Buster Martin

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Buster Martin
Buster Martin on his "100th" birthday
Born	September 1, 1906 (1906-09-01) (age 101) (Claimed) France
Residence	Lambeth, London
Occupation	Van cleaner, Columnist (FHM)
Known for	Oldest employee in the United Kingdom
Spouse	Iriana Martin (deceased)

Pierre Jean "Buster" Martin (asserted date of birth 1 September 1906) claims to be the United Kingdom's oldest employee at the age of 101.^[1] Martin works for a well-known plumbing company in southeast London as a van cleaner, and notably refused to take a day off on the day he celebrated his 100th birthday.^[2] He also received coverage in the media for fending off an attack from a group of youths in 2007;^[3][4] his heroics were cited by the former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell as "living proof of why people should not be written off once they pass retirement age". Martin stated that he will not retire from working.^[5][6]

Doubts have been raised about all of Martin's historical claims, including his age, which may be "only" 94.^[7][8]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 The Zimmers 2 2008 London Marathon 3 References

[edit] Biography

Buster Martin was born in France but, as a result of his teenage mother's illegitimate pregnancy^[9] or death^[3], was sent to a Cornish orphanage, when he was three months old.^[6] Martin says that he picked up his nickname "Buster" at age three for "whacking a priest on the nose"^[10]. Martin was thrown out of the orphanage at the age of ten "for eating too much and growing too fast". He travelled to London, and found work running errands for stallholders in the Brixton market, the beginning of nearly 90 years of work.^[3]

He met his future wife, Iriana, from Tonbridge, Kent, at the age of 13 (she was 12). They married a year later in France. Buster says: "I got married in 1920 and had to go over to France as I couldn't get married here due to my legal status." It has to be noted, however, that the legal age for contracting marriage in France at the time was 18 for a boy and 15 for a girl, with the consent of their parents, or 21 without the consent of father and mother.^[11] The couple stayed together for 35 years until Iriana died in 1955^[6], yet there is no record of her death. They had 17 children: "twins, triplets, singletons - all sorts"^[12], among them Roberto, now 87, Rodrigues, 84, as well as triplets, Georgina, Georgia and Giselle, but no record of their births could be found. Mr Martin claims that they had moved abroad.^[7]

He left the Brixton market at 14, and joined the British Army, where he became a physical training instructor^[12]. He served in World War II, and left the Armed Forces in 1955 after reaching the rank of regimental sergeant major.^[6] After "taking up a wide range of trades",^[2] he returned to the market, where he worked until he was 97. After complaining of boredom, he resumed work, starting at Pimlico Plumbers in London on a twenty-hour week (three days a week) three months before his 100th birthday.^[9]

On Martin's centenary, his employer suggested that he take the day off to celebrate. However, he turned up for work. His colleagues threw him a surprise party at the company's headquarters and organized a tour of Chelsea F.C.'s Stamford Bridge ground.^[2] Until last year, Martin had never taken a day off for sickness in his ninety years of work, until an ingrown toenail forced him to take a few months' leave of work.^[5]

On February 22, 2007, while walking to a bus stop from a local pub, Martin was attacked by three youths from behind. Their assault sent him "crashing to the floor", but he managed to defend himself; he says he "hit one in the groin and kicked another one". The youths ran off; Martin staggered to King's College Hospital, where he was kept in overnight. He reported for work the next morning, but his bosses refused to let him work.^[3]

Martin plans to continue working, and says he will "only give up when they put me in a wooden box".^[5] He also offered his view on older workers: "Employers should pick people like us; we want to work and it puts money in our pockets and keeps us active".^[6] His boss, Charlie Mullins, states in an interview with a French TV station that they use Buster in all their publicity and managed to increase their business by 36% thanks to his popularity and the media interest.^[13]

[edit] The Zimmers

Through the intervention of celebrity publicist Max Clifford^[9], Martin became a member of The Zimmers, a band consisting of forty old age pensioners who recorded a cover of The Who's "My Generation" as a single in 2007. Martin offered his views on the band: "I've never been in the music charts before and I'm sure we can give some of those young bands a run for their money. Maybe a group of pensioners can have a hit song."^[14][15] Martin also accepted a position on men's magazine FHM as an "agony uncle," offering advice to the magazine's readers.^[16]

[edit] 2008 London Marathon

After completing the Great Capital 10K Run in 2 hours 22 minutes^[17] and the Roding Valley Half Marathon in 5 hours 13 minutes,^[18] Martin was entered for the 2008 London Marathon. According to press reports, he walked the 26 mile course in approximately 10 hours but no finishing time is given in the official London Marathon 2008 results list; only his intermediate results for 5 km, 10 km and 15 km are available. His four minders finished in 9 hours 59 minutes.^[19] If the claims about his age are true, he could be the oldest recorded marathon participant in the world. The current record-holder is Dimitrion Yordanidis who ran at a verified 98 years of age.^[20] However, officials of the Guinness World Records organization said that they did not consider Martin eligible for the record because he had never provided proof that he is 101. Robert Young, an independent senior consultant for gerontology for Guinness World Records stated that his sources had told him that Martin had two birth dates registered with the British NHS: Sept. 1, 1906, and Sept. 1, 1913, which would make him 94.^[21]

Canada's CBC reported on March 26, 2008 that Martin still drinks and smokes regularly.

[edit] References