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Sergeant Douglas McMillan Paton

Sergeant Douglas McMillan Paton, 25, served with the New Guinea expedition from 11 August 1914 until 28 January 1915 when he was discharged as the terms of his engagement had expired.

Mr Paton was a farmer, married to Julia Pearl Paton, of Bellerive; and was the son of Alexander and Agnes Paton, of Lunawanna, Bruny Island.  On 12 July 1915, Sergeant Paton re-enlisted with the 26th Battalion and embarked from Hobart on 27 September 1915 aboard the H.M.A.T Hororato.

On 5 February 1916, Sergeant Paton served at Tel-el-Kebir in Egypt. According to Corporal James Richmond, of Exton, Tasmania; Sergeant Paton “had a limp from a wound he got at Gallipoli”.

On 23 March 1916 Sergeant Paton disembarked in Marseilles.

On 30 July 1916 he was reported missing in France.

On 9 August 1916, Sergeant Paton was wounded in action by a gunshot to the foot and was invalided to England, and reverted to the rank of Corporal. He was promoted to Sergeant when he rejoined the Unit in France on 11 August 1917.

On 29 October 1917, while serving in Belgium, Sergeant Paton was severely wounded in action at Broodseinde Ridge, near Ypres, in Belgium, “whilst gallantly leading his men into action” and suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, shattered jaw and forehead.

Private Frederick Webb saw Sergeant Paton “mortally wounded by a shell about 3 or 4 o’clock on the afternoon of 29 October 1917 while they were holding the line at Passchendaele”.

Private Stanley Simpson, of the 26th Battalion was one of the stretcher bearers who carried Sergeant Paton to the dressing station.

Sergeant Arthur Surgison, of the 26th Battalion, who was in the same ambulance as Sergeant Paton, reported that “A doctor told me he (Sergeant Paton) was not expected to live and was badly wounded in the shoulder and head”.

Sergeant Paton died of wounds on 29 October 1917 at 6:30pm in the 3rd Canadian Clearing Station. He was buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, West-Vlaaderen, in Belgium.

References

Australian Red Cross Society of Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau files, 1914-18 War, 2272 Sergeant Douglas McMillan Paton, 26th Battalion.

Australian Military Service records: Sergeant Douglas McMillan Paton