John A. K. Martyn OBE (more commonly known as J. A. K. Martyn) (1903–1984), was an English

schoolmaster A schoolmaster, or simply master, is a male school teacher. The usage first occurred in England in the Late Middle Ages and early modern period. At that time, most schools were one-room or two-room schools and had only one or two such teacher ...

, scholar, academic and a distinguished British

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

. He was the second headmaster of

The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a Selective school, selective all-boys Private school, private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer ...

Career

In 1935, John Martyn accompanied

Arthur Foot Arthur Edward Foot CBE (more commonly A.E. Foot) (21 June 1901 – 26 September 1968), was an English schoolmaster, educationalist and academic. He was a science master at Eton College from 1923 to 1932. In 1935, he was invited to India to hea ...

to India to establish the teaching staff of

, a newly opened

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

for Indian boys. Martyn had previously taught at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

in England for ten years before he moved to India. In Doon, he was given the post of Deputy Headmaster, which he kept till 1948. Shortly after Indian independence in 1947, Foot left

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

to take up the headship of Ottershaw School, and Martyn succeeded him to become the second headmaster of the Doon School. Martyn was at Doon for 31 years, thus becoming one of the longest-serving schoolmasters in the school's history. Of those 31 years, 18 were spent as Headmaster, making him the school's longest-serving Headmaster to date. Apart from teaching, Martyn was very keen on mountaineering, and was part of the expedition team to Trisul with pioneers like Jack Gibson, Gurdial Singh and Nandu Jayal. He, along with Jack Gibson, climbed Bandarpunch with

Tenzing Norgay Tenzing Norgay (; ''tendzin norgyé''; May 1914 – 9 May 1986), born Namgyal Wangdi, and also referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. On 29 May 1953, he and Edmund Hillary were the first confirmed to ...

, who later became the first man to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

Honours and distinctions

Martyn was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

in 1958, and in 1983

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, from the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

for his notable contributions to the establishment of the Doon School. He was one of the few Englishmen to have been honoured by both the governments. He was also a member of the famed

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

. After his death in 1984, his wife Mady Martyn wrote a book about him entitled ''Martyn Sahib, the story of John Martyn of the Doon School''. In his honour, his wife and Martyn's friends set up ''John Martyn Memorial Trust'' in a village at the foothills of

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

called Salangaon. The trust runs a school for underprivileged children and provides free education to over 150 children.About John Martyn – John Martyn Memorial Trust
Martyn House, a holding-house for new students at Doon, was named after him.

References

;Notes

External links

John Martyn Profile Page

John Martyn Memorial Trust Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martyn, John A.K. Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Teachers at Harrow School The Doon School faculty 1903 births 1984 deaths Headmasters of The Doon School Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English educators British people in colonial India

Career

Honours and distinctions

See also

References

Further reading

External links