Doig, William Cleave
No.3449 – Private William Cleave Doig – 16th Battalion AIF
William Cleave Robinson Alexander Doig was born in Fremantle in 1890. He was educated at Fremantle Boys School and spent much of his early life at the family home in Howard Street. After leaving school John took up accountancy and secured work at the Fremantle Wool and Hide Company. His duties were mainly clerical and accountancy and he appears to have been the secretary for the Company.
The Doig’s produced many good footballers and William was among them, playing League Football for the East Fremantle Football Club from 1910-1912 and then moved to their bitter rivals, playing for the South Fremantle Football Club from 1913-1915.
On the 17th August 1915 William went straight to Blackboy Hill Camp to enlist in the AIF. He was found to be physically fit for service and was transferred into the training depot. He did not remain there long as he was soon assigned to the 11th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion. William and this group embarked from Fremantle aboard the HMAT Beltana on the 1st November 1915. They arrived in Egypt just over three weeks later and the men were sent into the AIF reinforcement camp. (William on left in photo)
As the decision had been made to evacuate the Dardanelles, William and his reinforcement group were retained in Egypt. When the 16th Battalion returned to Egypt in January 1916 their numbers were quickly filled by reinforcements. William remained in the 4th Training Battalion for the first two months of 1916 and in early March he joined the 16th Battalion. Training was hard over the next two months so it would have been a relief when the orders came to depart for France.
On the 1st June 1916 the 16th Battalion departed Egypt. After arriving in Marseilles, the 16th Battalion were sent north to the Armentieres sector. They only had a short time in the Fleurbaix region and by the end of July they had reached the Somme sector. By the time the 4th Division joined the battle the line had been pushed forward of Pozieres by the 1st and 2nd Divisions and was making its way towards the strongly fortified Mouquet Farm. On the 10th August 1916 William was blown up by a shell and concussed. He was suffering severe shell shock so was evacuated to hospital and three days later was also diagnosed with tonsillitis.
William spent the next month in hospital in Boulogne and in September was transferred for duty to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot. He worked here for the remainder of 1916 and it gave him time to recover from the concussion he had received.
On the 21st January 1917 William rejoined his unit and saw action with them at Stormy Trench in February 1917. A couple of months later William served at the Battle of Bullecourt. On the 11th April 1917 the 16th Battalion followed their brave leader Major Percy Black into the enemy trenches and though Black was shot down, the men continued to try and hold the German position. William had made it through the heavy fire and German barbed wire and into the enemy trench OG1. During the action he was shot in the arm but he still kept busy by trying to collect ammunition for the survivors. On a journey to get more bombs he was surrounded by the Germans and captured. (William on left in photo)
As he had been wounded, William was sent to a German hospital for medical treatment but he was soon sent to Minden and later to Dulmen Camp. William would see out the war as a Prisoner of War in Germany. The food situation in camp was not good and so he would write to his employers to send a food parcel and even the 16th Battalion collected funds so food parcels could be sent to those men taken prisoner.
After the Armistice was signed, the prisoners of war were slowly repatriated back to England. William arrived in England on the 1st January 1919. Instead of taking the early option for a return to Australia, William opted to take up some non military employment in England. William wanted more experience in Wool Classing so he was sent to the Bradford Technical College to learn all the aspects of the Wool trade which could be put to good use on his return to Australia.
William set sail from England on the 5th September 1919 aboard the HMT Plassy and arrived in Fremantle in November 1919. He was given a medical check up at No.8 AGH in Fremantle and was then discharged from the AIF.
On his return to Australia William established a Fellmongering business in conjunction with J. Dalgleish. This business later became the West Australian Tanners and Fellmongers Limited and Cleave Doig was appointed manager. The Tannery operated in Russell Street Fremantle. The Doig family lived at 64 Wray Avenue Builder Fremantle. The builder of 64 Wray was F. W. Spurr who constructed it for £870. It is assumed that the leadlight window in the house with the wording ‘Cleavedon’ was installed at the time of construction and gave the name to the house.
The Doig family have been closely association with sports, most particularly football and the East & South Fremantle Football Clubs. William Cleave Doig was at one time President of South Fremantle. Seventeen members of the Doig family have represented either East Fremantle or South Fremantle Football Club over three generations. Their collective contribution to football in Fremantle has been recognized by the AFL’s Fremantle Football Club by naming its Club Champion Award as the Doig Medal.
William Cleave Doig married Inez McNeece in 1923; she was the daughter of John McNeece who was a well-known Fremantle architect and surveyor.
William Cleave Alexander Doig died on the 8th March 1968 and is buried in Fremantle Cemetery in plot General-Lawn A-0004.