DVD - Ancestors in the Attic, Episode 4044, Private Melville E. Madden who was killed in action at Ortona on 24 December 1943 which first aired on 21 January 2010 at 6pm/9pm M102381 Private Melville E. Madden joined the SEaforths in Sicily on 1 September 1943 and was killed less than four months later at Ortona. "JOURNEY TO ORTONA" On Christmas Eve 1943, 28-year-old Melville Madden was in the thick of one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the Canadian military - the Battle of Ortona. Like the rest of his regiment, Madden was looking forward to an historic Christmas dinner organized by his unit, the Seaforth Highlanders. But he was also looking forward to something even more important - a Christmas reunion with his older brother, Cecil, who was also fighting in Italy. Unfortunately, Melville never arrived at their reunion. Sometime on Christmas Eve he was killed in action. To this day, his family has no idea how he died. Until now. Julian Sacher, a high school student from Lacombe, Alberta - Melville Madden's hometown - is about to embark on a journey to Ortona. With the help of Ancestors in the Attic, he will try to discover the truth behind Madden's death, and, if he can, finally answer the questions Melville's family have asked for more than 65 years. Ancestors in the Attic is a Canadian television program about genealogy presented by Reader’s Digest Canada and shown on History Television in Canada. It was hosted by Jeff Douglas with professional genealogist Paul J. McGrath until his death in 2008. The program is produced by Primitive Entertainment and debuted October 18, 2006 until 2009. There were 50 Episodes of 30 minutes on the History Television.