Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Douglas was born in Yarram, a farming town to the south-east of Gippsland in Victoria to Glasgow born James Orr and Edith Francis Whyte on 27th August 1913. Douglas was their only son with a sister, Betty. Whilst his parents remained living in St. Kilda, Doug later moved to the Adelaide suburb of Joslin where he quickly endeared himself to the Hales family through their son, Max who was also to enlist with the 2/48th Battalion.
Just prior to his 27th birthday, Doug enlisted on the on the 19th June 1940, becoming friends with Tasman Scutt who enlisted a few weeks later. They were allocated the numbers SX7987 and SX8011 respectively. Their lives and service to Australia were to become inseparably linked. They were both placed the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, before the new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training. The large contingent embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. Close friendships were forged, including with the younger Max Hales SX8166 and Prime Willmott SX8183.
Their 2/48th Battalion completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before going to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. Within weeks of arriving, and still only 20 years old, Max Hales died of wounds on the 22nd of April 1941, devastating his friends and family. He had been part of the frenetic fight for Carrier Hill, where two men were killed, Max and Private Alfred Albert Tanner SX7368, and seven wounded. John Glenn in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ records how ‘our carriers next moved out to attend to the wounded and to pick up the discarded equipment.’ Of the wounded, one was Teddy Boxer, SX7528 who lost his leg in the fighting but by his quick thinking and a huge dose of good luck, survived.
The following year, aged 29, Douglas was killed in action in Egypt on the 31st October 1942. Definitive news slowly drifted back about that horrific battle where the 2/48th lost 199 men killed or wounded of their 292 involved in that night’s battle – over 68 percent of their men. John Glenn in his book, Tobruk to Tarakan describes the conditions: ‘Battalion headquarters was out of communication with D Company, the reason which was not then known, being that all members of D Company headquarters had been either killed or wounded. In fact, 16 of their men had been killed on the objective, leaving a company of six to carry on. Just as the company was nearing its objective, the men had approached two mounds with a saddle in between. Fifty yards from these they were met by a murderous fire from the mounds. D Company immediately went to ground, but the Germans swept the area where they lay in the open. Captain P Robbins, a very gallant soldier, was among the first to be hit by a Spandau bullet, which killed him instantly. “Chuck” Fowler who never left Robbins’ side, was next to fall. The remnants of the Company were being cut to pieces. Private Doug Whyte of the “I” Section, Arthur Wilson, Private E.S. Schubert, Sergeant P.M. Ide and Eric Montgomerie were all killed in this exposed position.”
The Official-War Correspondent, Kenneth Slessor in lengthy newspaper articles published in March ’43 described the conditions at the time, including how Private Percy Gratwick and Sergeant Bill Kibby won individual Victoria Crosses for their exceptional bravery.
‘Then came the night of October 30/31, "Our job was to cut west across Thompson's Post take the railway, straddle the coast road and then work back cleaning up enemy pockets and strong posts," said Martin. "We straddled the road all right and then started to work back east. D Company cleaning up between the road and the sea. It was easy at first, but then we ran into real opposition. We saw a couple of lights shoot up from a ridge—actually there were two humps, one on the left and one on the right, with a saddle be-tween. We got within 50 yards and then they opened fire-and how!
"Three Spandau's started shooting from the hump on the left and two more and a couple of three inch mortars from the right. At first it came waist-high, but when we went down like wet sacks they, sent the stuff skimming just over the top of the ground. We got most of our casualties there. Captain Robbins hadn't made a mistake to that stage, refusing to be bluffed. A burst from a Spandau killed him and another got his batman, "Chuck" Fowler, of Port Pirie. Another got Doug Whyte, from St. Peters. Arthur Wilson, of Glanville was killed, and Sergeant Rod Ide, of Lameroo, and Eric Montgomerie, from the West Coast. Ray Bloffwitch, of Bowden, was wounded and a piece of mortar bomb broke Norman Learney's leg. We were all over the show and badly cut up. Unless we could be got together to wipe those Jerries off the ridge they were certain to wipe us out. That's when Kibby got going, yelling orders and re-organising, and, in no time we were ready for a crack at that ridge. We split into two sections. There were a few from Company Headquarters with us and they were in section with myself and Len Steike, detailed to clean up the Jerries on the left. Kibby was with the others. Well, we cleaned up the Jerries on the left, but that didn't help. Kibby's section had been driven to earth scarcely 20 yards in front of a Spandau which was ripping them to pieces. We seemed to be in a worse position than before, being nearer and more exposed. Kibby saved the bunch of us. We saw him run forward with a grenade in his hand and throw it. Then he disappeared, but after that grenade exploded there wasn't any more firing from that quarter. We stayed quiet for a while, and then looked at the shambles around us There were dead and wounded everywhere. On the way east we had captured a German Regimental Aid Post and we set about getting our wounded back there. We collected a couple of Jerry prisoners, found an iron bedstead, put Norman, Learney aboard and told them to carry him. We were dogtired by daylight when we retired a couple of hundred, yards and dug in. It wasn't until two days, later that we had an opportunity to go out and look for our dead. When we got to the place they had disappeared. We guessed that Jerry had dropped them in a shallow trench and covered them over, so we started searching below every freshly turned patch of sand. We spent ten days searching before we found them. They were all lying together in one grave. We took them out and did the job properly, burying them in a row —Bill Kibby, Peter Robbins, Rod Ide, Doug Whyte, Chuck Fowler, with Eric Montgomerie just behind. We couldn't say much, but I guess we all knew, every man of us, that if it hadn't been for Bill Kibby we might have been lying there with them."
In The following years two In Memoriums were placed in local newspapers honouring Doug and those who died with him.
Argus Friday 20 November 1942, WHYTE.-On October 31 killed in action, Egypt. Douglas, dearly loved only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Whyte, 45 Dalgety street, St. Kilda, loved brother of Betty and Eric, and loving uncle of Elizabeth, Douglas, and Heather Scotcher (Ballarat).
Advertiser Monday 1 November 1943, page 8 Everlasting memories of our pals. Sgt. L. R. Goode, M.M. Cpl. T. A. Scutt and Pte. Doug. Whyte who made the supreme sacrifice El Alamein, Oct. 31 1942. "They died that others may live In a world of freedom. —inserted by their 9th Div. pals. A tribute of remembrance to all my comrades who gave their lives at El Alamein. "My thoughts are always with you all!"—Ever remembered by Dick Dawson. AIF., ret.

Doug was reburied in the El Alamein War Cemetery in grave XVI. A. 22. His parents chose the inscription ‘His Duty Nobly Done. Our Only Son’ for his headstone. Others from the 2/48th Battalion rest with him. They include Sergeant W.H.(Bill) Kibby SX7089 Victoria Cross recipient, Captain Peter Robbins SX10325, Sergeant Rod M. Ide SX8344, Corporal J Pitcher SX11225, Privates Arthur Wilson SX8491, Arthur Noack SX9399 J, Edwin W Vivian SX8204, George S.R. (Chuck) Fowler SX8385, and Ernest S.J. Schubert SX7695, P.G. Johnson WX10331 and Eric L. Montgomerie SX9488 all of whom were killed in the ferocious fighting on October 31st 1942.
At home on the Hales family plot at Nailsworth Church of England Cemetery an elegant cross of remembrance honours Max with the inscription ‘To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be. His Duty Nobly Done.’ In a magnificently compassionate gesture, Florence and Edgar Hales also erected a memorial stone to not only their son Max, but also to those friends with whom he served and who paid the ultimate price; Max’s ‘twin’ Prime Willmott, Sgt Tass Scutt and Private Doug Whyte. The latter two were both killed in action in Egypt on 31 October 1942, with the inscription ‘Their Duty Nobly Done’.
Soon after Australia had settled into peacetime, Doug’s 78-year-old father, James died in February ’51. His mother Edith lived into her 80’s and died in November ’73. Both are commemorated in the Springvale Botanic Cemetery in Victoria.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133 2/48th Battalion.