Meritorious Service Record

Stanley Haviland Martin arrived in Korea in 1916 as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church of Canada.
On March 13, 1919, during the March 1st Movement, Koreans in Longjing (용정, Yongjeong) held a declaration of independence ceremony and a demonstration. Chinese military forces opened fire on the demonstrators, resulting in heavy casualties. Thirteen people, including flag bearer Park Mun-ho (朴文浩), were shot dead on-site, while four critically wounded individuals later died at the hospital. In total, more than 30 people were injured, including 18 severely wounded individuals.
All the victims were taken to Jechang Hospital (제창병원), which was run by the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. As the hospital director, Martin safeguarded the bodies of the deceased in the hospital’s basement, provided medical treatment for the injured, and arranged a mass funeral for the victims.
Martin also allowed Jechang Hospital and its annexes to be used as meeting places and shelters for independence activists. Korean nationalists used the hospital to print and distribute independence movement materials using mimeograph machines.
In February 1920, the Kando (Jiandao) Korean National Association awarded Martin a commemorative plaque in recognition of his contributions to the independence movement.
In October 1920, the Japanese military launched the Gando Massacre (경신참변, Kyǒngshin Persecution), targeting Koreans in the region. Despite threats and interference from Japanese forces, Martin visited the sites of massacres in late October with his hospital nurses, photographed the devastation, and compiled a report titled "The Massacre at Norubawi (장암동)", exposing Japanese war crimes.
Martin served as director of Jechang Hospital until 1927, after which he moved to Severance Medical School in Seoul, where he was appointed as a professor and physician at Severance Hospital. He later became chief of thoracic surgery and president of the Korean Tuberculosis Prevention Society, dedicating himself to treating tuberculosis, which was widespread among young Koreans.
In the fall of 1940, as tensions escalated between Japan and the United States, American and British consulates urged missionaries-particularly women and children-to evacuate. The U.S. government sent the ship Mariposa to Incheon Port on November 16, evacuating 219 missionaries and their families, including Martin and his wife (who was American).
Stanley Haviland Martin passed away in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1941.
In 1968, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Stanley Haviland Martin the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence.