Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Spencer Madland

William Spencer Madland was born on the 15th of January 1896. He grew up in Port Augusta, South Australia and he attended Port Augusta Public school. When he got older he was employed as a shop assistant.

On the 27th of April 1916 William enlisted into war and was put into the front line infantry. He fought in WW1 but whilst he was fighting in Belgium he was reported missing in action and on the 20th of September 1917 he was then reported killed in action.

William led a brave life through being in the war. All though he was only a private rank he still received 2 medals and served the country with pride.

Private
William Spencer MADLAND
15 - 1 - 1896 – 21 - 9 - 1917

William Spencer MADLAND was born 15th January 1896 in PORT AUGUSTA WEST to Charles James and Sarah Ann (nee Daw) MADLAND. William had Henry, Elizabeth, Emily, Ivy, and Auguste as siblings.

William enlisted on 27th April, 1916, aged 20 years of age. He listed his employment as a Shop Assistant. He was described as a single man, 5’4 and 3/4“tall, weighed 126 pounds (57 kgs) and had a 33” chest. He had fair hair, a fair complexion and grey eyes.

William completed camp training in South Australia, either at Morphettville or MItcham Camp and embarked from Adelaide with the 10th Battalion 20th reinforcements, Australian Infantry Force, (A.I.F) . He embarked from Adelaide, 28th August 1916; on board A68 HMAT 'Anchises' and arrived in Plymouth, England on 11th October and marched into further training on the 12th October 1916.

On 5th December 1916 William marched into the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot, Etaples, FRANCE. And on 29th December 1916 he was taken on strength, joining the 10th Battalion in the field.

William and the A.I.F. were involved in continuing trench warfare and fought in famous major battles at Lagnicourt in April 1917, Bullecourt in April and May 1917 (Two assaults during the Battle of Arras) and Ypres.

It is said that William was recommended for a Military Medal by his Captain for deeds performed at Bullecourt but that this was not approved of by Divisional Headquarters. Unfortunately no record of the recommendation has been found so we cannot know what he did to earn the honour of a recommendation. It is believed he was acting at the time as a runner, a dangerous task involving the personal delivery of messages/information or orders between HQ and the front line.

The Battle of Menin Road was the next offensive that started on 20 September 1917 after a pause for fine weather. The Menin road was the main West- East route. To gain control of the road it was necessary to capture the ridges, one of which was Veldhoek Ridge, the other being Anzac ridge or Spur Zonnebeke where there was a dominating blockhouse overlooking the Menin road. It was the first battle designed to push the Germans off the Passchendaele - Messines Ridge and was to be spearheaded by I Anzac Corp.

On September 16, 1917 after marching through Ypres in the night, the Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions took over a section of the battlefield on the main ridge at Glencorse Wood and a low spur to the north of it at Westhoek. The battle plan was to proceed in a succession of limited offensives (always covered by artillery) that followed one another at intervals a few days apart.

At 5.40am on 20 September 1917, after 5 days of bombardment, 11 divisions of the 2nd and 5th BEF armies struck the Germans on a 13 kilometre front. The Australian 1st and 2nd Divisions, along with a Scottish Division, were the centre of the assault along Westhoek Ridge facing Glencorse Wood, with a combined front of 1,800 metres.

It was the first occasion in the war in which two Australian Divisions attacked side by side. The Australians overcame enemy infantry opposition and advanced steadily for almost one kilometre to the first objective known as the "Red Line". It ran along a sunken road, the north edge of Glencorse Wood to Honnebeck swamp and bogs in the None Borsden Copse.

After an hour to resupply and reorganise the Australians continued to the second objective, the "Blue Line", which was about 500 metres from the previous objective. The "Blue Line" was fixed from Iron Cross Redoubt in the north to Albert Redoubt, Verbeck Farm and part of Polygon Wood in the south.

After capturing this second objective the Australians waited another two hours before attacking their third objective the Germans Wilhelm Line, roughly parallel and 200 metres beyond the "Blue Line".

By noon, the Australians had taken all the objectives and were at the western end of Polygon Wood. Losses were 1st Division = 2,754 and 2nd Division = 2,259 of which William was unfortunately one. In this attack at Menin Road the 10th battalion lost 18 killed in action, 151 wounded and 54 missing in action!

A telegram was sent home listing MADLAND as missing in action. Enquiries by the Red Cross Society made by speaking with witnesses revealed that William had most likely been killed instantly when he was hit by an incoming shell. His body couldn’t be located or identified after the war.

William MADLAND although never found and having no known grave, is commemorated on the MENIN GATE at YPRES. This gate was one of only two entries into the medieval fortified city. It was through this gate that allied soldiers, including William and the Australians, marched to the battlefields of the Ypres salient between 1914 and 1918. After the war, the MENIN GATE was chosen as the site for a memorial to the thousands of allied soldiers who were killed in the area but had no known grave. Opened in 1927, the memorial consists of an imposing archway surmounted by a recumbent lion and it is inscribed with the names of 54, 895 other dead from Britain and Commonwealth countries.

Every evening since 1927 the Last Post has been sounded under the memorial’s great arch by the local Fire Brigade “Last Post Association” buglers. This was stopped under the Nazi regime in WW2 but immediately recommenced on the very evening they were driven out and has continued unmissed daily ever since.

A close cousin who William had grown up mates with, from PORT AUGUSTA WEST, Edward HANRAHAN, also enlisted and was killed in Palestine during the war.
The MADLAND family and local community were devastated by Williams loss. They later received Williams British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Scroll and Plaque along with a copy of the ‘Kings Message’, the last of these arriving in the mid-1920s.
Williams property was returned to the family and amongst it was a piece of trench art made by William MADLAND. It is a brass matchbox holder, made and engraved by MADLAND with his regimental number (6287) name (W S MADLAND) and posting “B Coy, 10th battalion”. This trench art is on display at Keswick Army Base, South Australia in the Army Museum of South Australia.

Almost 35,000 South Australians served in the First World War. This number amounted to 8.5% of the South Australian population at the time, or 37.7% of men between the ages of 18 and 44. Of those who served, it is believed that over 5,000 South Australians died and well in excess of three times that number were wounded.

William is commemorated on the Honour Roll at The PORT AUGUSTA Soldiers Memorial rotunda, The PORT AUGUSTA WEST Soldiers War memorial park and Memorial. In his local church, the PORT AUGUSTA WEST Christ Church, a diptych (a three panelled hinged memorial) was made listing all the names of those from the parish who served, and a central roll of honour was reserved for those who paid the supreme sacrifice. He is commemorated in the National War Memorial of South Australia on North Terrace at ADELAIDE. William is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, on the Roll of Honour.

William MADLAND (and Edward HANRAHAN) are included here in tribute to their Supreme Sacrifice.

LEST WE FORGET.