MADDEN, William Robert
| Service Number: | 1214 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 March 1915, Enlisted at Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia , 11 November 1881 |
| Home Town: | Saint Peters, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer, Railway fuelman. |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 22 August 1915, aged 33 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Panel 62, Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1214, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Liverpool, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1214, 18th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1214, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney |
Help us honour William Robert Madden's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Husband of Sarah Ann Madden of 1 Silver Street, St Peters, NSW. In November 1920 Sarah was living at 53 Mitchell Road, Alexandria, NSW. Father of Edward James Madden and Eva Rosina May Madden
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by John Oakes
William Robert MADDEN (Service Number 1214) was born on 11th November 1881 in Waterloo. He began working with the Railways on 22nd November 1908 as a fuelman at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot. By 21st January 1910, he was made a gasmaker’s assistant.He had returned to his previous position by 1st July 1910. He was released from duty with the Railways on 3rd July 1915 when he enlisted in the AIF. He was 33 when he enlisted. He embarked from Sydney on 25th June 1915, on HMAT A40 ‘Ceramic’.
On 16th August 1915, he proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces on Gallipoli. Madden’s time in service was brief. Not long after entering the field at Gallipoli, he was reported missing from 21st August 1915 and was never found. He was presumed dead. An eyewitness account claims he died on August 22nd, and reads:
‘At dawn… the 18th charged some Turkish trenches… Madden was shot and fell. He died instantly’.
He is commemorated at Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey.
Following his death, his wife was sent his personal items, including a belt, hair brushes, and a devotional book. She also received the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal on her husband’s behalf.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.