Sir Charles Madden, 2nd Baronet
Sir Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet | |
|---|---|
| File:BHC2417 700.jpg Admiral Sir Charles Madden | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1920-1965 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine World War II Battle of Calabria Battle of Taranto Battle of Cape Matapan Battle of Crete Burma Campaign Cold War |
Admiral Sir Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet, GCB (June 15, 1906 - April 23, 2001), followed his illustrious father in a career with the Royal Navy that culminated in his serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet from 1963 to 1965. A recognozed gunnery expert, Madden helped in the introduction of radar into the Royal Navy. He participated in the Battle of Calabria, the Battle of Taranto, the Battle of Cape Matapan, and the Battle of Crete during World War Two. Following the war, Madden introduced the General List for officers which abolished many of the distinctions between the executive and other branches within the Royal Navy. He also served as the Chief of Naval Staff of the New Zealand Navy. Following his retirement, Madden served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London from 1969 to 1981.
Biography
Charles Edward Madden was born on June 15 1906, the son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Madden, for whom the baronetcy was created in 1919. His mother Constance was a daughter of Sir Charles Cayzer, 1st Baronet, the distinguished shipowner, and his aunt Gwendoline had married Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe when he was a captain in 1902.
Pre-War Service
Madden joined the Navy as a cadet in 1920 graduating from the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, at a ceremony in which the prizes were given out by his father, who was serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet.
Sea Duty
Madden initially serviced onboard the battleship Iron Duke, the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. He subsequently served on the heavy cruiser Kent, the flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, on the China Station. Madden participated in the annual gatherings at the British-owned anchorage and island of Wei-hai-wei, visited Japan, and attended the funeral of Sun Yat-sen, the president of the Republic of China. In 1932, Lt. Madden joined the battleship Queen Elizabeth as its second gunnery officer. He was subsequently appointed as the flotilla gunnery officer, onboard the flagship Exmouth, while the destroyer flotilla served in the Mediterranean Sea during the Second Italo–Abyssinian War.
Newly promoted to Lieutenant Commander, Madden joined the cruiser Sussex as its gunnery officer in 1935. During the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, Madden was involved in running the nightly armored train from Haifa to Samak as well as protecting army encampments with naval field guns landed from the Sussex and light cruiser Arethusa.
Shore Duty
Influenced by Kent’s gunnery officer, the future Admiral Sir Philip Vian, Madden joined the HMS Excellent Gunnery School at Portsmouth in September 1929 and qualified as an advanced, gunnery officer (“dagger”). He subsequently returned to the Experimental Department at the HMS Excellent Gunnery School as First Lieutenant in 1937. During this two-year stint, he was involved in the development gunnery fire control systems and supervised the arrangement for the funeral of Admiral Sir William Fisher, the Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth.
World War Two
Madden was promoted to Commander in 1939 and was part of the pre-commissioning crew for the new battleship King George V, which was followed by staff work involving British operations in the Baltic Sea and research on the applications of shipboard radar.
Commander Madden was appointed as the executive officer for the battleship Warspite in May 1940. In this capacity, he served in Mediterranean Fleet and Eastern Fleet. He participated in the Battle of Calabria, the Battle of Taranto, the Battle of Cape Matapan, the Battle of Crete, and the bombardment of Tripoli during operation in the Mediterranean theatre. Madden was cited for official praise for his damage control, fire-fighting, and casualty-relief efforts oboard the Warspite and the cruiser Orion during the aftermath of the Battle of Crete.
Madden undertook a two-year stint as the deputy director of the gunnery division within the Admiralty with the rank of acting captain. In late 1944, he took command of the escort aircraft carrier Emperor which, after convoy duty, operated against the Japanese bases in Burma, the Nicobars, and Sumatra as a unit of the Far East Fleet during the closing stages of the Burma campaign.
Cold War
After the war, Madden was confirmed in the rank of Captain and served as the Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord. In 1947, Madden took command of the destroyer Battleaxe as Captain (D) of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. He subsequently attended the Imperial Defence College in 1950, and then served on the Defence Research Policy Committee that recommended that Ministry of Defence develope guided missiles to meet its future air defense needs. In 1953, Madden was appointed the Chief of Naval Staff and First Naval Member of the New Zealand Navy Board with the rank of Commodore.
Madden was promoted Rear Admiral in 1955 and appointed deputy to Admiral Sir Charles Lambe, the Second Sea Lord, In this position, Madden introduced the General List for officers in 1956 which abolished many of the distinctions between the executive and other branches within the Royal Navy. From 1957 to 1959, Admiral Madden held the post of Flag Officer Malta, with responsibilities for three squadrons of minesweepers, an amphibious warfare squadron, and a flotilla of submarines stationed at this overseas naval base.
Madden subsequently served as flag officer of destroyers and frigates in the Home Fleet from 1959 to 1961. In the Fall of 1960, under his command, British naval forces led by the aircraft carriers Ark Royal and Hermes participated in NATO exercises against units of the U.S. Second Fleet units, which included the nuclear-powered radar-picket submarine Triton.[1] Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1961, Madden served as Commander-in-Chief Plymouth.
In 1963, Madden was appointed Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet, with the rank of Admiral, a post that his father held. He concurrently serevd as NATO’s Allied Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic, and in this capacity, Madden was instrumental in developing Standing Naval Force Atlantic as a permanent task force.
Retirement
Retired Admiral Madden served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London from 1969 to 1981. He chaired the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, the National Maritime Museum, and the Standing Council of the Baronetage. He was a member of the Council of the Sail Training Association. He also served as executive secretary of a trust established to build a replica of HMS Endeavour for the bicentenary of Captain Cook's voyage of discovery to Australia in 1768. He was the naval adviser to the trust formed for the Overlord Embroidery which is on display at the D-Day Museum in Southsea. Madden also continued his life-long interest in painting, and he participated in numerous collective and one-man exhibitions. His memoirs were privately printed in 1988. Following his death, Madden was described as "a highly intelligent, thoughtful, caring and modest man. He was seldom ruffled and, like all successful admirals, was much admired by his men."[2]
Order of the Bath
- Companion (1955)
- Knight Commander (1961)
- Knight Grand Cross (1965)
Personal
Admiral Madden married Olive Robins, who died in 1989, in 1942. Both he and his wife were involved in numerous charitable activities. They are survived by a daughter. Admiral Madden is succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew, Peter John Madden.
Madden also maintained a life-long interest in painting, and he participated in numerous collective and one-man exhibitions.
Notes
- ^ Edward L. Beach, Jr. Salt and Steel: Reflections of a Submariner (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999), p. 263 - 269
- ^ "Obituary: Admiral Sir Charles Madden" by Max Arthur. The Independent (London)
References
- Obituary The Guardian (May 4, 2001)
- Biographical Profile The Guardian (November 11, 2001)
- "Obituary: Admiral Sir Charles Madden" by Max Arthur. The Independent (London) (April 28, 2001)[1]
- Bernard Hallas “My Life My War: Chapter 10a - The Catastrophe of Crete” WW2 People’s War - BBC [2] (May 31, 2005)
- Bernard Hallas “My Life My War: Chapter 10b - The Catastrophe of Crete” WW2 People’s War - BBC (May 31, 2005)[3] (May 31, 2005)
See Also