| [Index] |
| Henry St.John MADDEN (1914 - 1942) |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
| Henry St.John MADDEN (1914 - 1942) | Julian Edward Henry Barton MADDEN (1871 - 1928) | Julian Edward MADDEN (1845 - 1925) | Henry St.John MADDEN (1810 - 1873) | |
| Honorah AUSTIN (1818 - 1858) | ||||
| Mary BARTON (1854 - 1931) | John BARTON | |||
| Elizabeth (BARTON) | ||||
| Ruby Frances GARLAND (1887 - 1978) | Thomas Archer Sparling GARLAND (1842 - 1937) | James GARLAND (1813 - 1904) | ||
| Emma Carne BROUGHTON (1815 - 1893) | ||||
| Emma Broughton GARLAND (1855 - 1946) | John GARLAND (1809 - 1892) | |||
| Mary Donaldson HENDERSON (1835 - 1928) |
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| b. 09 Oct 1914 at Lismore, New South Wales, Australia |
| d. 27 Jan 1942 at Malaya aged 27 |
| Parents: |
| Julian Edward Henry Barton MADDEN (1871 - 1928) |
| Ruby Frances GARLAND (1887 - 1978) |
| Siblings (5): |
| Mary Garland MADDEN (1913 - ) |
| Barbara Garland MADDEN (1916 - 1991) |
| Joan Garland MADDEN (1918 - ) |
| Thomas Julian Barton MADDEN (1919 - 2003) |
| Events in Henry St.John MADDEN (1914 - 1942)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| Enlist | Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia | ||||
| 09 Oct 1914 | Henry St.John MADDEN was born | Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | |||
| 19 Sep 1928 | 13 | Death of father Julian Edward Henry Barton MADDEN (aged 57) | Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia | Note 1 | |
| 27 Jan 1942 | 27 | Henry St.John MADDEN died | Malaya | ||
| Note 1: Buried C of E,Macleay Rvr,with wife Ruby Frances, who D 19 Oct 1978 (91). |
| Personal Notes: |
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Killed in action in Malaya probably at Jemaluang.
Henry St John Madden Rank: Corporal [Cpl] Service Number: NX40817 Unit: 2/18 INF BN Service: Army Conflict: 1939-1945 Date of Death: 27 January 1942 Place of Death: Malaya Cause of Death: Killed In Action Source: AWM147 Roll of Honour cards, 1939-1945 War, 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and CMF (Citizen Military Force) The Army newspaper website notes 26 Jan 1942 - 2/18 Bn sets ambush for Japanese north of Jemaluang, Malaya. 27 January 1942 — Withdrawal of British forces from Malaya to Singapore begins. Also 2/18 served Malaya 1941-42, Johore, Jemaluang, Singapore Island The commonwealth War Graves Commission has him in a joint grave at Kranji War Cemetry http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2004200&mode=1 The bodies from all over Malaya were moved to here. This from a website http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/japadvance/malaya.html 'Over on the west coast, on the night of 26-27 January, the Australian 2/18th Battalion successfully ambushed a Japanese force at Jemaluang, south of Mersing. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Varley, supported by two batteries of the 2/10th Field Regiment, the 2/18th sprang their ambush between 2 am and 3 am. Brigade headquarters ordered Varley to withdraw after first light, after they encountered heavier attacks from the enemy. Nevertheless, the Australian action was a stunning success which turned the Japanese force inland, rather than continue pushing south along the west coast. The 2/18th lost 98 troops killed or missing, but Japanese losses were heavier.' This from a speech http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/remembering1942/singapore/transcript.htm 'To oppose the three divisions which the Japanese deployed in their campaign against Malaya and Singapore, Percival mainly had an Indian corps of two divisions and the Australian 8th Division under Major-General Gordon Bennett. Ordinarily, military doctrine requires that an attacker needs a superiority of several times the strength of the defender for success to be achievable, but in this case such a margin was unnecessary considering the freedom the Japanese enjoyed in deploying forces and manoeuvring them. The Indian troops were outclassed by the Japanese, and although the Australians, once committed to action in Johore on 14 January, achieved the few allied successes of the campaign (at places such as Gemas, Bakri, Jemaluang and Muar River), the 8th Division was understrength with just two brigades and lost heavily over the course of the next fortnight's fighting.' Form a website http://www.dva.gov.au/commem/2005/singapore/background.htm 'The most costly Australian battle in Malaya began on 18 January when the 2/19th and 2/29th Battalions began fighting around Bakri. The battalions, some artillery troops and Indian troops were cut off and had to fight their way out under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anderson. After four days of fighting, the force was trapped at Parit Sulong and the men were ordered to break out in groups and try to reach British lines. Japanese troops massacred over 100 wounded men who had to be left behind. Lieutenant Colonel Anderson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his courage and leadership – the only Australian VC recipient of the campaign. On 26 January 1942 the RAAF had its worst day of the campaign when several British and Australian squadrons attacked enemy ships and troops at Endau, on the east coast. Two British squadrons of Vildebeest biplane bombers flew a ‘suicide mission’ and eight Australians in these squadrons and two in No 1 Squadron RAAF were killed. Next day, the 2/18th Battalion fought a hard battle at Jemaluang, inflicting heavy casualties on a Japanese regiment and effectively halting the enemy advance down the east coast.' The most complete description is on this website http://www.218battalion.com/index.php?page=history which includes these paras 'Throughout this time the 2/18th was waiting impatiently to take part in the action. The main part of the battalion was patrolling and training in and around Mersing. A small group consisting of Lieutenant Perring, Sergeant Alan Black and Privates Dorrington and Neville, was seconded to join "Roseforce" led by Major Rose of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Roseforce was a commando outfit and was put into action on December 26th just north of Ipoh on the west coast of the peninsula. The raid was a success. According to Sergeant Alan Black, "Our best bag was a Major General and Staff. All the men did a great job...� The battalion had been subsumed into a command structure called Eastforce under Brigadier Taylor of the 2/27th Battalion. From mid January a number of skirmishes took place between Eastforce groups and the Japanese. The probes were repulsed, but as Japanese bombing commenced in the area and intensified from January 13th it was clear a serious assault was immanent. The assault came on 26th January, by which time the battalion had been withdrawn from its painstakingly prepared positions at Mersing. This order had come in order to bring Eastforce in line with the crumbling front on the west coast. Varley showed his opportunism at this point by using the occasion of the withdrawal to affect a battalion sized ambush in the Nithsdale Estate outside of Jemaluang. The ambush was costly for the Australians, 80 dead in a night's fighting, but the casualties inflicted were estimated as high as 2000 dead and wounded. Significantly this was the first time in the Pacific War a Japanese formation was forced to withdraw from battle. The Japanese spent the night of 26th moving through the battalion's prepared positions. Their first encounter was at 2 am with A Company who held up the Japanese probe on the Jemaluang Road. This initial fight resulted in two quick fatalities for the Australians as John Madden and Lt George Warden were killed. This left 9 platoon without a leader until Corporal Col Spence assumed command and won a DCM for his role in directing the defence of the position, even after being slashed with a samurai sword by a Japanese scout. Spence killed his assailant and as the recommendation for his award reads: Despite his severe wound, Spence regained his feet, killed the Officer, directed the fire movement of his section repulsing the attack successfully, and inflicting heavy enemy casualties.' photos on http://www.218battalion.com/index.php?page=gallery |