Martin Royle was born and raised in England and served 23-and-a-half years in the British Army.
Along the way, he married a Mainer. In 2009, they bought a camp here as a seasonal retreat.
“Every year we would come over in the summer, whenever we could really, it got harder and harder for me to leave,” Royle said. “I kind of fell in love with the place the first time I saw the sunset, I think.”
Deciding he wanted a change and to leave his military career on a high, he proposed that they move to western Maine full time.
“She said, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘Be a Maine state trooper,’ which probably shocked her even more,” he said.
Royle arrived in Maine in April 2014 and spent half of the last year training. Last month, he officially became a Maine state trooper patrolling southern Oxford County.
He gave a shout-out to his wife, whom he said has been amazingly supportive (amid all that training, he joked, they knocked down their camp and built a house, because they didn’t have enough going on).
Royle plans to make time in the future for fun. At least his version of fun.
“Things like Tough Mudder,” he said. “My wife thinks I’m insane. She says, ‘Why on earth would you want to get electrocuted, (be) set fire to, go in cold freezing water, up hills, in mud?’ It’s not her idea of fun, but for some reason it’s mine.”
Name: Martin Royle
Age: 41
What sort of work did you do over the course of your British Army career? My primary role in the British Army was a mechanical engineer in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME). I began my career in January of 1991 at the age of 16 as an apprentice vehicle mechanic. I eventually finished as a Warrant Officer Class 1 (USA Army equivalent is a Warrant Officer 4). I completed operational tours of Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.
What was the draw to become a state trooper? The draw for me was the high standards that they strive and work to; the “train together, work alone” ethos; and having the freedom to initiate and follow through on investigations and law enforcement.
Hardest part of the police academy: The hardest part of all my training is the separation from family and friends. The training immerses you, and those at home go through it with you. Remembering that is key to success and taking the time to thank them for their support.
How do you get to know Oxford County? Lots of driving around? Lots of driving round comes with the job. Answering calls for service and community policing all are helping me get to know the area and the people I serve.
First impression of a Maine winter: I love the winter. I’m a keen snowboarder so the deeper the powder the better. I also tried a spot of ice fishing this past winter and plan to again this coming winter.
First tourist attraction you visited here: I haven’t really had the chance to do any “tourist” activities yet. With completing the training and building our house, downtime has been minimal. I plan to get to know Maine and its natural beauty a lot more in the future.
Stonehenge: Need to see it before you die or over-rated? I used to live and drive by it every day. It’s worth a visit, but now you can no longer walk up to the stones. They are fenced off and there is a path way around it.
You sound up for a physical challenge and adventure: Think we’ll see you and your wife in the North American Wife Carrying Championship someday? My love of trail running and obstacle course races is not shared by my wife — she thinks I’m crazy — so dragging her through the cold water, mud and madness of the North American Wife Carrying Championship is not likely to happen. Jean is planning on doing “Seek the Peek” up Mount Washington this year and I am looking to run it, as well as completing another Tough Mudder or two.
kskelton@sunjournal.com
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