Ivan Dougherty - Second World War

Second World War

On the outbreak of World War II, 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. This was accepted and Dougherty joined the Second AIF 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. 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. 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.