PATON, Douglas McMillan
| Service Number: | 2272 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 July 1915, Claremont, Tasmania |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, 23 September 1890 |
| Home Town: | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Port Cygnet State School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of Wounds, Belgium, 29 October 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot XXI, Row BB, Grave 12. , Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bruny Roll of Honour, Clarence Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, Claremont, Tasmania | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Sep 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' |
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| 27 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 30 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 1 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17 | |
| 29 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2272, 26th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Passchendaele |
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Father Alexander Paton and Mother Agnes (nee Spaven)
Wife Juliet Pearl Gordon, living at Bellerive, Hobart, Tasmania.
Daughter Agnes Agathea Paton, Bellerive, Hobart, Tasmania
Described on enlisting as 25 years old; married; 5' 6 1/4" tall; 153 lbs;
dark complexion; brown eyes; black hair; Church of England.
Previous service 6 months New Guinea Expedition, discharged time expired.
8/7/1915 Completed medical fit for service
23/9/1915 Commanding Officer appointed Douglas to 26th Battalion,
for training at Claremont Camp, Tasmania
27/9/1915 Embarked from Hobart on board HMAT A20 Hororata
as a Sergeant with the 26th Infantry Battalion.
The 26th Battalion was raised at Enoggera, Queensland.
In April 1915 from recruits enlisted in Queensland and Tasmania, and formed part of the 7th Brigade. It left Australia in July, and, after training in Egypt, landed at Gallipoli on 12 September. At Gallipoli, the 26th played a purely defensive role and at various times was responsible for the defence of Courtney’s and Steele’s Posts, and Russell’s Top. It withdrew from the peninsula on 12 December.
5/2/1916 Taken on strength into 26th Infrantry Battalion
Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt
After another stint in Egypt, the 7th Brigade proceeded to France as part of the 2nd Australian Division in March 1916.
15/3/1916 Proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Forces, ex Alexandria
21/3/1916 Disembarked at Marseilles, France
3/6/1916 Promoted to Temporay Corporal
In concert with the 28th Battalion, the 26th mounted the first trench raid undertaken by Australian troops on the Western Front on 6 June. The Battalion fought in its first major battle around Pozières between 28 July and 7 August.
30/7/1916 Promoted to Temporary Sergeant
5/8/1916 Gunshot wound to foot, Etaples, France
5/8/1916 Reverted to Corporal
6/8/1916 Admitted and transferred to 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station
7/8/1916 Transferred to 26th General Hospital, Etaples, France
12/8/1916 Embarked on HS Deippe at Calais for England
13/8/1916 Admitted to 1st Northern General Hospital, England - gun shot wound to toes
7/9/1916 Discharged to Depot
25/9/1916 Taken on strength - reclassified
26/9/1916 Marched out to 7th Training Battalion, Perham Downs, England
After a short spell in Belgium, the 2nd Division came south in October to attack again in the Somme Valley. The 26th Battalion took part in two attacks to the east of Flers, both of which floundered in mud and slush.
1/1/1917 Promoted to Temporary Sergeant, Tidworth, England
In early 1917, the 26th Battalion joined the follow-up of the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and attacked at Warlencourt (1-2 March) and Lagincourt (26 March). For his valorous actions at Lagincourt, Captain Percy Cherry was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. On 3 May, the Battalion was also involved in the second attempt to breach the Hindenburg Line defences around Bullecourt.
30/7/1917 Reverts to Corporal on proceeding overseas Rollestone, France
31/7/1917 Admitted to Australian Division Base Depot in Havre, France
2/8/1917 Proceeded to join unit - 26th Battalion
4/8/1917 Rejoined Battalion, France
5/8/1917 Promoted to Sergeant with 26th Battalion
Later that year the focus of the AIF’s operations switched to Belgium. There, the 26th battalion fought in the battle of Menin Road on 20 September, and participated in the capture of Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October.
28/10/1917 Wounded in action, Belgium
28/10/1917 Admitted with Gunshot wound to left shoulder, shattered jaw and forehead
3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, Belgium
29/10/1917 Died of wounds in the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station
from gunshot wounds to the left shoulder and a shattered jaw.
25/3/1918 Director of Graves confirmed Douglas is buried in:
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium
1 3/4 miles south-west of Poperinghe, Belgium
Plot XXI, Row BB, Grave 12
Medals:
WWI Star 1914-15 (2856); British War medal (___); Victory medal (3059)
Memorial Plaque and Memorial Scroll (337489).
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 18 September 2014. Lest we forget.
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