Horace Madden

Horace William Madden GC (14 February, 1924 - 6 November, 1951) was a posthumous Australian recipient of the George Cross whilst a Prisoner of War, during the Korean War.

Citation

400186 Private (Pte) Horace William (Slim) Madden GC, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), of Cronulla, NSW. Pte Madden, along with several others, was captured by Chinese Communists and taken prisoner on 24 April 1951 during the Battle of Kapyong. On 27 April 1951, he was left behind due to ill health, when the other prisoners were forced to march from the Bean Camp to Camp 5. He was later rounded up with prisoners from other camps who were left behind and taken to the Caves camp at Kangdong. These men were then forced to march 300km to the Yalu River, at the end of the column those too ill to march were carried on a cart. After surviving the long march Pte Madden died of malnutrition and the result of ill-treatment on approximately 6 November 1951, seven months after being captured. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross for outstanding heroism. Pte Madden was known to share his meagre supplies with the other prisoners who were sick and remained cheerful and optimistic despite ill-treatment inflicted by his captors, due to his defiance and refusal to collaborate with the enemy.

Further Information

The George Cross was presented to his sister on 9 May 1956 by the Governor of New South Wales, Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott.

References

[http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150329b.htm Australian Dictionary of Biography article] accessed 19 November 2007

ee also

*List of George Cross recipients