MADDEN, Valentine John
| Service Number: | 717 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wellington, NSW, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Wellington, Wellington, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway fettler |
| Died: | Accidental (Injuries), France, 29 March 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Mazargues War Cemetery, Marseilles, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Wellington Cenotaph, Wellington Hall of Memory Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 717, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 717, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney | |
| 12 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 1st Infantry Battalion, Promoted while in Egypt. | |
| 29 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 717, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 717 awm_unit: 1 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-03-29 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Valentine John MADDEN (Service Number 717) was born in 1882 in Wellington, New South Wales. His railways record card could not be located. His enlistment forms state he was a railway fettler. On 22nd August 1914, he enlisted in the AIF. He embarked at Sydney on 18th October 1914 on HMAT A16 ‘Afric’.
On 14th September 1915, he was taken to hospital in Mudros West (on the Greek island of Lemnos) and was admitted for catarrh. Mudros was the advance base for the Gallipoli campaign. He didn’t remain in hospital long and re-joined his Battalion on 11th October. On 28th December 1914, after the general evacuation, he disembarked at Alexandria. On 14th February 1916, he was made Temporary Corporal in Tel-el-Kebir (Egypt). About a month later, on 12th March 1916, he was made Corporal.
He embarked from Alexandria on 22nd March to join the British Expeditionary Forces, and he disembarked at Marseilles six days later.
Very shortly after landing in Marseilles, Madden was in an accident that claimed his life. Madden died on 29th March 1916:
‘…. of shock, the result of a fall from a railway carriage, both legs being crushed. His death took place on his way to the hospital’.
He was initially buried in the British Section of the St Pierre Cemetery, Marseilles. However, he was relocated to the Mazargues War Cemetery Extension, France.
Following his death, his mother was sent some of his personal items, such as letters, cards, photos, and a mirror. She was also sent the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal for her son’s military service.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board