World War I Commemorative Website

War Memorial Hall  c1929

Memorial Hall circa 1929
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Duncan MCLEAN

MCLEAN

Duncan McLean was born on 27 February 1897 in Greenock, Scotland. His parents were John and Jane (née Knox) McLean. He attended Scotch from 1912 to 1914.

Duncan was a clerk when he enlisted on 21 July 1915 in Melbourne. He served in the 7th Battalion with the rank of Sergeant. His Regimental Number was 3199.

Duncan died on 25 July 1916 at Pozieres, France. He was 19 years of age.

Service record

Duncan McLean enlisted at age 18. His service record contains a letter from his father giving him permission to enlist (see below). At 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) he was probably one of the shortest Scotchies to serve. He weighed just 48 kilograms. His enlistment form says he had pre-war experience in cadets, as a member of the 69th Battalion. He was allotted to the reinforcements for the 22nd Battalion and after training at Seymour, embarked for overseas duty in November 1915.

In Egypt he was moved from the 6th Training Battalion to the 7th Battalion on 24 February 1916, and within a month was promoted to Corporal. On 26 March he embarked with the unit for France, where on 18 April he was promoted again, to Sergeant: an impressive rise for a 19-year-old reinforcement. In less than a month he had been made a Sergeant. On 25 July, a deadly day for the 7th Battalion, he was killed in action at Pozieres.

His service record contains a letter dated June 1932 from Base Records saying that his body had still not been found. Information about his personality, war service and death is unusually scarce. No obituary appeared in the Collegian, though a photograph did. There is no Red Cross Wounded and Missing file for him.

Duncan McLean has no known grave but is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.

Photographs and Documents:

mcleanD

Letter from Duncan McLean’s father permission to join the AIF at age 18. The same letter stated that Duncan’s mother was deceased.

Sources:

  1. Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
  2. Mishura Scotch Database
  3. National Archives of Australia – B2455, MCLEAN D
  4. Scotch Collegian 1916
  5. The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=202060

Page last updated: 11 November 2015