CPT Laurence A. Madill

at University of Florida - 1939

CPT Laurence A. Madill was born 28 Feb 1919 in Dade City, Florida.  He was the 3rd of 7 children of Warren Benjamin and Nina Mae (Lamson) Madill. The family farmed and in 1940 his father was working as a supervisor on a WPA project. Laurence attended the University of Florida at Gainesville, Florida.

Laurence was commissioned as a 2LT on 27 May 1940 in the Army Reserve. He was on active duty, probably for training 9-22 Jun 1940 and again 5 Jul 1940 to 30 Jun 1941. He was assigned as a 2LT in the Infantry effective 1 Jul 1941. He was promoted to 1LT effective 1 Sep 1942 and again promoted, this time to CPT, effective 31 May 1943. Laurence married Miss Joan Rosa Haines, a nurse, in October 1943. CPT Madill is on the morning report of 1 Jun 1944 as being assigned to E Company 116th Infantry. He was to command that company for the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach.

PFC Harry Parley, a flamethrower man in E Company, recounted his first encounter with CPT Madill, 

The moment of my arrival is still quite vivid. We were ushered into a room in one of the Quonset huts and told to sit on the floor. A few moments later, our new CO walked in, said his name was Captain Lawrence Madill, and that our company was to be first wave in the invasion of France, that 30 percent casualties were expected, and that we were them. As simple as that."

Joseph Balkoski recounts in his book, Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944,

The company CO, Capt. Lawrence Madill, was wounded in the trip across the beach. He found that PFC Walter Masterly was the only remaining man of the mortar squad, and although he had the mortar, he had no ammunition. Masterly volunteered to go back to the beach and salvage some ammunition, but the Captain told him to set up his mortar while he went for the ammunition. He picked up the ammunition, but on his return trip he was hit twice by machine gun bursts and went down. His last words were: "Senior non-com, take the men off the beach!"

Stephen Ambrose in his book D-Day, June 6, 1944, repeats Walter A. Smith's recollection:

One of the episodes I remember the most was debarking from the landing craft and trying to take shelter from the enemy fire behind one of their obstacles. Captain Madill came up behind me and others, ordering all that could move to get off the beach. I looked up at him and his left arm appeared to be almost blown off.

CPT Madill died on the beach on 6 Jun 1944. He rests forever in the Normandy American Cemetery. 

Laurence and Joan had one son, a very talented artist who still lives in England. Joan never remarried.