Full name William Charles Madden Original team(s) West Melbourne Name Bill Madden | Place of death France Years Club | |
Date of birth (1881-11-18)18 November 1881 Date of death 3 May 1917(1917-05-03) (aged 35) | ||
William Charles "Bill" Madden (18 November 1881 — 3 May 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda. He was killed in action in France in 1917.
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Family
He was married in 1904; and he and his wife, Dorothea Harriett Madden (?-1942), nee Surguy, had two children, Priscilla Victoria Madden, and William Leonard Madden.
Footballer
At 26 years of age, he was cleared to St Kilda, from West Melbourne on 29 April 1908. and played his first senior match, in the first round, against Carlton, at Princes Park on 2 May 1908. Of the three St Kilda debutants, Madden, Bismarck Kulpa, and Alby Landt, he was considered to be "the most promising" of all the new St Kilda players. Although not a tall man, he played as a backman, a forward, and a ruckman, with an equally high level of skill and performance during his senior VFL career.
In his first season at St Kilda (1908) he played in every senior match, including the Semi-Final against Carlton, at the M.C.G. on 19 September 1908. Carlton thrashed St Kilda, by 58 points (12.12 (84) to 3.8 (26), Madden was selected as the forward pocket resting ruckman for St Kilda. The match was played in extremely wet and muddy conditions, and the umpiring was of such a poor standard that St Kilda lodged a complaint.
In his second season (1909) he only played seven matches, the last of which, against Melbourne at the Junction Oval on 24 July 1908 (round thirteen) was only possible because he was needed to replace an unavailable player.
Cricketer
He was also the wicket-keeper for the Brunswick Cricket Club.
Soldier
Prior to enlisting in the First AIF on 30 March 1916, he had been employed as a tinsmith.
Death
He died in France on 3 May 1917.
He was declared "missing in action" in May 1917; and his name appeared in the list of missing issued in June 1917.
He was finally (officially) declared "Killed in Action" on 26 November 1917 after a Court of Inquiry had conducted an investigation into his case, although the relevant casualty list was not published until February 1918.