MADELEY, Joseph Noble
| Service Number: | NX36726 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1940, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Corowa, New South Wales, 28 February 1920 |
| Home Town: | Weethalle, Bland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Memorials: | Yanco Agricultural High School WWII Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 28 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Private, NX36726, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Corporal, NX36726, 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 5 Dec 1945: | Discharged Corporal, NX36726, 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 5 Dec 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Corporal, NX36726, 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion |
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"Rats of Tobruk gather in Canberra to mark 75th anniversary of WWII siege
...Tobruk veteran Joe Madeley said about 800 Australians were killed in the siege and many more were injured, but he harboured no hatred for his foe. He remembered brief interludes in the fighting when the German and Australian soldiers would take turns singing songs, as they were so close to one another they could hear and applaud each other's singing.
"We didn't hate them. We had German prisoners of war and we used to share our coffee with them when we were guarding them," Mr Madeley said.
But Mr Madeley said his Tobruk campaign ended in a court martial.
"We were the last to leave, but the boat was sunk that we were supposed to be on," he said.
"We had nobody in charge of us, no food, no nothing. They took us out and dumped us just opposite the ration dump."
Not wanting to waste a good opportunity, Mr Madeley gathered up a few soldiers for a midnight raid on the ration dump. They climbed under the barbed wire and availed themselves of a few cases of sausages, only to be busted by British military police. Mr Madeley was charged for his role in the sausage theft, but luckily the charges were dropped before he was sent on to fight for the Empire at El Alamein." - FULL ARTICLE LINK 10 Apr 1016 ABC Online (www.abc.net.au)
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