Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Major T. E. “Teddy” Madden, 17th Musalman Rajput Infantry (The Loyal Regiment), Indian Army, portrayed as a loveable rogue and scoundrel in John Barleycorn Bahadur, Old Time Taverns of India, with his death - contested as ‘murder for diplomatic reasons’ by his wife - gaining international press coverage

Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 (Capt: T. E. Madden, 17th Infty: I.A.) partially officially renamed; Delhi Durbar 1903, silver (Capt. T. E. Madden (17th B.I.) Commdt. 19th & 20th T.Cs.) minor edge bruising to last, otherwise generally very fine or better, A.G.S. unique to officer of the regiment (2) £360-£440

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from an Africa Collection.

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A. M. Shaw Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2013.

Travers Edward Madden was born in January 1871, and was the son of Colonel T. D. Madden, Indian Army. The latter served attached to the Rifle Brigade during the Indian Mutiny, and shot himself in June 1885. Extensive details about Madden’s subsequent life, and death, can be found in John Barleycorn Bahadur, Old Time Taverns of India, by Major H. Hobbs. Some extracts from which are as follows:

‘At that time Lieutenant Travers Edward Madden - “Teddy Madden” to his intimates, was a bit of a star turn at Spence’s hotel... Clever, humorous, a good amateur actor, able to talk well on most subjects, free from the insignificance of exaggeration... Born in Agra, the city where the famous Willcocks brothers first saw the light, he went to Sandhurst and was commissioned into the South Wales Borderers, then laying at Aden - afterwards moving to Allahabad. Transferring to the Indian Army he started with the 16th Bengal Infantry at Alipore where Colonel Stoddart found him rather too much of a handful....

His popularity resulted in a London decoration - the “F.O.S.” (Friend of Sloper) awarded by Ally Sloper’s Weekly, one of the leading comic papers of the day to prominent men who had endured enough religion in youth to last through life were assumed to be uninfluenced by or unimpaired by sloppy or bilious affection for missionaries. Looking back it is astonishing how popular and important Ally Sloper was for so many years.... Madden, with his “F.O.S.” became more than a local character; no other man in Calcutta had it and as he was in due course depicted in one of the weekly cartoons, Ally Sloper added to cheerfulness in the hotel bar....

Madden volunteered for service in Somaliland where he did good work as transport officer showing capacity for organisation for which he was praised. On return to regiment duty he published a small book on transport.

Some time later he came in for £800 a year. Leaving his wife in India, he went home, organised the finest horse show and military tournament ever seen in Dublin and in five years spent every penny. Nobody could understand how he managed to get back into the Indian Army but he did, and stayed there in spite of scores of bitter letters sent by his wife to army officials right up to the Secretary of State for War....

When Madden had put in full time as major he was retired on pension eventually taking the post of Comptroller of the Household in Alwar State. There were not many - that is, very many - anxious to serve that maharajah, but the pay was good, there was plenty of shikar and little interference. One of the conditions laid down was that Madden should give up drink. Unfortunately, in India, nothing keeps well, not even good resolutions. In a place like Alwar any man could be pardoned for taking a rest from his memory, and sobriety, like virtue, is not everything....

During the summer of 1916 he went out after tiger. Alwar State in June is hot enough to melt the sword in scabbard; as someone, surprised to find anybody lived there put it, the air was so dry that fish came out of the water to sneeze... When Madden came in he did what others have done - drank with the moderation of a thirsty camel. Heat stroke supervened. He was brought insensible to Delhi, put in hospital and in spite of care, after three days breathed his last.’

In a final twist, Madden’s wife was convinced of ‘foul play’ with regards to his death. She attempted to sue Lord Winterton, the Under Secretary of State for India. At the time the case was covered by many newspapers across the British Empire, with the widow claiming that her husband had been murdered for diplomatic reasons and the case had been ‘hushed up’. The case was eventually dismissed due to a lack of substantial evidence to support her claim.

Sold with copied research, including a photographic image of recipient in uniform.