Stephen Walter MCDOUGAL

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MCDOUGAL, Stephen Walter

Service Number:	NX11292
Enlisted:	27 March 1940
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	2nd/3rd Field Regiment
Born:	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia , 20 March 1916
Home Town:	Leichhardt, Leichhardt, New South Wales
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Clerk
Memorials:	Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial

World War 2 Service

27 Mar 1940:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, NX11292, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment
3 Apr 1941:	Promoted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Lance Sergeant, Promoted Battle of Crete 1941 Source: letter from Brig Strutt of 31/8/1945 advising he gave promotion as CO of 2/3 Aust Field Regiment where he notes "promotion not forwarded to RHQ probably because of the exigency of the campaign""
26 Aug 1945:	Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, NX11292, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment

Military History Stephen Walter McDougal

15 Mar 1940 Enlisted Moore Park, Sydney, Service No. NX11292
Sergeant and Lance Sergeant in the 2/3rd Field Regiment
The regiment saw brief action in North Africa, then moved onto Greece for the Battle of Greece in April 1941. Steve McDougal fought at Elasson where the unit was under constant air attack. 2/3rd destroyed the enemy’s guns and marched to Port Raffi to be taken off by Royal Navy Ships. After the unit was evacuated it landed in Crete where Steve McDougal was one of 90 gunners selected to go to Rethymon (Retimo) as part of F troop,
It was reported he fought bravely at Retimo but eventually Crete was lost as Maleme airfield fell and soon after the rest of the island. The men at Retimo kept fighting unaware that, because of a communication breakdown, that the order to evacuate had been given. With food and ammunition almost depleted and the prospect of the German advance, Colonel Ian Campbell felt he had little option other than to surrender. The German General Kurt Student was at the reception party for the prisoners-of-war and it was noted how amazed and appalled he was at the loss of so many of his men.
Became POW 30 May 1941 after surrender at Retimo. Moved to camp at Salonika for 9 weeks, then loaded onto cattle trucks bound for Germany. Arrived Moosburg near Munich Stalag VIIA. POW# 92519 Then to a working camp, part of Stalag VIIA, approx. 60kms away in Munich called Westend where he worked as a railway labourer. From here he made an escape attempt and made it 3kms from the Swiss border but was captured and send to a hard labour camp at Blindeim near Linz and eventually to Stalag VIIIB/344 Lamsdorf. Worked as wharf labourer at the Canal Harbour Port of Oppein. Marched in exess of 817 kms on the Long March of 1944-45. Departed Lamsdorf 23 Jan 1945 arrived Ziegenhain (Stalag IXA) 12 March 1945. Liberated by US Army from Ziegenhain on 2 April 1945 was hospitalised in Wales then England and embarked Dominion Monach and arrived back in Sydney on 17 June 1945. Discharged from Army as Lance Sergeant on 27 August 1945.
Remained in touch with members of 2/3rd Field Regiment and was awarded the Order of Australia Medial in 1994 for his services to its members and widows and for his contribution in organising 30th and 50th Anniversaries of the Battle of Crete, held in Greece.
Stories of his POW escape and of the Long March can be found on my blog:
famhistorystuff.com

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