In this clip we see Bert crawling, learning to stand, and playing in the water. The last part of the clip shows Bert with his cousin Nan in front of a Christmas tree, enjoying a toy that (unfortunately) is horribly racist – a product of its time.
Here we see Bert with his mother and grandmother, and trying to interact with some ducks. We also see him playing with Nan, and with his father.
In this clip Bert discovers the joy of playing in the ocean waves at the beach, and splashing about with his cousin Nan in the bay at Balboa. At the end of the clip, Bert runs up on the beach to greet his grandfather and his uncles.
Bert proudly displays his catch. In color!
Bert Martin was the uncle that I never knew – I was only five years old when he died, and he was overseas most of those five years. Bert was my mother’s older brother, the first child born to my grandparents, Herb and Mary Martin.
My grandfather always loved photography, and when Bert was born in 1928 Herb bought a 16mm film camera to document their family life. We have a lot of the film that he shot, and I’ve split it up into short clips on this and other pages to make it easy for readers to choose what they see. The films had no sound, but they’re (mostly) fun to watch.
We have nothing in writing about Bert – no baby book, nothing that he wrote – but his pictures and the videos tell a story. His love for cars was apparent from an early age. Films and photos on this page cover his years from birth through early high school.
Bert’s cousin Nancy (later called Nan) was born a few months after he was. Her parents were Mac and Judy McQuiston; Judy was Mary’s older sister. The two families were close, and the cousins spent quite a bit of time together in the early years.
This photo was taken in 1932, so Bert would have been four years old. Love the freckles!
On the back of this photo it says, “Bert’s first car – given him by the Reads in 1930. Used every day until it fell apart.” And he looked pretty cute driving it!
He hasn’t quite learned to drive it yet, but he still enjoys playing with it. In this clip Bert, besides playing with his car, spends time with his Uncle Rev (and his cigar), and with each of his parents.
In this clip from 1931, Bert masters the art of driving his car. He also learns to swing, and spends some time with his brand-new sister.
Bert tries the tricycle for the first time. It’s not easy!
As a teenager, Bert loved fixing up old cars and selling them. On the back of this photo, it says
Bought – Nov 1943 – $125
Sold – Dec 1944 – $165
With this car Bert decided to try a new advertising approach. Click to enlarge the photo and see the ads!
In this clip from 1940, Bert, Doree and their dog Fritzi explore the desert near Palm Springs. It was an annual trek for them, to see and gather wildflowers.
I like this picture of Bert with a big fish, standing next to his mother. Don’t they look alike?
In 1941, with the rest of the world at war and the U.S. on the brink of joining it, Bert (age 13) joined the Boys Brigade, which was similar to Boy Scouts, but with a strong military flavor. This clip documents the Brigade’s trip to Kings River. Bert’s parents were allowed to visit, so we got this film.
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