Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Chief Engine Room Artificer John James Madge was born in Redfern, NSW on the 24th of May 1909. He would be educated in Sydney, and trained as a Plasterer, while being enrolled in the Army Cadets at 14, before joining the Citizens Militia the predesscor to today’s Army Reserve.

On the 7th of August 1933, he would enlist in the Royal Australian Navy, training to be a Engine Room Artificer, similar to today’s Marine Technician role, signing on for a minimum of 12 years. After completing his training at HMAS Cerberus he would be posted to HMAS Canberra, where he would serve until April of 1940, when he was transferred to the more modern HMAS Perth.

HMAS Perth had spent the beginning of the war patrolling the Caribbean and the Pacific, only returning to Australia for a series of engine refits and trials, which John joined in with. Perth and her crew soon were sent to Europe to help evacuate Crete and Greece, before returning to Australia again for another series of refits. It was here that her Commanding Officer was changed and Captain Hector Waller, DSO and Bar took command. He would take Perth on patrols of Australian waters, as the war effort shifted from Europe to closer to home to counter the looming Japanese threat.

On the 27th of February 1942, Perth along with USS Houston, HMS Exeter, HNLMS De Ruyter and Java, along with 9 destroyers from the United States, Great Britain and The Netherlands sailed towards the Java Sea to intercept a potential Japanese invasion force. In what would become known as the Battle of the Java Sea, only Houston, Perth and a Dutch destroyer Evertson would be operational, and they would break off the engagement.

The following day Perth, Houston and Evertson were ordered to sail through the Sunda Strait, unfortunately by chance they encountered the Japanese force again, that greatly outnumbered them, despite fierce fighting by Perth and Houston, who were firing on multiple targets at once. Waller eventually ordered his crew to abandon ship shortly after midnight, with Houston following shortly after. Evertson which had arrived too late for the main battle was then herself attacked, with her crew running aground to prevent further loss of life.

Out of Perth’s crew of 681, only 324 survived the sinking and of them only 214 survived captivity. While 353 would be killed. Chief Engine Room Artificer John James Madge was just one of them. He was only 32.