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e head and killed instantly. These are the particulars
given me by a sergt. who was with the body of men under your son and
who saw him fall. The Germans' fire was so heavy that our men, in spite
of their splendid advance, could not assault and carry the trench;
their losses during the advance had been terrible, yet they hung on all
day from 8 a.m. till dusk, and then had to withdraw. It was to my deep
regret impossible to bring your boy's body back for burial. Even after
dark, the Germans kept up a heavy fire at this very close range, but he
was lying so near the German trench that there is no doubt that they
will have taken him behind their lines and buried him. I cannot express
sufficiently the deep sorrow which I, and all of us, feel at the loss
of a brother officer, who, though but so recently joined, had already
on more than one occasion shown his sterling value. I have felt it my
duty to bring to official notice the gallant manner in which your son
was leading his men when he met his death. I know how little there is
I can say that can bring consolation to you in your great sorrow, and
will only add that your son's death occurred in an action which, though
it failed in its purpose, has been as fine an exhibition of sacrifice
and determination as any in the annals of this regt., and I hope that
you may be able to feel that your boy has died in covering himself with
glory." And Sergt. P. Benzies (since killed) on behalf of the N.C.Os.
and men of C Coy., wrote: "On the morning of 14 Dec., the Gordon
Highlanders made a glorious charge, two platoons of C Coy. leading, the
other two to support. Your son was in charge of Nos. 9 and 11 Platoons
which led, and, when the order came to advance, he was the first out of
the trenches; smiling and waving his stick, he encouraged his men on.
When we had got to within fifty yards of the German trenches we had
to lie down for a minute to get our breath before the final assault.
It was when he raised his head to give the order to advance that he
was killed. He died instantaneously, and therefore suffered no pain.
You ought to be very proud of yourself to have had such a gallant son,
for he was a thorough hero, and we all admired him very much. I was
also with your son when he was wounded on 12 Oct. 1914. I gave him a
snapshot photograph, which was taken about the beginning of Oct., and
which I hope he sent home. He gave a few of us cigarette lighters just
a few days before the charge, and we all treasure them very much now."
Another officer writing home said: "Poor young MacWilliam, who had
just rejoined after recovering from a wound, was shot dead through the
head. I have since then taken over temporary command of C Coy., and in
drawing up a report of its work during the day of the attack (14 Dec.)
find that the men speak in the most glowing terms of the bravery of
George and Mr. MacWilliam, and of the gallant way in which they led
up their men to the advance under heavy machine gun and rifle fire.
In fact the Commanding Officer has expressed extreme satisfaction and
praise for the altogether splendid way in which they led their men in
face of overpowering odds. Although victory was not achieved, the glory
of unselfish bravery, such as reaches the highest achievements of the
British Army, is attached to the names of the men who took part in that
charge." At Edinburgh Academy he was a L.-Sergt. in the O.T.C., and a
member of the Shooting VIII, and shot for his school at Bisley.

 [Illustration: =James J. G. MacWilliam.=]

=MADDANS, FREDERICK=, Private, No. G6535, 3rd Battn. Middlesex
Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France; killed in action,
3 May, 1915; _unm._

=MADDEN, THOMAS HYLTON=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. King's Liverpool
Regt., only _s._ of the Ven. Thomas John Madden, Archdeacon of
Liverpool, and Vicar of St. Luke's Church there, by his wife, Jane,
dau. of William Henry Horrocks, M.D.; _b._ Liverpool, 30 April,
1895; educ. Liverpool College and was to have entered Emmanuel,
Cambridge, in Oct. 1914, but war breaking out he gave up his studies
and applied for a commission. He had joined the Liverpool College
O.T.C. in 1909, and at 16 commanded a coy. of the "King's" Cadets under
the late Lieut.-Col. A. T. S. MacIver. He was gazetted 2nd Lieut.,
5th Battn. King's Liverpool Regt. (Reserve of Officers), 2 Aug. 1914;
mobilised 5 Aug. following, and after training at Seaforth left there
for the Front, 29 Sept.; reaching the firing line, 13 Nov. He received
a regular commission in the 1st Battn. of his regt., 2 Feb. 1915; led
the charge of his platoon against the German trenches on 10 March
following, and was in the act of throwing a bomb over the barbed wire
entanglements when he was shot down by a machine gun and fell mortally
wounded. The Adjutant (Capt. S. E. Norris) wrote: "He fell leading
his platoon in an assault on the German trenches at Givenchy about
8.15 yesterday (10 March). Capt. Feneran and Lieut. Young were also
killed, and Lieut. Millar (all the officers of your son's Coy., A) was
wounded. From the evidence of the few men who returned I am sure they
were all killed instantly. The whole history of the British Army has
nothing finer to show than the work of A Coy. yesterday. Col. Carter
was wounded, so I am writing this for him. Your son was one of the
most promising young officers in the regt."; and a Capt. of the 5th
King's: "On 10 March there was a general attack by the whole of the 1st
Division, and on the whole it succeeded. The 6th Brigade, of which 'The
King's' Liverpool Regt. formed part, attacked at Givenchy, and in the
attack by his regt. Hylton led the second party on the left. The first
party had come under exceptionally heavy fire, and he must have known
that he had to face more than the usual risk. He never faltered nor
hesitated. He led his men well, and fell a victim to machine-gun fire.
I think he must have died instantaneously. When the history of this
war comes to be written, the story of 'The King's' charge at Givenchy
will rank equally with any of its heroic deeds in the past. The attack
of our brigade failed, and the King's Royal Rifles, the Liverpools and
the South Staffords lost heavily in officers and men. But the force of
their attack caused the Germans to bring reinforcements to Givenchy,
and enabled success to be achieved elsewhere." He was mentioned in F.M.
Sir John (now Lord) French's Despatch of 31 May, 1915, for gallant and
distinguished service in the field. A memorial tablet and window has
been placed in St. Luke's Church, Liverpool, and a memorial tablet in
Christ Church, Southport.

 [Illustration: =Thomas H. Madden.=]

=MADDISON, ALFRED=, Boy, 1st Class, J. 26723 (Ports.), H.M.S.
Hawke, _s._ of James Arthur Maddison, of 7, Railway View,
Dringhouses, near York; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North
Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

=MADDOCK, THOMAS HENRY=, Private, No. 10066, 1st Battn. Royal
Scots, _s._ of George Maddock, of Stratford, by his wife, Sarah,
dau. of Thomas Hen
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