On a trip to Gallipoli In September 23 with Peter Hart Battlefield Tours we had a member of the group from Australia. Tony Anderson was visiting a number of WW1 battlefields and at Hill 60 Cemetery he carefully buried three small stones which he had brought from home in Australia below the headstone of Trooper Duncan McDougall, of the 9th Australian Light Horse. Tony explained that Trooper McDougall wasn’t a relative, but he was commemorated on Tony’s local war memorial, Mylor War Memorial, Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Trooper McDougall had always held a special place for Tony as he shared a birthday with Tonys daughter. Whilst walking around Hill 60 Tony also picked up some small stones to take back to Australia to place on the memorial. A piece of Australia to be left with Trooper McDougall and a piece of Gallipoli to be returned to Australia.
Duncan McDougall enlisted on the 25th of November 1914 as trooper 723 of the 2nd Reinforcement of the 9th Light Horse arriving in Egypt on 14th March 1915. The light Horse was dispatched to Gallipoli in Late May and attached to the ANZAC Division. The 9th was fortunate to be the reserve regiment for the attack on the Nek in early August. Trooper McDougal was killed in he regiments attack on Hill 60 on the 27th August 1915. The 9th Light Horse suffered heavy casualties including their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Carew Reynell.