not working on the front line. On 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force, the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. Martin transferred to the RAF Reserve on 16 November 1919. His war service is not remembered on the plaque in the village hall unless 'H Camm' is a mistake, for there are known to be a couple of misspellings on the list of men commemorated. On his return to Frampton, Martin continued to work at Cadbury's and lived at The Chestnuts (now Prospect Cottage), The Green. On 23 June 1925 he married Florence Mary Davis and they had three children: John Martin, Alec Theodore and Betty May. The family moved to Severnthorpe in 1935 where Martin Walter William Camm died on 16 April 1974. He was buried in St Mary's churchyard. |