By Frederick Halley
GLOWING tributes were the order of the day as hundreds packed the Wexford Presbyterian Church, Scarborough, Toronto, last Saturday to pay their final respects to Colonel Cecil Edgar “Pluto” Martindale, one of the most decorated military officers to emerge out of Guyana.

The 93-year-old Martindale, credited with being a stalwart member of the Guyana Ex-Soldiers of Canada (GESAC), the Senior Guyanese Friendship Association and the Wexford Presbyterian Church, died on Saturday, February 16 last at the Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, where he was ailing for the past few weeks.

Among those in the congregation were retired Guyanese-born Justice Vibert Lampkin, Guyana’s Consul-General Anyin Choo, executives and members of GESAC, fraternity members from the USA and representatives of the Guyana Ex-police Association of Canada (GEPAC).

In a moving tribute, Colonel (ret’d) Carl Morgan described Martindale as a well-bred gentleman, honest, trustworthy, serious-minded, upright, and athletic.
He recalled that Martindale had the honour of commanding the Guard of Honour at Parliament Buildings on the morning of May 26, 1966, when His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent handed over the Instruments of Independence to then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham.

According to Morgan, who served under Martindale, his colleague was considered a martinet by many. “He was a man of sharp wit and he was renowned for always finding a pun for every situation. He had a great sense of humour and was a live wire at mess dinners and other social occasions. He loved music and corrected bandmasters on many occasions. I think he played the steel pan. On the dance floor he was a master even in his last days.”

GESAC president Gordon Winter, in his tribute, pointed out that he was extremely privileged to have served with Martindale from 1966 until he resigned in 1974.
“He was fair, objective, open-minded, principled and quick-witted among his many attributes.”

Reminiscing on his GESAC colleague, Winter said “Pluto” had an incredible memory and would speak about events that occurred in the 1940s to the present.
Daughter Melanie Seaton disclosed that her father was always kind to others beyond normal logic. She described him as a gentleman, comrade, soldier, protector, disciplinarian, a man of great faith, advocate and of great wit.

WORLD’S BEST DAD
According to Melanie, “he still stands as the reigning champion of the world as the world’s best dad. He was admired as one of the greatest teachers in life who taught more than what he didn’t say, but by rather of how he lived.”

Retired Justice Lampkin, who delivered the eulogy, said Colonel Martindale lived life to the full and his was a life of service to his community to the very end.
An avid sports enthusiast, Colonel Martindale was also deeply interested in band music and promoted the playing of steelband music in the GDF, and was also instrumental in the early development of hockey.

He also served as President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and as Vice-President of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU). He was first the secretary and later became president of the Boys Brigade Council of Guyana.

The Colonel Cecil Martindale Command and Staff School stands as an enduring testimony to the high esteem in which Colonel Martindale was held during his military service.
Colonel Martindale’s military career started in 1948, when he enlisted in the ranks of the British Guiana Volunteer Force (BGVF). In August 1951, he was commissioned in the rank of second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant a year later; he then became a captain in November 1955, a major in February 1961, lieutenant-colonel in May, 1967 and Colonel in May 1976.

Prior to embarking on his outstanding military career, Colonel Martindale taught for a few years before joining the Public Service in 1946, serving in the Customs & Excise Department as a customs officer.

During his military service, he received several awards, including the Efficiency Decoration, 1962; the Independence Medal, 1966; the Border Defence Medal, 1967; the Military Service Medal, 1972; Military Service Star, 1981; and the Military Efficiency Medal, 1984.
Following a cremation, Colonel Martindale’s ashes will be taken to Guyana. He is survived by his wife Bernice, children, 16 grand-children and 10 great grand-children.