SCUBAHUB
Commander Martin Marks A tribute
BSAC HAS PAID TRIBUTE TO Commander Martin R. Marks OBE, BSc( Eng), who passed away in July, aged 80. A lifelong diver, Commander Marks served as trustee and treasurer of BSAC’ s charitable arm, the British Sub-Aqua Jubilee Trust for more than a decade. The trust’ s Secretary, Dr Ken Collins looks back on his remarkable life.
Commander Martin Marks had a lifelong involvement with sub-aqua activities and diving safety. He was an Advanced Instructor and diving supervisor with the British Sub-Aqua Club, chaired the BSAC Diving Incident Panel, and contributed to diving safety literature. He participated in several Royal Navy and BSAC diving expeditions, including notable underwater explorations such as the HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. In retirement, he was a trustee and treasurer of the British Sub- Aqua Jubilee Trust and helped establish The Diving Museum in Gosport. He also volunteered with the National Museum of the Royal Navy’ s Steam Pinnace.
Martin was a retired senior Royal Navy mechanical engineer officer with a distinguished career spanning from 1962 to 1998, including active service during the Falklands conflict. He was awarded an OBE for services to military medicine. His post-naval career includes executive
management in military charities and housing associations, as well as active involvement in community and heritage organisations related to naval history and diving.
Martin joined the Royal Navy in 1962 as a cadet at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, subsequently serving as a marine engineer officer aboard several ships including HMS Surprise, Albion, Juno, Bulwark, and HMS Fife during the Falklands War. Shore appointments included instructional roles, positions at the Ministry of Defence Procurement Executive and at Portsmouth Naval Base and the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar. He was promoted through the ranks to Commander and was heavily involved in the transition of Haslar Hospital to a triservice establishment before retiring in 1998.
After retiring from the Royal Navy, Martin served as Housing Manager and later Chief Executive of the Church of England Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’ s( CESSA) Housing Association and its associated charity, overseeing sheltered housing and community facilities on military bases in the UK and Cyprus. He was also elected as a voluntary governor of Portsmouth NHS Hospitals’ Trust from 2008 to 2010.
Last year Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumour but was able to continue his charitable duties after an operation. Shortly afterwards, he had a flight in a Spitfire, taking the controls proudly wearing his old services flying suit. Sadly, this year his health rapidly declined and he recently died, with his wife of 54 years, Margaret by his bedside. Martin’ s sense of humour and efficiency will be greatly missed by friends and colleagues.
Benefit of the Month
Travel Partner
ZuBlu
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Nautical and nice
‘ BRINGING THE PAST BACK TO LIFE’ IS THE THEME FOR year’ s Nautical Archaeology Society( NAS) annual conference. To be held 15-16 November, the event will return to its home town of Portsmouth for the first time since 2019.
Organised in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and the University of Portsmouth Heritage Hub, the NAS conference brings together researchers, professional practitioners and enthusiasts from around world to discuss ways to protect and preserve our maritime past.
This year’ s conference will explore how analogue and digital methods can shape our understanding of our maritime heritage.
The full conference programme, venue details as well how to buy tickets, will be released soon. For more information on the NAS 2025 Conference, go to www. nauticalarchaeologysociety. org / annual-conference
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