NEW BOOK: THE VICTORIA CROSS

A Victorian man's journey to thank the organization that helped his father from the effects of war, has led him to write the first book to document the 100 recipients of Australia's highest military honour — The Victoria Cross.

Michael Madden spent four and a half years of his life dedicated to writing The Victoria Cross: Australia Remembers — the first ever collection of the stories of every soldier who has received the most prestigious bravery award in the country.

Little did he know how tough it would be.

"It's something that I wouldn't do again, no way," Mr Madden said.

A medal mounter and real estate photographer by trade, Mr Madden knew it would be tricky tracking down the stories of the 100 men who were awarded the Victoria Cross, and said it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Finding the families was the hardest part because there's no register that shows where these men are, so tracking down the families and getting the stories of these men was very hard," he said.

What started as a side project, quickly took over Michael's life, forcing him to close his two businesses, and leave his family for long periods of time to meet with relatives of the Victoria Cross recipients.

Researching the book involved Mr Madden travelling to 17 countries, where he photographed all 100 Victoria Cross medals, interviewed the families of the 96 who have died and the four ex-servicemen who are still alive.

Mr Madden hoped the book would help young people get involved in military history.

All profits of the book will go directly to the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Ex-Servicemen and Women.

Author Michael Madden

To read the complete article, see:
Australia's 100 Victoria Cross medal recipients now documented in first book of its kind (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-03/victoria-cross-book-documents-australias-bravest/9932050)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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