Doig, John
No.2564 – Pte John Alexander ‘Hooky’ Doig – 44th Battalion AIF
John Alexander Doig was born in Dundee Scotland in 1878 to James and Agnes Doig. The family came out from Scotland and lived initially in South Australia before settling in Western Australia. The family took up residence in Howard Street South Fremantle. John was educated at Fremantle Boys School and after leaving school took up work with the WA Government Railways and later worked as an Iron Machinist.
On the 16th September 1909 John married a Mary Miller and they would have three children, John Norman; William Wallace & Edgar David Doig. Prior to the war they moved from Fremantle to Midland Junction to be closer to John’s place of work at the Midland workshops of the WA Government Railways.
John was a great sportsman, having played 224 games for East Fremantle in the Western Australian Football League in 1899-1912 and featured in nine premierships during his time there.
On the 25th June 1916 aged 38, John went to the recruiting office in Midland and enlisted into the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall; 10 stone 6 in weight; chest measurement of 37 ½ inches; fair complexion; blue eyes and black hair. His religious denomination was Presbyterian. John was initially allotted to No.79 Depot and was then assigned to the 5th Reinforcements to the 44th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA until they left Fremantle Harbour aboard the H.M.A.T. “Argyllshire” on the 9th November 1916.
The long journey to England ended on the 10th January 1917 when the ship pulled into Devonport Harbour. The men were disembarked and were sent to the 11th Training Battalion at Durrington on the Salisbury Plains. John trained in this camp from January to early April 1917. On the 10th April John was sent with a draft of men to Folkestone Harbour and was embarked for France. Arriving at Etaples on the 11th April, John was sent to the 3rd Division Base Depot; however he only stayed here for one day as on the 12th April he was transferred to join the 44th Battalion in Belgium. After a day of travel he joined up with the 44th Battalion in the vicinity of Ploegsteert.
The 44th Battalion were in preparation for the upcoming advance that was set to take place at Messines and as well as their trench duty they undertook raids on the German lines. On the 7th June 1917 the advance at Messines took place aided by the explosion of underground mines which devastated the German lines. The initial advance went well with the German trenches captured and the 44th Battalion relieved the advance troops but came against stronger opposition as the Germans recovered from the shock of the mine explosions. However the 44th captured their objectives, though with high casualties. John survived the action at Messines and their subsequent time in the line when they garrisoned the trenches in the captured area.
Messines was part of a wider plan and on the 31st July the British began the Third Battle of Ypres to try and take the German positions on the high ground and to also relieve the Belgian Channel ports. The Australian infantry provided a support role in the initial July 31st advance with the 11th Brigade on the flank of the attack. John Doig was killed on the 31st July as the Germans sent many shells over in retaliation for the British advance. His service record states that he was
“buried about 2000 yards East of Cemetery at Messines, just west of the village of Gapaard.” However after the war the grave could not be found and as a result Pte John Doig is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.
John’s wife and sons later moved back to Russell Street in South Fremantle and they would all receive a pension after his death. Agnes died in 1930, their son Edgar died in an industrial accident in 1934 aged 21, while John Norman served in the RAAF in WW2 and died in 2001 aged 91. William Wallace Doig died in 2003 aged 91.
His two brothers William and Norman also served in the war but both made it back home to WA.