The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (QX1836) Private Maitland Madge, 2/26th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (QX1836) Private Maitland Madge, 2/26th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

QX1836 Private Maitland Madge, 2/26th Battalion, AIF
DOD 7 June 1944
No photograph in collection – supplied by unknown


At the other end of Anzac Parade across the lake, is Australia’s parliament, its political capital but its soul is here.

In front of you standing guard is Australia’s Federation Guard around the tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. We don’t know who he is, he is probably a private, a corporate, possibly a sergeant or a sapper or a junior officer, he could be an Aboriginal Australian, we don’t know.

We are Australians, we respect our generals and our admirals, but we revere and honour the idealism and the heroism of the everyday Australian. In this place, the Australian War Memorial every serviceman and woman is equal. We see no rank, no military honours, no political affiliation, religion or race. We are all Australians and we are equal. But amongst them is one group of Australians whom we honour especially here this evening.

Only four or five generations after the arrival of the first British Fleet in 1788, living in a desperately unequal Australia, not allowed to enlist to fight and defend the young nation of Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders enlisted in significant numbers. We don’t know exactly how many because in order to enlist they had to deny their Aboriginality. And yet they did. And they found the Australian Imperial Force to be Australia’s first equal opportunity employer. Everyone treated equally well and equally badly. And then having fought for our nation those who did return, of the approximately 1500 who went overseas, they returned again to a very unequal Australia. And to a very similar extent that also was the story of the Second World War.

In the cloisters here amongst these 102, 700 names of Australian men and women who have given their lives in our uniform, under our flag, for us, our values and our freedoms are named Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on every one of those panels. And we are here this evening, as Australians, young, free and equal to honour a particularly special membership of the Australian nation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have given their all, their lives and serve in increasing numbers today in the protection of Australia.

Speech by Dr Brendan Nelson

Transcribed by Marnie Edwards

Story delivered 7 July 2016

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Maitland Madge.

Maitland Madge was born on 17 March 1895 to Richard Madge and his wife, Ella, an Indigenous woman from Queensland. When he was ten his father applied for Maitland to be exempt from the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 removing him from state care. This was granted, and as a result Richard Madge was able to register Maitland’s birth and enrol him at the Kelvin Grove Boys’ School. Maitland went on to work as a labourer, becoming the sole supporter of his aging father, and continued to support him financially until his death in 1931.

Madge enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915, and after a period of training in Australia left for active service overseas in October with reinforcements to the 15th Battalion. On arriving in Egypt, he suffered from poor health and was hospitalised for several months. He did not re-join his battalion until April 1916, whereupon he continued training in Egypt until the battalion was sent to France some two months later.

Shortly after its arrival on the Western Front the 15th Battalion participated in a number of operations around the French village of Pozières. In early August Private Madge was in the front line running messages from company to battalion headquarters under heavy artillery fire. The artillery fire had cut telephone wires, and runners were the only effective means of communication during the operation. For their work at Pozières Private Madge and Private S. May were awarded the Military Medal, which cited:

an utter disregard of their own safety, and an admirable contempt for
danger, and it was entirely owing to their self-sacrifice that the operations
were so well supported by our own artillery, and that Battalion and
Brigade headquarters were so closely in touch with progress of operations

Madge suffered wounds in the arm and leg, and spent some time recovering in hospital.

Madge served throughout the rest of the war, and though wounded on more than one occasion he remained on duty. He returned to Australia in 1919 and worked as a quarryman in the lime quarries at Gore, and later as a labourer around Queensland. His war service left him with some chest trouble, but he was known as a good, hard worker.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939 Madge was working in Townsville as a security guard. Aged 45, he enlisted in the Militia, serving in the No. 1 Garrison Battalion. In June 1940 he volunteered in the Second Australian Imperial Force. In order to serve, Madge put his age down to 39, and despite his health issues was declared fit for overseas service.

Madge joined the 2/26th Battalion, part of 27th Brigade of the 8th Division. He embarked with his unit for overseas service in July 1941. Arriving in Singapore in August, the battalion joined other units of the 8th Division as part of the garrison forces on the Malayan peninsula.

Following Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941 the Malayan peninsula was invaded by Japanese force, and from mid-January 1942 the 8th Division was involved in fierce fighting. By February the British and Commonwealth forces had been pushed back to Singapore, and Japanese forces began landing on the island. Units of the 8th Division bore the brunt of the Japanese landing on the north-west, and heavy casualties were inflicted upon either side.

On 15 February 1942, after weeks of fierce fighting, Singapore fell to the Japanese, and Madge became one of 45,000 Australian and British troops captured in the surrender.

On his arrival in Malaya Madge had become ill with gastroenteritis, and was hospitalised in November 1941. He remained there throughout the campaign, only returning to his unit in March 1942, by this point held in the prisoner-of-war camp at Changi, Singapore.

From August 1942 Madge was in and out of hospital with dysentery, beriberi, and fibrositis. He never recovered his full heath, and died of amoebic dysentery on 7 June 1944 at the prisoner-of-war hospital at Kranji, Singapore. He was buried in the Kranji War Cemetery.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among some 40,000 others who died while serving in the Second World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Maitland Madge, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Dr Meleah Hampton and Dr Lachlan Grant
Historians, Military History Section