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Biographical Publications

Australian Dictionary of Biography
adb.anu.edu.au Biography - Cecil Thomas Madigan by L. W. Parkin

Michael Madigan, ‘Cecil Thomas Madigan’, SA History Hub, History Trust of South Australia, http://sahistoryhub.com.au/people/cecil-thomas-madigan

Madigan’s Account: the Mawson Expedition
The Antarctic Diaries of C.T. Madigan, transcribed by J.W. Madigan and published in 2012

‘The boy from Adelaide, CT Madigan’
This is an edited version of a paper presented at Aurora Expedition Symposium, University of Adelaide, 26 February 2014 to celebrate the centenary of the return of SY Aurora to Adelaide February 1914 by Heather Rossiter, BSc DipEd MAIBiol, Independent scholar
www.heatherrossiter.com/media/The-Boy-From-Adelaide.pdf

Cool Antarctica coolantarctica.com
https://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/History/biography/madigan_cecil_thomas.php
(details from this site are included below in the section on Antarctic Exploration)

Additional Biography

Early Life

Cecil Thomas Madigan was born on 15 October 1889 in Renmark, the son of Thomas Patrick Madigan, who was a fruit grower and contractor, and Mary Dixie Madigan, nee Finey.

Cecil was the second eldest son in the family, and he had had two brothers and two sisters. They were Mary Ethel Madigan, born on 21 October 1886 in Farrell Flat, Brian Marmaduke Madigan, born on 17 March 1888 (died 1889) and Gertrude Josephine Madigan, born on 30 May 1892 (both born in Renmark) and Paul Edward Madigan, who born on 2 October 1894 in Glenelg.

Cecil’s father was a farming contractor and the family lived at Renmark Ave, Renmark. In 1895 he ceased to carry out contract work and sold up his equipment. Thomas then tried his luck in the gold fields, but he contracted typhoid and on the 26th of June 1897 he passed away at Kalgoorlie, aged only 38 years leaving his wife Mary and four young children.

As a Cecil’s mother raised the children by herself. She was a school teacher by profession and supervised the early education of her four children. She was posted to Dawlish (north of Peterborough) in September 1886, then to Sandalwood (Murray Mallee, March 1888), Salter’s Springs (near Riverton, Aug 1899), Mount Barker Springs (Jan 1901), Woodside (May 1905), Charleston (Adelaide Hills, April 1906), and Grunthal (renamed Verdun, Jan 1910). She returned to Renmark with her two daughters during World War I and was teaching for some years at the Renmark West School from October 1914 to July 1921.

Schooling

Cecil’s later Rhodes Scholarship application states that he was educated by his mother until the age of 12 years (1901) thus it is likely that he attended school at Saddlewood, Salter’s Springs and Mount Barker Springs.

In 1902 Cecil attended the Norwood School where he passed his Primary Examinations and was awarded a bursary.

From 1903 to 1905 he attended the Pupil Teacher School (Adelaide High School from 1908) where he passed the Junior Examinations in 1904, Senior Examinations in 1904 and Higher Examinations in 1905 coming 12th on the General Honours List. He was awarded a scholarship to attend Prince Alfred College, Adelaide.

In 1906 while at PAC, Cecil sat the Higher Public Examinations again coming 7th on the General Honours list.

University

Cecil commenced studying for a degree in Science at Adelaide University and a diploma in Applied Science (Mining Engineering) at the School of Mines in 1907.

His BSc was conferred in December 1910 and his Diploma in Applied Science (Mining Engineering), School of Mines in 1911.

He was awarded the 1911 Rhodes Scholarship.

University Sport

Athletics
Cecil competed in the Adelaide University Sports in 1907 and in 1908 he won the high jump (handicap) competition.

Football
In May 1907, Cecil played several A Grade games for Adelaide University in the Adelaide and Suburban Association competition. He was very athletic, broad shouldered and 6’ 3’’.

Rifle
Cecil shot for the Adelaide University Rifle Club and his achievements and involvement in the administration of the club are well documented in the newspaper article below when he was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. He was Captain of the 1910 Intervarsity Rifle team and was awarded a Blue for Rifle in 1910.

Boat
Cecil rowed for the Adelaide University Boat Club and his achievements are well documented in the newspaper article below when he was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship. He represented the Adelaide University at the Intervarsity in 1910 and 1911. He was awarded a Blue for Boat in 1910, making him a Double Blue.

Cecil was selected to row in seat six for South Australia in the Interstate Men’s Eight Championship in 1911 on the Parramatta River, NSW. The crew came fourth in the competition.

Rhodes Scholarship

Cecil was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship in December 1910.

Cecil departed from Adelaide onboard the ‘Orvieto’ on the 11th of August 1911 and arrived at London, England on the 1911. He then received permission from Oxford University to join Dr Mawson on his polar expedition. He returned to Australia from London onboard the ‘Orvieto’, departing on the 29th of September 1911 and arriving in Adelaide on the 4th of November 1911. The trip to the Antarctic commenced in December 1911 when the party left Hobart on board the SY Aurora and he returned in February 1914.

Antarctic Explorer

The website coolantarctica.com provides the following biographical details and photographs relating to Cecil’s time on the polar expedition.
.......

Cecil Thomas Madigan - Biographical notes
Expedition leader - Aurora 1911-1913

Single, a graduate in Science (Mining Engineering) of Adelaide University, South Australia. Through the courtesy of the Trustees of the Rhodes Scholarship, the necessary leave to accompany the Expedition was granted just as he was on the eve of continuing his studies at Oxford University. A member of the Main Base Party (Adélie Land) he acted as Meteorologist for two years and during the second year (1913) was also in charge of the Greenland dogs. An important journey in the spring and one to the east in the summer were made under his leadership, and the Party, left in Adélie Land in 1913, was to have been under his charge, but for Mawson's return.
From Appendix 1, Mawson - Heart of the Antarctic

Landmarks named after Cecil Thomas Madigan

Feature Name: Madigan Nunatak
Feature Type: summit
Latitude: 6709S
Longitude: 14321E
Description: An isolated nunatak that rises above the continental ice 18 mi S of Cape Gray. Discovered by the AAE (1911-14) under Douglas Mawson.

In March 1913 Cecil requested a further extension to the postponement of his Rhodes Scholarship.

There was some drama on the expedition as Mawson’s party had not returned from its Far Eastern trek and Captain Davis was forced to sail due to deteriorating weather. Cecil Madigan was placed in command of a relief party and his role was to wait for Mawson. This resulted in him staying there another twelve months for the ship to return, finally reaching Adelaide in February 1914.


On the 9th of April 1914 Cecil departed from Adelaide onboard the ‘Mongolia’ heading for England to take up his Rhodes Scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford. He had continued his passion for sport, being awarded Blues in Boat and Boxing in 1914 prior to enlisting in the British Expeditionary Forces.


World War I

Cecil had not been at Oxford for long when World War I broke out.

Information about Cecil’s early WWI service was recorded by his mother, Mary, in a letter from Renmark, dated 9th December 1916 and now held in the University of Adelaide archives.

After one term at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1914, Cecil Madigan joined the British Expeditionary Force as a member of the Royal Engineers, 76th Field Company, Guards Division. He was promoted through the ranks from Lieutenant-Colonel to Captain in 1916.

Cecil married Miss Wynnis Knight Wollaston, of Glenelg, SA on Friday the 20th of August 1915, at Christ Church, Westminster, UK. Wynnis was born on 7 October 1888 at Glenelg and was the eldest daughter of Tullie Cornthwaite Wollaston and Emma Sarah Manthorpe.

Following his marriage Cecil immediately returned to France on the Western Front and was subsequently wounded. Cecil and Wynnis’ first son, David Cecil Madigan, was born on the 22nd of July 1916 at Prince’s Gate, Kensington Gardens, London.

Cecil served in France and was twice mentioned in dispatches – a real honour. He was involved in the Battle of Loos from late September 1915 which was the biggest British Army attack in 1915. He was wounded in this battle, the first of his two woundings. While recovering from his wounds he worked at Vickers & Co and at Buxton.

After recuperation he returned to France in May 1916 and was involved in the Battle of the Somme from July to November 1916. This battle was the longest on the Western Front and involved three million men fighting in a crucial strategic initiative. The battle is notable for the importance of air power and the first use of tank on the battlefield. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 10km into German occupied territory, taking more ground than in any of their offensives since the Battle of the Marne in 1914. Both sides suffered very heavy losses with one million men wounded or killed.

A letter from Cecil was published in the Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record (Renmark, SA : 1913 - 1942), on the 15 February 1918. (see document).

Cecil’s younger brother Paul Edward Madigan, who was born on 2 October 1894 and was studying toward a BSc at Adelaide University in 1912. He enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force at Keswick in July 1915 aged 21 years. He was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements, 27th Battalion and served in Egypt and France. He was badly wounded and returned to Australia in early 1917. He discharged on 12 October 2017 having served overseas for well over a year. Paul returned to Adelaide University after the war and gained his LL.B. in 1922.

Oxford University - Magdalen College

After demobilization from the British Army, Cecil returned to Magdalen College, Oxford to resume his studies in 1919. He completed further degrees in an impressive academic career which included a B.A. in 1919, a M.A. in 1922 and a D.Sc. in 1933. He gained first-class honours in Natural Science (Geology).

Career and Family Life

Cecil and Wynnis’ daughter Wollaston Neith Madigan (Neith) was born at Oxford, England, on the 26th of May 1919. Her birth was announced in the ‘Chronicle’, Adelaide, 19th July 1919 as Margaret Neith Madigan.

Wynnis and the couple’s two children arrived back in Australia on the ‘Fort Macquarie’ in January 1920. Cecil is not shown on the same passenger list but it is clear that he was briefly back in Adelaide in January and February 1920 as he purchased a house ‘Bernafay’ at 18 Penzance Street, Glenelg in early February and on the 27th or 28th February 1920, he departed from Outer Harbour, Adelaide onboard the ‘Bremen’ to undertake geological work for the Imperial Government in the Soudan. He was to be based at Khartoum (now the capital and largest city of Sudan).

Wynnis and the children remained in Adelaide and the couple’s second son, Russel Tullie Madigan, was born in Adelaide on the 22nd of November 1920.

Cecil departed from Plymouth, England onboard the ‘Narkunda” on the 10th of May 1921, with a destination port of Adelaide, SA. He arrived in Adelaide on the 12th of June 1921. Cecil was briefly on the staff of St Peter’s College, Adelaide, however, on the 28th of August 1921 he was appointed lecturer in geology at Adelaide University.

Back at the University of Adelaide, Cecil became a member of the committee of the Graduates’ Association in August 1922 and was on the General Committee of the Adelaide University Sports Association from 1922 and its President in 1928 & 1929. He was awarded his MA in 1922.

Cecil was Hon. Secretary to the Church of England appeal to set up the first residential college for Adelaide University (St Marks’ College. North Adelaide).He was the coach of the Adelaide University Intervarsity Boat crew in 1923 and later years.

On the 7th of February 1923, Cecil and Wynnis’ third son, Michael Roebourne Madigan (Roebourne) was born.

Having been involved with Douglas Mawson on the Antarctica Expedition on graduation in 1911, Cecil Madigan later became a contemporary of his at the University where Mawson was a Senior Lecturer in Geology. This relationship is referred to in an article published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, (MUP), 1986 by L.W. Parkin: (above). A further reference from the same article demonstrates his impact on the study of Geology at the University and the manner in which he could translate his experience into the university environment.

By 1926, Cecil was on the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee and coach of the Adelaide University Boat Club in addition to a number of other roles at Adelaide University.

Cecil and Wynnis’ youngest child, a daughter, Rosemary Wynnis Madigan was born at the ‘Warringa’ (private hospital), Glenelg on the 5th of December 1926.

A caricature of Cecil was published in the ‘Saturday Journal ‘(Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1929), on the 3rd of December 1927.

The State Library of South Australia holds a collection of photographs from the 1929 Simpson Desert expedition at https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/collection/Simpson+Desert+Collection

World War II

When World War II was declared, Cecil Madigan was asked to develop a School of Military Field Engineering at Liverpool, New South Wales. In 1940 Cecil became Chief Instructor and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. See the Mobilization Attestation form (see document). Later he reported on matters associated with water resources.

Cecil retired from the Army in late 1943 and as his wife was then living back in South Australian at Blackwood, his resignation took effect in South Australia and he returned to work as a lecturer at the University of Adelaide until his untimely death in 1947.

Son’s WW2 Service

Russel Tullie Madigan, (SN S15164, SX24547) enlisted on the 22nd of September 1941 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. He was discharged on the 7th of January 1946. His service with the Royal Australian Engineers included serving in New Guinea (1942-43).

Michael Roebourne Madigan (437220, O41170) enlisted on the 5th of December 1942 and served until 1st February 1946. He was a flight lieutenant in the RAAF and served in the European Theatre of Operations.

Professional Associations and Awards

Some of the significant associations that Dr Cecil Madigan belonged to or awards that he received were as follows:
• King’s Polar Medal, 1914.
• Fellow of the Geological Society of London.
• President of the Royal Society of South Australia in 1936.
• Royal Society council member and its Verco Medallist in 1945.
• President of the geographical section of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science in 1937.
• Clarke Memorial lecturer to the Royal Society of New South Wales in 1938.
• Recipient of the Murchison grant of the Royal Geographical Society in 1941; and
• A cairn was erected at Birdsville in 1962 to commemorate his 1939 crossing of the Simpson Desert.

Papers and Books

Cecil Madigan was both an author of papers in learned societies’ journals and wrote books
• The Meteorology of Cape Denison, Adelie Land by C.T. Madigan, 1929 in the records of the Antarctica expedition.
• An aerial reconnaissance into the south-eastern portion of Central Australia, C.T. Madigan, 1930. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, session 1928-1929, 30:83-108.
• The physiography of the Western MacDonnell Ranges, Central Australia, by C.T. Madigan, 1931. The Geographical Journal 78(5):417-433.
• The Australian sand-ridge deserts, by C.T. Madigan, 1936. The Geographical Review 26(2):205-227.
• The Past, Present and Future of the Society, and its Relations to the Welfare and Progress of the State, by C.T. Madigan. Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. lx, 1936, pp. i-xv.
• C.T. Madigan's contributions to geology in South Australia, by Twidale, C. R., Parkin, L. W. and Rudd, E. A. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, vol. 114, 1990, pp. 157-67.
• The Study of Desert Dunes in Australia, by Twidale, C. Rowland in Grapes, R. H., Oldroyd, D. R. and Grigelis, A. (eds), History of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology, Geological Society, London, 2008, pp. 215-39.
• Central Australia, by C.T. Madigan, 1936. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
• Crossing the Dead Heart, by C.T. Madigan, 1946, Georgian House: Melbourne.

Death

Cecil Thomas Madigan died on the 14th of January 1947, aged 57, of coronary vascular disease at Springbank, he had been living at Blackwood at the time.

He left a widow (Wynnis) and five children. He is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide. An obituary for Cecil is located at https://www.nature.com/search?q=cecil+madigan, published 15th March 1947.

Wynnis Knight Madigan passed away on the 27th of May 1987, aged 99. She is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery with Cecil.

South Australia’s 150th anniversary of colonisation was celebrated in 1986 and to commemorate the sesquicentenary, the Jubilee 150 Board decided to honour a selection of people who had made a significant contribution to the community or gained national and international recognition for their work. It created a Jubilee 150 Walk of 150 bronze plaques set in the footpath of North Terrace.

It was no surprise that Cecil Madigan was chosen as one of the prominent South Australians to have a plaque in his honour. The plaque was sponsored by his son Sir Russel Madigan. On the J150 plaque website it states: “A geologist and explorer, Cecil Madigan crossed the Simpson Desert in the last classic Australian exploration adventure.”

In 1993, Room 131 on the top floor of the Mawson Laboratories was named the Madigan Room. Mounted on the north-western wall of this room are two photographs of Dr Madigan and a plaque with an inscription about his life. The official naming and unveiling of the plaque was performed by his son, Sir Russel Madigan.

Authors : David Bartlett and Beth Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents , family legacy and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.