Local History

The Madell family of Mount Durand, St Peter Port lost three of their six sons during the Great War.

The brothers served in a lot of different theatres including France, India and Gallipoli and in a variety of different roles from gunner to medical orderly to infantry.

Roland Madell's grave in Candie cemetery

Second son Stanley John Madell joined the Royal Field Artillery serving in France from May 1915, having volunteered from the Royal Guernsey Artillery.

As part of the 9th Division he was involved in the dangerous jobs of moving artillery ammunition forward towards the front, to recover unused ammunition from abandoned positions and collect empty brass cartridge cases which could be reused.

He was wounded on 19 April 1918 and later died and is buried in Aire Communal cemetery, Pas de Calais in Northern France.

Roland Madell survived the war by two years and is buried in Candie cemetery, under a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.

He had been a fisherman before deciding on a career change and joining the Dorset Regiment on 11 February 1911. He served in India and Mesopotamia, suffering from heatstroke in June 1915 and also in 1919 before being transferred to the reserve and returning to Guernsey.

He ended his career as a Lance Corporal in the Essex Regiment having transferred in June 1918.

Herbert Madell served with the Australian Infantry from May 1915 as he had been working in New South Wales. He was sent to France in October and suffered from dysentery throughout the time he served there.

He was transferred for the landing at Gallipoli where he saw action.

Two madells on the Bailiwick memorial

Back in France he was wounded in action on 27 July 1916. He was sent to England suffering from paratyphoid in September where he died on 11 January 1917, aged 24.

Herbert is buried at Wareham Cemetery not far from the Wareham Military Hospital where he passed away.

Campbell served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in France from May 1915 and survived the war.

Havelock, the youngest son, joined the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry after its formation in December 1916.

He served in C Company of the 1st Battalion and was wounded on 20 November 1917 at the Battle of Cambrai being invalided to England to recuperate five days later.

He returned to France with a reinforcement detachment on 20 April 1918. In November sickness saw his return to England for recovery.

We could find no records showing the eldest son Wallace served during the war.