McDougall was on watch at a post on the 47th’s right flank when he heard approaching enemy. When a Lewis gun team was knocked out by an enemy bomb McDougall snatched up the Lewis gun and attacked two enemy machine-gun teams and killed their crews. He turned one of the captured machine guns on to the enemy, killing several, and routing that wave. Meanwhile, about fifty Germans had crossed the Australian-held railway. McDougall turned his gun on them before they had time to establish themselves behind the battalion. When his ammunition was spent he seized a bayonet and charged, killing three men and an enemy officer who was just about to kill an Australian officer. McDougall then used a Lewis gun on the enemy, killing many, and forcing the surrender of the remaining thirty-three enemy. His uniform and the Lewis gun used in the attack are on display in the Hall of Valour of the Australian War Memorial.