author
Arthur Anderson Martin
1876–1916
A New Zealand surgeon who turned frontline experience into vivid writing, he is best remembered for A Surgeon in Khaki, a firsthand account of wartime medicine. His life joined medical skill, military service, and a sharp eye for the human side of war.
1 Audiobook
A surgeon in khaki
by Arthur Anderson Martin
About the author
Born in Milton, Otago, on March 26, 1876, he trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, earning his qualifications before building a career as a surgeon. He served as a civilian surgeon during the South African War and later returned to New Zealand, where he worked at Palmerston North Hospital and became known as a capable and respected doctor.
His best-known book, A Surgeon in Khaki (1915), drew on his experiences in wartime medicine and gave readers a direct, personal view of life near the front. The book stands out for its clear, practical perspective and for the way it brings the realities of military medical work close to ordinary readers.
During the First World War he served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and the New Zealand Medical Corps in Europe. He was wounded during the Battle of the Somme and died in France on September 17, 1916, leaving behind both a medical legacy and a rare firsthand record of war from a surgeon's point of view.