Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2013/January 2014 | Page 14

at Somerton Farm for the departure, the helicopter was just
about to land.
“David Biles had all his friends and family there, sitting in
chairs, but he had recently cut his field. So as the helicopter
landed there was grass being blown everywhere. Thankfully the
Queen was still in her car, but saw it all, and was most amused. ”
There was also the time this summer when the Princess Royal
was nearly left high and not so dry, when Martin organised a
launch to take her back from Corf Scout Camp on Newtown
Creek to Cowes following an opening ceremony.
Princess Ann was running slightly late, and as the tide rapidly
ebbed the boat just managed to find enough water to scrape
through the mud to deliver HRH safely. Another few minutes
and the Princess Royal might have found herself wading knee
deep in mud to embark!
Martin was born and brought up in Seaview, attending Ryde
School, Nettlestone Primary School, and Sandown Grammar
School, what is now Sandown Bay Academy. While serving in
the Army for 35 years, he always maintained close links with the
Island.

‘I feared we would
all end up in a cul de
sac at the back of an
industrial estate in
Cowes, and I would
end up in the Tower!’
He is one of 98 Lord Lieutenants nationwide, and it is an
honorary position he will hold until he reaches his 75th
birthday, when he must retire. The office's creation dates from
Tudor times when Lord-Lieutenants were first appointed to a
number of English historic counties by Henry VIII to control the
increasing power of the High Sheriff, not a role he has to exercise
so much now!
Before becoming Lord Lieutenant, Martin spent five years as
Vice Lord-Lieutenant to his predecessor Christopher Bland, giving him time to generally know what was involved. But he said:
“What I was not prepared for was my very much increased commitment to all aspects of the community, and what a privilege it
is to do the job. I don’t think we were fully prepared for that.
“The Cabinet Office rang me and said they proposed to put
my name to The Queen to become the Lord Lieutenant of the
Isle of Wight, and I had 24 hours to think about it. You then
have to think ‘of course it is a huge honour and privilege; of
course I would love to do it, but I have my wife Fiona, four
children and 13 grandchildren , plus I have a range of other
interests to consider’.
“In one way it was a case of ‘I didn’t expect this’ but on the other
hand I felt ‘I have a number of years when I can contribute to the
Island where I was born and brought up’. So they were mixed