Here is a reminiscence written by Jack shortly before his death as a contribution to A life so far… Recollections of Hull School of Architecture, edited by Jill Dickens, 2003:

I was a student at Hull from sometime in 1937 (presumably from the start of the school year) until 1939 (presumably until the end of the school year).  Certainly until after the start of World War Two and I think after the birth of the Martins' baby daughter, Susan.  I have a memory of joining Leslie and Sadie (and baby?) under the stairs of their house in the Park (Pearson Park?) the night of the day war was declared expecting the bombs to start falling like rain.  Nothing happened.

Nothing happened for weeks or months.  By the time they did start I was away in Liverpool helping to build a war factory, and the Martins had moved to Boxmoor (near Watford), Leslie having been appointed deputy architect to the LMS Railway, a job he held until nationalisation after the war, except that he became chief architect at some time.

But my memories of the School of Architecture?  Very sketchy after 65 years.  You must treat anything I say with reserve.  The school was then a function of the local council.  It was one of Leslie's ambitions for it to be taken into the university.  I think this may have happened later.  Or didn't it?  Hence the present move? [A move of the School to Lincoln was proposed in 2003] I remember the school as being housed in the building of the school of art, an oldish gothic style building.  We had a large studio and a lecture room on the first floor.  Leslie gave lectures on the history of architecture, and no doubt other subjects.  Bernard Le Mare (assistant lecturer) on building construction.  I do not think Sadie gave lectures.  In the studio we each had our drawing board, Leslie and Sadie were both very beautiful draughtsmen, as a result of the old fashioned academic training they had had as students at Manchester?  They would go from board to board making encouraging comments on the work.  If you were lucky they would borrow your stool and pencil in order to touch up your drawing and demonstrate good lettering almost too perfect to be achieved.  If you were doing an interior with furniture Sadie would often touch in a little black stool or other amusing little additions perfectly drawn.  Leslie would sometimes sketch in freehand a faultless perspective.  If only one could achieve such merit!

From a letter to David Buckman, December 1993:

By the outbreak of war I had obtained my [Royal Institute of British Architects (R.I.B.A.)] Intermediate and was working as an assistant in the Martin's office. I was painting as well, of course, strongly encouraged by the Martins. Before long it became necessary to find other, war related work, and, sometime in 1940, I joined Professor Holford's team building ordnance factories and various other war jobs in Lancashire and London. All this time, while living in various lodgings, I continued to work for my architecture finals. Although my various landladies were willing to accept a drawing board on their parlour tables they would probably have drawn the line at oil paints! In any case I was at work during the day and at night frequently patrolling the site wearing an LDV arm band and a tin hat and, armed with a 12-bore shotgun, hoping to pot the German parachutists as they landed.