Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet facts for kids

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Martin Alexander Lindsay, 1st Baronet (born August 22, 1905 – died May 5, 1981) was a brave British Army officer. He was also a polar explorer, a politician, and an author.

Sir Martin first became well-known in the 1930s as an explorer in Greenland. During the Second World War, he led soldiers and was honored for his courage. After the war, he became a Member of Parliament for almost 20 years. In 1962, he was given the special title of Baronet.

Early Life and Education

Martin Lindsay was born into an old Scottish noble family. His family could be traced back to Sir William Lindsay, who became a lord in 1398. Martin's father was an officer in the Indian Army. He became a lieutenant colonel in the 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles.

Martin Lindsay went to Wellington College. He then studied at the Royal Military College Sandhurst.

Army Career

In 1925, Lindsay finished his training at Sandhurst. He became a second lieutenant in the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Two years later, he was sent to Nigeria. There, he joined the 4th Battalion, the Nigeria Regiment. During his time in Nigeria, Lindsay even won the country's Grand National horse race.

After a 13-month expedition to the Arctic, he was sent to Shanghai. He served there with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Exciting Expeditions

After two years in Nigeria, in 1929, Lindsay went on his first expedition. He traveled from West to East Africa. He went through the Ituri Rainforest in what was then called the Belgian Congo.

In 1930, he became the Surveyor for the British Arctic Air Route Expedition to Greenland. This expedition was led by Gino Watkins. Lindsay was a skilled Army officer. He helped the team stay organized and disciplined. Lindsay later wrote a book about his experiences called Those Greenland Days (1932). For the success of this trip, Lindsay and other key members received the Polar Medal.

Lindsay also enjoyed writing about other explorers. In 1933, he wrote The Epic of Captain Scott. This book was a tribute to the famous explorer Robert Falcon Scott.

Exploring Greenland's Mountains

In 1934, Lindsay led the British Trans-Greenland Expedition. The Prince of Wales supported this trip. The expedition aimed to explore and map a 350-mile part of Greenland. This area had never been visited before. It contained the highest mountains in the Arctic Circle.

The team crossed Greenland from west to east. They successfully mapped many important places, including Gunnbjørnsfjeld. On their way back, they headed south-west to Amassalik (now Tasiilaq). They discovered how large the Crown Prince Frederick Range was. Lindsay's team set a new world record. They traveled 1,050 miles by sledge. About 700 of these miles were through unexplored land.

The expedition was a great success. The Times newspaper praised it highly. They said it would "rank high in the long annals of polar exploration." Lindsay also wrote a book about this trip called Sledge (1935). His fame spread beyond Britain. In April 1935, he received a gold medal from the French Geographical Society.

Life Before the War

In 1936, Lindsay left the army. He had married his cousin, Joyce Lindsay, in 1932. They had a young family.

He moved to Lincolnshire. In June 1936, he became a Conservative Party candidate for Brigg. He started attending local events to prepare for the election.

He also became a Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire in 1938.

Second World War Service

Lindsay returned to the army in 1939 when the Second World War began. He worked in a special role during the Norwegian campaign. Because of his experience in Polar expeditions, he was chosen to help with military operations in Norway. He advised on how to deal with the cold climate and difficult land.

However, he was very critical of how poorly organized the operation in Norway was. He even wrote a report about it, known as the "Lindsay Memorandum." In this report, he described many problems. His report helped lead to a big change in the British government. Lindsay was also honored for his service in the Norwegian Campaign.

Leading Soldiers in Battle

In July 1944, Lindsay became second-in-command of the 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders. This unit was part of the 51st Highland Division. He led the battalion in 16 operations between July 1944 and May 1945. He was wounded in action and received the Distinguished Service Order. He finished the war as a lieutenant colonel.

As he had done before, he wrote about his experiences. He published So Few Got Through: The Diary of an Infantry Officer in 1946. The next year, he wrote Three Got Through: Memoirs of an Arctic Explorer.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Lindsay's political plans were put on hold during the war. After the war ended in Europe, in June 1945, he became the Conservative candidate for Solihull. This was a new area that was expected to vote Conservative. He won against his opponent by 5,049 votes.

Early Work in Parliament

In his first speech on November 7, 1945, he talked about the problems of countries building too many weapons. Lindsay believed that the United States should share information about the atomic bomb with the Soviet Union. This would happen if the Soviet Union agreed to work together and allow inspections.

Early in his time as an MP, he focused on helping soldiers and ex-servicemen. He encouraged officers to work for the Colonial Office. He also criticized a publication about the British zone in Germany. He was strongly against the government taking over the steel industry.

In October 1946, Lindsay supported allowing German prisoners of war to stay in Britain. He thought they should be allowed to become British citizens because of a shortage of skilled workers.

Writing and Other Roles

Outside of Parliament, Lindsay also used his writing skills. He wrote a book about the House of Commons in 1947. In 1948, he wrote Shall We Reform 'the Lords'? This book discussed ideas for changing the House of Lords.

He was the Chairman of the Conservative and Unionist Associations for the West Midlands from 1949 to 1952.

During the 1950 general election, Lindsay gave a speech. He predicted that Aneurin Bevan would become Prime Minister after Clement Attlee retired.

In 1950–51, Lindsay worked hard in Parliament. He tried to pass a law to give the press the right to report on public meetings. This law did not pass. He also supported a law that changed divorce rules. In early 1951, he asked Belgium not to put a former German military governor on trial for war crimes.

Churchill's Government

When Winston Churchill became Prime Minister again in 1951, Lindsay was not given a government job.

He pushed the new government to hold a meeting about reforming the House of Lords. He also wanted them to get rid of identity cards quickly. Lindsay also suggested a committee to cut government spending. He felt the government had not kept its promises to save money.

He was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1952.

At the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Lindsay served as a Gold Staff Officer. He was also a member of the Royal Company of Archers, which is the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland.

In June 1954, he wrote in his local magazine that Winston Churchill would retire soon. He predicted that Anthony Eden would take over. He also thought Harold Macmillan would become the new Foreign Secretary. Later that year, he became interested in traffic problems. He suggested a bigger road building program to solve them.

Later Years in Parliament

Lindsay was one of the MPs who criticized the United States after the Suez Crisis. In July 1957, he criticized the government for not doing enough to control rising prices. He also led a small group of MPs who did not vote on this issue. At the end of 1957, he wrote a letter criticizing many MPs. He called for changes to how the House of Commons worked, like ending all-night meetings.

When a group on Egypt and Syria was formed in June 1960, Lindsay became its chairman.

In November, he argued that the government should not sell its shares in Ford Motors of Dagenham. He believed MPs should be able to share their opinions first.

Special Honors

In 1962, Lindsay was given the special title of baronet.

After a trip to the United States, he criticized Lord Beaverbrook in March. He said Lord Beaverbrook allowed his newspapers to attack the Royal family.

He supported the government's plan to join the Common Market. He said it was hard to find a banker or business leader who didn't think joining was important.

Arms of Sir Martin Lindsay, 1st Baronet

Crest A castle triple-towered Proper port Gules tower-caps Argent. Escutcheon Gules a fess chequy Argent and Azure between a mullet of the second in chief and the base barry undy Or and of the third in a dexter canton Argent a sinister hand couped apaume erect of the first. Supporters Two doves Proper gorged of collars chequy Argent and Azure. Motto Firmus Maneo

Retirement from Politics

In March 1963, Lindsay announced he would leave politics after the next election. He said he wanted to take life easier.

He did not support the Prime Minister on the Profumo affair.

In early 1964, he asked for an investigation into the Public Trust Office. He found out it had lost a lot of money in investments.

Later Life and Family

In 1964, he received a large sum of money and a luxury apartment in Manhattan from an American friend. He also inherited money from a cousin. Lindsay used his interest in horses to become a racehorse breeder.

Sir Martin married Joyce Lindsay in 1932. They had three children. Their only daughter, Jacynth Rosemary, married Lord Mark Fitzalan-Howard. Lady Lindsay divorced him in 1967. Later that year, he complained to the Press Council about a newspaper article. The article questioned if he was "after a rich widow" after his inheritances. The Press Council agreed with Lindsay and criticized the newspaper.

On August 1, 1969, Lindsay married Loelia, Duchess of Westminster. In 1973, Lindsay was interviewed for the TV series The World at War. He talked about his criticisms of the Norwegian Campaign.

He was involved in business and was Chairman of several companies. Lindsay was also Chairman of the Standing Council of the Baronetage. He wrote his final book, "The Baronetage," in 1977.

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