Douglas Swan was born in London in about August 1893, the eldest of three children to John Swan and Janie Reid. He found worked as a bank clerk and at the age of 18 boarded a steam ship in London, bound for Fremantle, Western Australia.
Douglas settled in the mid-west port town of Geraldton and played the 1915 football season in the forward line for Queens Park Rangers. He joined the war effort in early July by enlisting with the 11th Battalion as a Private and soon after married Kathleen Hahn, who he had probably only recently met.
On completion of basic training at Blackboy Hill, Douglas embarked for Alexandria, Egypt, in October. Four months later a reorganisation and expansion of the Australian Imperial Force lead to the formation of the 51st Battalion, to which Douglas was transferred.
Shortly before this, Douglas played football in a team organised by Duncan MacColl, who was also from Geraldton. “Duncan got a team out of the 11th. He also got the old Queens Park centre (Swan) to play for them,” wrote Bob Anderson in a letter published in the Geraldton Guardian. “I was playing back and had plenty to do. I stopped Swan a few times. No doubt he is a good player and a dandy shot, but I think he is a bit rough.”
Douglas arrived in France in early June 1916 and within a fortnight had moved into the trenches of the Somme. His battalion’s first major battles were at Mouquet Farm where, on 3 September, they suffered over 370 casualties, including killed, wounded or missing. It was on that date that Douglas – who had recently turned 23 – was reported missing in action.
Douglas Swan was not found and was declared killed in action by a court of enquiry on 23 April, 1917.
On 22 May, 1917, the Geraldton Guardian reported, “Private D. J. Swan, who was formerly on the staff of the National Bank, Geraldton, and who was well known in Soccer football circles in Geraldton, is reported to have been killed in action on September 3rd.”