Stanley Robert McDougall, (23 July 1889 – 7 July 1968) was an Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award given to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

Early life

The son of the sawmiller John Henry McDougall (1854–1910), and Susannah Ann McDougall (1856–1919), née Cate, McDougall was born on 23 July 1889 at

Recherche Bay Recherche Bay ( ) is an oceanic embayment, part of which is listed on the National Heritage Register, located on the extreme south-eastern corner of Tasmania, Australia. It was a landing place of the d’Entrecasteaux expedition to find missin ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, where he was raised and educated. In civilian life, he was an amateur boxer, and a blacksmith by trade, and was considered an excellent horseman, an expert marksman, and a competent bushman.

War service

Illness prevented him from enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force to fight in the First World War until 31 August 1915. He was 28 years old and a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in the 47th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force when he performed the actions for which he was awarded the VC. On 28 March 1918 at

Dernancourt Dernancourt (; pcd, Dèrnincourt) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Dernancourt is situated on the D52 road, some northeast of Amiens. Population Places and monuments The commune was con ...

, France, when an enemy attack succeeded in securing a foothold in the Allied line, McDougall charged the second wave single-handedly, killing seven men and capturing a machine-gun, which he turned on the attackers, routing them and causing many casualties. He continued his attack until his ammunition ran out, when he seized a bayonet and charged again, killing three men and an officer. Then, using a Lewis gun, he killed many more of the enemy and made it possible for 33 prisoners to be taken. His prompt action saved the line and halted the enemy's advance. The fighting ground where this took place was the location where his younger brother Wallace had been killed some nine months earlier. Eight days later he repelled another enemy attack at the same spot, for which he was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

Later life

On 19 August 1918, he was invested with the Victoria Cross at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

. He returned to Australia and was discharged on 15 December 1918. McDougall subsequently worked for the Tasmanian Forestry Department and became an inspector in charge of forests in the north-western part of Tasmania. He returned to London in 1956 for the celebration marking 100 years since the establishment of the Victoria Cross. He died on 7 July 1968 at

Scottsdale, Tasmania Scottsdale, formerly known as Ellesmere, is a town in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. It lies on the Tasman Highway, around north-east of Launceston and south-east of the coastal town of Bridport. It is part of the Dorset Council. His ...

, and was survived by his wife Martha (née Anderson-Harrison), whom he had married in 1926; they had no children. He is buried at Norwood Crematorium,

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. A street in Canberra is named after him. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

. File:Stan McDougall VC A03692.jpg, A retouched portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Stanley Robert McDougall VC MM

Footnotes

References

Forty-Five Australian Soldiers Have Won The Victoria Gross, ''The (Melbourne) Herald'', (Saturday, 24 August 1918), p.6.

''Tasmania's Heroes: Awards for Valour'', N.G. Davies, (Hobart), 1918
* J. G. Williams

''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, p. 261.
World War I Service Record: Stanley Robert McDougall (4061)

World War I Service Record: Wallace Carlyle McDougall (682)

Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Wallace Carlyle McDougall (682)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDougall, Stanley Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian Army soldiers Australian people of Scottish descent 1889 births 1968 deaths Australian recipients of the Military Medal Military personnel from Tasmania People from Hobart