Ivan Dougherty

Major General Sir Ivan Noel Dougherty, (6 April 1907 – 4 March 1998) was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War and early Cold War period.

Ivan Noel Dougherty was born on 6 April 1907 in Leadville, New South Wales, a small town between Dunedoo and Coolah, New South Wales, the son of Isabella Dougherty and a father he never knew.

He was educated at Mudgee High School and Sydney Teachers College.

In 1926, while still at Sydney Teachers' College, Dougherty joined the Sydney University Regiment, in which he was commissioned as a lieutenant on 27 July 1927.

In 1928 he became a teacher at Marrickville Junior Technical School (now Marrickville Public School).

While teaching by day he completed a four-year Bachelor of Economics degree at the University of Sydney.

He transferred to Tingha Public School in 1931 and then to Armidale West Public School.

He was promoted to captain on 11 September 1931 but was moved to the unattached list in 1932 following his posting to Tingha.

His posting to Armidale allowed him to resume his part-time military career, and he joined the 33rd/41st Infantry Battalion on 20 December 1934, and then the 33rd Infantry Battalion when it resumed its separate existence on 1 October 1936.

On a visit in 1935, he met Phyllis Lofts, a fellow school teacher who taught at Coonamble High School.

They were married at St Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Sydney.

This cut short Phyllis's teaching career for the time being, as married women were not permitted to work as teachers at that time.

During the Second World War this regulation would be relaxed and she was able to take a position at Goulburn High School.

They would eventually have five children: Margaret and Graeme, born before the war, and, later, Maureen, David and Noela.

On the outbreak of the Second World War, Dougherty offered his services to Lieutenant Colonel George Wootten, commander-designate of the 2/2nd Infantry Battalion, as his second-on-command even though this involved a reduction in rank to major.

He was promoted to major on 14 February 1938, assumed command of the 33rd Infantry Battalion on 1 December 1938, and was promoted lieutenant colonel on 28 August 1939.

Dougherty returned to Leadville at least once a year to visit his mother.

This was accepted and Dougherty joined the Second Australian Imperial Force on 13 October 1939, receiving the AIF serial number of NX148.

He was however allowed to retain his substantive rank of lieutenant colonel as an honorary rank, and therefore wear his lieutenant colonel's rank badges.

Dougherty embarked from Sydney on 10 January 1940 on the SS Otranto.

The ship sailed through the Suez Canal and the battalion moved by rail to an encampment at Julis, a town in the British Mandate of Palestine about 26 km north east of Gaza.

On 19 August 1940 Dougherty was appointed to command the 2/4th Infantry Battalion, with the substantive AIF rank of lieutenant colonel.

However Dougherty soon made a good impression and when Robertson went on leave in October 1940 he recommended that Dougherty act as brigade commander, despite the fact that he was the youngest and most junior of Robertson's battalion commanders.

Dougherty also encountered some resentment from regular officers like Lieutenant Colonel Henry Wells.

Although he had been commissioned seven years before Dougherty, Wells was now his junior owing to the slower rate of promotion in the regular Army.

The 19th Infantry Brigade moved to Borg El Arab in November 1940 to participate in General Sir Archibald Wavell's Operation Compass.

The 2/4th Infantry Battalion moved into positions around Tobruk, from which it participated in the assault on the Tobruk fortress.

In the featureless desert, Dougherty was confronted with some difficulty in locating the start line for the advance, and made a series of adjustments to the battalion position.

Later he felt compelled to explain his actions to his troops, explaining that he did not wish them to take any casualties due to carelessness on his part.

Commanding from a Bren Gun Carrier, which he used to tool about the battlefield, Dougherty made good progress, capturing the Italian commander, Generale di Corpo d'Armata Petassi Manella.

Once on his objective, Robertson had ordered Dougherty to capture Fort Airente, if feasible, thereby cutting the road to Derna, but left the final decision to Dougherty.

Dougherty elected not to as he could not call for artillery since his radio was out of action, and he had to guard 1,600 Italian prisoners.

Fort Airente was captured when the advance resumed in the morning, and Tobruk surrendered to Robertson.

At Derna, Robertson employed his brigade boldly in support of Lieutenant General Richard O'Connor's attempt to cut off the retreating Italian Army.

Dougherty was ordered to seize Wadi Derna, a ravine 500 metres wide.

His lead company reached the wadi and a platoon crossed it, establishing itself on the far side after a fight in which an Australian was killed and nine Italians captured.

This small force was counter-attacked by the Italians but the Australians held their ground.

Later a group of Italians blundered into the Australian position; 40 were killed and 56 captured.

This was still a New South Wales battalion of the 6th Division but part of the newly formed 19th Infantry Brigade.

Dougherty received a cool reception from his new commander, Brigadier Horace Robertson, who was disappointed at being unable to select his own battalion commanders.