Martin joined the 13th Regiment of Foot as a lieutenant on 2 December 1874.[3] He transferred to Bengal Staff Corps in 1877 and took part in the Jowahi-Afreedees expedition in 1877 and fought at the Battle of Kandahar in September 1880 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.[3] Promoted to captain on 2 December 1885, he was commanding officer of 1st Battalion 5th Gurkha Rifles for the Miranzai expedition in 1891, received the brevet rank of major on 1 September 1891, and became Assistant Adjutant General, Punjab in 1892.[3] He then took part in various expeditions on the North West Frontier of India in the 1890s,[3] received the substantive rank of major on 2 December 1894, and the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel on 28 August 1895.[4] He was appointed Assistant Adjutant General for the Tirah Campaign in 1897 and then became Deputy Adjutant General, India in 1899, with the rank of colonel.[3] Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel on 2 December 1900, he was in March 1902 appointed Deputy Adjutant General, Bengal, with the temporary rank of brigadier-general.[5] He went on to be a Brigade Commander in India in 1904, Adjutant-General, India in 1906 and General Officer Commanding 2nd (Rawalpindi) Division in 1908. He was promoted to lieutenant general in July 1909[6] before retiring in September 1912.[7]
He was Colonel of the 5th Gurkha Rifles from 28 June 1921 up to his death.[8]