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Cenotaph Record
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Full Name
Robert Alexander Banks-Martin
Rank Last Held
Sergeant
Forename(s)
Robert Alexander
Surname
Banks-Martin
War
World War II, 1939-1945
Serial No.
NZ414226
Gender
Male
Campaigns
Operation Gardening
Last Unit Served
Royal New Zealand Air Force, 51 Squadron, RAF
Place of Death
Europe
Date of Death
Saturday 9 January 1943
Age at Death
26
Year of Death
1943
Cause of Death
Killed on active service
Memorial Name
  • Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom
  • Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden, Yorkshire, England
Memorial Reference
Panel 199
Biographical Notes
  • Robert Banks-Martin was the son of Robert and Rosina Banks-Martin of Martinborough, New Zealand.
  • He was a member of No.4 Solo Flight Training School at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1941
  • Sergeant Banks-Martin was the pilot of a Halifax II (DT483 MH-F) which took off from Snaith at 1634 on operations in the Nectarines area (code named Op. Gardening). The plane was lost without trace. It was the first 51 Squadron crew to be reported missing since returning from duties with Coastal Command. The other crew members were Sgt J.E.L. Griffiths (RAF), Flight Sgt P.A.J. Rudkin (RAF), Sgt E.W.D. Roberts (RCAF), Sgt R.J.A. Gowan (RCAF), Sgt H.A. Smith (RAF), and Sgt C.J. Osborne (RAF). All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial in England. (Ref. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War by W.R. Chorley, p. 16).
  • The following is taken from the series on the Royal Air Force Bomber Command Squadrons researched, compiled and written by Chris Ward (England). The section dealing with 51 Squadron's 1943 history begins: '51 Squadron returned to the battle on the night of the 8/9th of January, when eight crews took part in a sizeable mining effort off the Danish coast. On the following night, 120 aircraft took off for similar duties off the Frisians and North Germany, and the squadron registered the first of what would become a harrowingly long list of losses during the year. DT483 failed to return to Snaith, and no trace of it or the crew of Sgt Banks- Martin was ever found.'
  • On 24 February 1943 the New Zealand Herald reported that Sergeant Banks-Martin was missing on operations. It was on 1 September that the paper recorded that he was presumed to have died.
Description of Image
  • Class photo No.4 Solo Flight Training School Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 1941, supplied by Mr. Leslie Adams of Hamilton in 2001
  • Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden, cover Millenium Souvenir publication. (Photo J. Ross)
  • Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden, commemorating 51 and 150 Squadron (Photo J. Ross)
Further References
Martyn, E. (1998-2008). For Your Tomorrow (Vols. 1-3). Christchurch: Volplane Press.
Sources Used
  • Royal Air Force Bomber Command losses of the Second World War: Vol. 4 Aircraft and crew losses 1943 - by W.R. Chorley. Earl Shilton, Leicester : Midland Counties Publications, 1992 -
  • Royal Air Force. Bomber Command. Squadron profiles ; no. 16: 51 Squadron - by Chris Ward. Hungerford, Berkshire : Ward Publishing, 1999
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission. URL: http://www.cwgc.org