Cecil Thomas Madigan (15 October 1889 – 14 January 1947) was an Australian explorer and geologist, academic, aerial surveyor, meteorologist, author and officer of the British army. He was born in Renmark, South Australia. His family had associations with

William Benjamin Chaffey William Benjamin Chaffey, CMG (21 October 1856 – 4 June 1926) was a Canadian engineer and irrigation planner who with his older brother George Chaffey developed what became the cities of Etiwanda, California, Ontario, California, and Upla ...

Biography

Born to contractor and fruitgrower Thomas Madigan and Mary Dixie (née Finey) a teacher, Cecil Madigan was the oldest of two sons and two daughters. He was raised by his mother as his father had died in the Kalgoorlie, Western Australian Goldfields. He attended Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, the University of Adelaide, and the South Australian School of Mining and Industry. He won a

Rhodes scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

in 1911 to study geology at Magdalen College, Oxford, but deferred the appointment as he was invited by Sir Douglas Mawson to go as meteorologist on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. In December 1911 the party left

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

on board the

SY Aurora Sy is a given name, nickname/hypocorism (often of Seymour) and surname which may refer to: Surname In arts and entertainment * Brigitte Sy (born 1956), French actress and filmmaker * Latyr Sy (born 1972), Senegalese singer and percussionist ...

. In January 1912 they reached Commonwealth Bay in Adelie Land, Antarctica, where they set up a collection of buildings subsequently known as Mawson's Huts. From there he led several expeditions into uncharted regions of Adelie Land and

King George V Land George V Land is a segment of Antarctica part of the land claimed as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, inland from the George V Coast. As with other segments of Antarctica, it is defined by two lines of longitude, 142°02' E and 153°4 ...

. These expeditions gathered vital information about the presence of coal in Antarctica. He was awarded the Polar Medal upon their return. Madigan later served with the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

in France during the First World War. He saw action at the Battle of Loos where he was wounded, and the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

. Throughout the 1930s, Madigan participated in numerous aerial surveys of the "trackless areas" of Central Australia, during which time he named the Simpson Desert after the president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia -- Alfred Allen Simpson. In 1937 he confirmed that the Boxhole Crater is a meteoric impact crater. In 1939 he led the first major expedition across the Simpson Desert. Although he was not the first to cross the desert, he has become known as the last of the "classic" explorers of central Australia. For many years he worked as a lecturer in geology at the University of Adelaide.

Family

He married Wynnis Knight Wollaston, a native of

Adelaide, Australia Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The demo ...

, whilst he was in London in 1915. The daughter of Cecil Madigan is renowned Australian sculptor

Rosemary Madigan Rosemary Wynnis Madigan (5 December 1926 – 12 February 2019) was an Australian sculptor, stonecarver and woodcarver who focused on the human figure. Born in Glenelg to the geologist Cecil Madigan, she decided on a career as a sculptor at the ...

, and her daughter is leading harpist Alice Giles.Alice and Rosemary
// Stateline Canberra, Friday, 5 November 2010 Descendants include David Madigan (deceased) and his two children, Sir Russell Madigan (deceased) and his five children, Neith Madigan (deceased) and her four children, Robourne Madigan (deceased), Rosemary Madigan (deceased) and her three children. He died of Coronary Vascular disease in Adelaide, on 14 January 1947.

Publications

* 1944 - ''Central Australia''. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. * 1946 - ''Crossing the Dead Heart''. Georgian House: Melbourne. * 2012 - ''Madigan's Account: The Mawson Expedition : the Antarctic Diaries of C.T. Madigan, 1911-1914'' Wellington Bridge Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madigan, Cecil 1889 births 1947 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Australasian Antarctic Expedition Australian explorers 20th-century Australian geologists 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers Australian Rhodes Scholars Explorers of Australia People educated at Prince Alfred College People from Renmark, South Australia University of Adelaide alumni

Biography

Family

See also

Publications

References