Bill Martin was born in 1925 in Toronto, into a family of four brothers.  He attended Northern High School, where he played sports and developed an interest in geography.  When the war came, Bill chose the navy, and he was assigned to the minesweeper HMCS Burlington, where he was a stoker.  He spent the war in the western Atlantic, mostly between Halifax and St. John’s.  He had his fair share of adventures during the war, both on the ship and when in harbour.  Bill remembers that the times were difficult – he lost 4 classmates from high school – but he also remembers that there were many laughs too.