Sir Charles Madden, 2nd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet, GCB
(25 June 1906– 23 April 2001), followed his 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 recognized expert in gunnery, 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 II
. 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 Royal New Zealand Navy
.
Following his retirement from the Royal Navy, Madden served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
from 1969 to 1981.
, the distinguished shipowner, and his aunt Gwendoline had married Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe
when he was a captain in 1902.
as a cadet in 1920 after 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 lightly-armoured train (making it vulnerable to attack by arab terrorists) 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 HMS Excellent Gunnery School at Portsmouth
in September 1929 and qualified as an advanced gunnery officer (“dagger”). He returned to the Experimental Department at 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
.
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, the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, in May 1940. 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 involving his damage control, fire-fighting, and casualty-relief efforts aboard the Warspite and the cruiser Orion
during the Battle of Crete
. An eyeitness account described Madden as being "cool, calm and collected, at least on the outside" during the battle and its aftermath. Madden also sustained a neck injury during a German bombing attack against the Warspite on June 23, 1941.
Madden remained with the Warspite during her subsequent overhaul at the U.S. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
in Bremerton, Washington
, from August to December 1941, and following the refit, as the flagship of Admiral Sir James Somerville, the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet, operating in the Indian Ocean
beginning in January 1942.
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
.
After the war, Madden was confirmed in the rank of Captain
and served as the Naval Assistant to the following First Sea Lord
s:
In 1947, Captain Madden took command of the destroyer Battleaxe
, serving 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
develop 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 Royal New Zealand Navy
Board with the honorary 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. In this capacity, he had to employ considerable diplomatic skill to maitain good relations with Dom Mintoff
, the nationalistic prime minister of Malta
.
Madden subsequently served as Flag Officer, Flotillas, Home (FOFH), the 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
. 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 served 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 multi-national naval task force.
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
. Madden also served as executive secretary of a trust established to build a replica of HM Bark Endeavour
for the bicentenary of James Cook
's voyage of discovery
to Australia
in 1768, as well as serving as the naval adviser to the trust formed for the Overlord Embroidery
which is on display at the D-Day Museum
in Southsea
. He was also a member of the Council of the Sail Training Association.
Madden also continued his life-long interest in painting, and he participated in numerous collective and one-man exhibitions at such venues as the Plymouth Art Club. Both he and his wife were involved in numerous charitable activities. His memoirs were privately printed in 1988.
Following his death, The Independent
described Madden as being "a highly intelligent, thoughtful, caring and modest man. He was seldom ruffled and, like all successful admirals, was much admired by his men" whose 40-year naval career, observed the Times of London, spanned "the big-gun battleship swagger of the imperial high noon to the steely realities of the Cold War."
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Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(25 June 1906– 23 April 2001), followed his father in a career with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
that culminated in his serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet from 1963 to 1965.
A recognized expert in gunnery, Madden helped in the introduction of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
into the Royal Navy. He participated in the Battle of Calabria
Battle of Calabria
The Battle of Calabria, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in World War II. It was fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy , on 9 July 1940...
, the Battle of Taranto
Battle of Taranto
The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
, the Battle of Cape Matapan
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
, and the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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 Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
.
Following his retirement from the Royal Navy, Madden served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the 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 BaronetSir Charles Cayzer, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles William Cayzer, 1st Baronet was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician. Born in Limehouse, a maritime district of London, Cayzer was the son of Charles Cayzer, a schoolmaster, and his wife Mary Elizabeth née Nicklin. At the age of fifteen Cayzer took a position as...
, the distinguished shipowner, and his aunt Gwendoline had married Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
when he was a captain in 1902.
Pre-War Service
Madden educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a cadet in 1920 after graduating from the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
, 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
HMS Iron Duke (1912)
HMS Iron Duke was a battleship of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class, named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. She served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during the First World War, including at the Battle of Jutland...
, the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. He subsequently served on the heavy cruiser Kent
HMS Kent (54)
HMS Kent was a heavy cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. She was the lead ship of the Kent subclass. After completion the ship was sent to the China Station where she remained until the beginning of the Second World War, aside from a major refit in 1937–38...
, the flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, on the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
. 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
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
, the president of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
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
HMS Exmouth (H02)
HMS Exmouth was an E-class destroyer flotilla leader built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. Although assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion, the ship was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935–36 during the Abyssinia Crisis...
, 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
HMS Sussex (96)
HMS Sussex was one of the London sub-class of the County-class heavy cruisers in the Royal Navy. She was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 1 February 1927, launched on 22 February 1928 and completed on 19 March 1929.-Mediterranean, Australia and...
as its gunnery officer in 1935. During the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, Madden was involved in running the lightly-armoured train (making it vulnerable to attack by arab terrorists) from Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
to Samak as well as protecting army encampments with naval field guns landed from the Sussex and light cruiser Arethusa
HMS Arethusa (26)
HMS Arethusa was the name ship of her class of light cruisers built for the Royal Navy. She was built by Chatham Dockyard , with the keel being laid down on 25 January 1933...
.
Shore Duty
Influenced by Kent’s gunnery officer, the future Admiral Sir Philip Vian, Madden joined HMS Excellent Gunnery School at Portsmouth
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
in September 1929 and qualified as an advanced gunnery officer (“dagger”). He returned to the Experimental Department at 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
William Wordsworth Fisher
Admiral Sir William Wordsworth Fisher, GCB, GCVO was a Royal Navy officer who captained a battleship at the Battle of Jutland and became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet...
, the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
.
World War Two
HMS King George V (41)
HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets...
, which was followed by staff work involving British operations in the Baltic Sea and research on the applications of shipboard radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
.
Commander Madden was appointed as the executive officer for the battleship Warspite, the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, in May 1940. He participated in the Battle of Calabria
Battle of Calabria
The Battle of Calabria, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in World War II. It was fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy , on 9 July 1940...
, the Battle of Taranto
Battle of Taranto
The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
, the Battle of Cape Matapan
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
, the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
, and the bombardment of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
during operation in the Mediterranean theatre.
Madden was cited for official praise involving his damage control, fire-fighting, and casualty-relief efforts aboard the Warspite and the cruiser Orion
HMS Orion (85)
HMS Orion was a Leander class light cruiser which served with distinction in the Royal Navy during World War II.She received 13 battle honours, a record only exceeded by one other ship, and matched by two others.-History:...
during the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
. An eyeitness account described Madden as being "cool, calm and collected, at least on the outside" during the battle and its aftermath. Madden also sustained a neck injury during a German bombing attack against the Warspite on June 23, 1941.
Madden remained with the Warspite during her subsequent overhaul at the U.S. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, from August to December 1941, and following the refit, as the flagship of Admiral Sir James Somerville, the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Fleet, operating in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
beginning in January 1942.
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
HMS Emperor (D98)
The USS Pybus was laid down 23 June 1942 as MC Hull No. 245 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, Washington; originally classified AVG-34, she was reclassified as ACV-34 on 20 August 1942; launched 7 October 1942; commissioned 31 May 1943 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Wash.; reclassified as CVE-34 15...
which, after convoy duty, operated against the Japanese bases in Burma, the Nicobars, and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
as a unit of the Far East Fleet during the closing stages of the Burma campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
.
Cold War
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
and served as the Naval Assistant to the following First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
s:
- Admiral of the Fleet Andrew B. Cunningham, 1st Viscount of Hyndhope, from 1945–1946
- Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Cunningham, 1946–1947
In 1947, Captain Madden took command of the destroyer Battleaxe
HMS Battleaxe (D118)
HMS Battleaxe was a Weapon class destroyer of the Royal Navy, completed just after the Second World War....
, serving 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
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
develop 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 Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
Board with the honorary rank of commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
.
Madden was promoted Rear Admiral in 1955 and appointed deputy to Admiral Sir Charles Lambe
Charles Lambe
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Lambe GCB, CVO was a senior officer in the Royal Navy, serving as First Sea Lord from 1959 to 1960.-Naval career:...
, the Second Sea Lord
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
. 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. In this capacity, he had to employ considerable diplomatic skill to maitain good relations with Dom Mintoff
Dom Mintoff
Dom Mintoff is a Maltese politician, journalist and architect, who served as leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958 and again, post-Independence, from 1971 to...
, the nationalistic prime minister of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
Madden subsequently served as Flag Officer, Flotillas, Home (FOFH), the 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
HMS Ark Royal (R09)
HMS Ark Royal was an Audacious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and, when she was decommissioned in 1978, was the Royal Navy's last remaining conventional catapult and arrested-landing aircraft carrier...
and Hermes
HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Hermes was a Centaur-class British aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy.-Construction and modifications:...
participated in NATO exercises against units of the U.S. Second Fleet units, which included the nuclear-powered radar-picket submarine Triton
USS Triton (SSRN-586)
USS Triton , a United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth , doing so in early 1960. Triton accomplished this objective during her shakedown cruise while under the command of Captain Edward L. "Ned" Beach, Jr...
. Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1961, Madden served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. In the nineteenth century the holder of the office was known as Commander-in-Chief,...
.
In 1963, Madden was appointed Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet, with the rank of Admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
, a post that his father held. He concurrently served 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 multi-national naval task force.
Retirement
After retiring, Madden served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater LondonGreater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
from 1969 to 1981. He chaired the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen
Fishermen's Mission
The Fishermen's Mission - the full title of which is The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen - is a British charitable organisation founded and run on Christian principles. It was founded in 1881 by Ebenezer Joseph Mather...
, the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
, and the Standing Council of the Baronetage
Standing Council of the Baronetage
The Standing Council of the Baronetage is a United Kingdom organisation which deals with the affairs of baronets. It was first established in January 1898 as Honourable Society of the Baronetage...
. Madden also served as executive secretary of a trust established to build a replica of HM Bark Endeavour
HM Bark Endeavour Replica
The HM Bark Endeavour Replica is a replica of , the bark commanded by Lieutenant James Cook when he charted New Zealand and discovered the eastern coast of Australia...
for the bicentenary of James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's voyage of discovery
First voyage of James Cook
The first voyage of James Cook was a combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific ocean aboard HMS Endeavour, from 1768 to 1771...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1768, as well as serving as the naval adviser to the trust formed for the Overlord Embroidery
Overlord embroidery
The Overlord embroidery was commissioned by Lord Dulverton in 1968 and made by the Royal School of Needlework from designs by artist Sandra Lawrence. It commemorates the D-Day invasion of France during World War II....
which is on display at the D-Day Museum
D-Day museum
The D-Day Museum is located in Southsea, near Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. Opened in 1984 by HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, it tells the story of Operation Overlord during the Normandy D-Day landings...
in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
. He was also a member of the Council of the Sail Training Association.
Madden also continued his life-long interest in painting, and he participated in numerous collective and one-man exhibitions at such venues as the Plymouth Art Club. Both he and his wife were involved in numerous charitable activities. His memoirs were privately printed in 1988.
Following his death, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
described Madden as being "a highly intelligent, thoughtful, caring and modest man. He was seldom ruffled and, like all successful admirals, was much admired by his men" whose 40-year naval career, observed the Times of London, spanned "the big-gun battleship swagger of the imperial high noon to the steely realities of the Cold War."
Order of the Bath
- CB: Companion (1955)
- KCB: Knight Commander (1961)
- GCB: Knight Grand Cross (1965)
Personal
Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet, married Olive Robins, who died in 1989, in 1942 after a two-year engagement. They were survived by a daughter. Admiral Madden was succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew, Peter John Madden (1942–2006), 3rd Baronet. Sir Peter Madden was succeeded in 2007 by his brother Charles Jonathan Madden (b. 1949), 4th Baronet.See also
- Sir Charles Madden, 1st Baronet
- Madden BaronetsMadden BaronetsThe Madden Baronetcy, of Kells in the County of Kilkenny, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the naval commander, Admiral Sir Charles Madden...
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