Horace William Madden, GC (14 February 1924 – 6 November 1951), also known as Bill Madden, was a soldier in the Australian Army who was a posthumous recipient of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

for his conduct while a prisoner of war during the Korean War.

Early life

Horace William Madden was born in Cronulla, a suburb of Sydney, on 14 February 1924 to Australian-born parents. He was working as a fruiterer's assistant when he was called up for the Australian Citizens Military Forces (CMF), the militia, in May 1942.Greville, 2000

Military career

Madden was initially posted to the 114th Australian General Hospital in Goulburn, New South Wales. As part of the CMF, he was not required to serve outside of Australia or its territories, but despite this he transferred to the Australian Imperial Force in August 1943. Nicknamed 'Slim' due to his lean build, Madden saw service with the 8th Field Ambulance in New Guinea, during which he contracted malaria.Ashcroft, 2010, pp.249251 He later served with the 5th Motor Ambulance Convoy Platoon on Bougainville and was part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

after the war. He was eventually discharged from the army in June 1947. After leaving the army, Madden took up work at a mental hospital. Two months after the Korean War broke out, he reenlisted with the Australian Army for service as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Korea. Initially assigned to

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational serv ...

(3 RAR) for duty as a driver, he later volunteered for signalling duties. In April 1951, the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

attacked the regiment's positions near Kapyong in what would be known as the

Battle of Kapyong The Battle of Kapyong (or Gapyeong) ( ko, 가평전투, 22–25 April 1951), also known as the Battle of Jiaping (), was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand� ...

. Madden was among three Australian soldiers captured during the battle. During captivity, he demonstrated strong defiance to his captors. His defiant conduct, observed by many of the other prisoners and which would eventually see him nominated for the

, was maintained despite beatings and other punishments such as extreme rationing of his food. His ill treatment eventually resulted in his death from malnutrition sometime in late November or December 1951 at age 27. Madden was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his conduct as a prisoner of war, which set an example for his fellow captives.

George Cross Citation

The George Cross was presented to his sister on 9 May 1956 by the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

, Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott. Madden's body was recovered following the armistice that saw an end to the war and was subsequently buried in the

United Nations Memorial Cemetery The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK; ), located at Tanggok in the Nam District,; also seeKorea 1:50,000 Pusan Sheet 7019 III (1947) an City of Busan,As a transliteration from Korean, the city name 부산 () was typically spel ...

at Busan, South Korea. 3 RAR's Other Rank's (OR's) canteen, located within their barracks, is officially named the "Madden Club" after Bill Madden.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Horace William 1924 births 1951 deaths Military personnel from New South Wales Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel killed in the Korean War Australian prisoners of war Australian recipients of the George Cross Korean War prisoners of war People from Sydney