Edward and Joseph Douglas
Edward and Joseph Douglas, both of the 28th Maori Battalion were
killed on the same day, in the same unit and in the same action.
Another tragic case of brothers dying together:
20 April
1943. Sergeant Rogers gathered his men in a little hollow
preparatory to creating the diversion that would assist D Company,
28th New Zealand (Maori) Battalion, to attack Takrouna[Amrit: in
Tunisia] from the rear. He found that he had ten men including
himself and divided them into two parties: one he commanded and the
other was under Sergeant Manahi, but before the operation began he
received reinforcements—Sergeant W. J. Smith of 23 Battalion and
Private Takurua from D Company, both of whom had lost their
companies and had attached themselves to his party.
Sergeant
Rogers had with him (as far as can be traced) Lance-Corporal H. Ruha,
Privates E. Douglas, J. Douglas, W. Ratahi and Takurua, and the
pakeha Sergeant Smith, while Manahi's ‘force’ consisted of Privates
H. Grant, J. Ingram, K. Aranui and J. Takiwa....
....When the
enemy realised that his observation post on Takrouna was lost, both
the pinnacle and the ledge were subjected to fire of all types. It
was kept up almost continuously during the day, and the events which
follow must be pictured as occurring under a constant deluge of
mortar and other shells. All the garrison found targets in Takrouna
village and viciniy; Private Takurua found an enemy 2-inch mortar
and six bombs which he delivered to the village, and Corporal Ruha,
ensconced on the cupola of the mosque, picked out two of our
captured 25-pounders and with his rifle prevented them not only from
firing but also from being withdrawn to a safer position.
Casualties, however, were mounting. Privates Ingram, Ratahi, and
Moore were all killed by one shell, and soon afterwards another
killed Sergeant Rogers and Private E. Douglas and wounded his
brother, J. Douglas. The last was also killed later in the fighting.
They were the sons of John and Adeline Douglas, of Ngongotaha,
Auckland, New Zealand. Their graves are in Enfidaville War Cemetery.
(Enfidaville is 100 kilometres south of Tunis on the main coast road)
In May 1943, the war in North Africa came to an end in Tunisia with
the defeat of the Axis powers by a combined Allied force. The
campaign began on 8 November 1942, when Commonwealth and American
troops made a series of landings in Algeria and Morocco. The Germans
responded immediately by sending a force from Sicily to northern
Tunisia, which checked the Allied advance east in early December.
Meanwhile, in the south, the Axis forces defeated at El Alamein were
withdrawing into Tunisia along the coast through Libya, pursued by
the Allied Eighth Army. By mid April 1943, the combined Axis force
was hemmed into a small corner of north-eastern Tunisia and the
Allies were grouped for their final offensive. The Eighth Army
attack on the position at Enfidaville on 19 April capturing the
village, but strong resistance meant no further progress was
possible. Attacks further north met with greater success and Tunis
fell on 7 May, Bizerta on the 8th. By 11 May, the position at
Enfidaville was surrounded and resistance ceased on the following
day. Most of those buried at Enfidaville War Cemetery died in the
final battles from March to the beginning of May. The cemetery
contains 1,551 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 88 of
them unidentified.
%20Douglas.JPG) |
Private Edward (Ted) Douglas, B Company, 28th (Maori)
Battalion, 2nd NZEF.
Born Ngongotaha 9th of September 1917. Wounded 11th December
1941: Killed in action at Takrouna 20th of April 1943. |
 |
68040 Private Joesph Douglas, B Company, 28th (Maori)
Battalion, 2nd NZEF.
Born at Ngongotaha August 24th 1919. Killed in action at
Takrouna on the 20th of April 1943.
Next of kin on enlistment: Mr J. Douglas (father),
Ngongotaha, New Zealand |
Edward and Joesph's surviving younger (84 years old in 2015) brother
is Mr. James (Jim) Douglas
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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