My Great Uncle, Duncan Dawson Young joined the AIF on 24th October 1916. He was posted to France and saw action on the battle fields at Fovant. He was a cook and carried buckets of food to the troops in the trenches. Duncan was gassed three times in July 1918 and after several bouts of hospitalisation was discharged as “Wounded in Action” in early 1920.
He returned to Australia, bringing a pair of French child’s clogs as a gift for his sister Mary McKenzie of Warrion. Back home Duncan lived mainly with relations and was never capable of working permanently. His lungs deteriorated until he became totally incapacitated. Duncan died on 21st February 1956, aged 61 years. The clogs have been passed down through the generations and a poignant reminder of the brave young soldier whose life was severely compromised as a result of events on the battlefield in France.
by Lynette Genua