Outdoor group portrait of members of the 9th Training Battalion at Perham Downs, Wiltshire. ...

Outdoor group portrait of members of the 9th Training Battalion at Perham Downs, Wiltshire. Identified, back row left to right; 411 Frederick Benedict (Ted) Alsop; Lance Corporal (LCpl) Wilson; 278 LCpl Henry Matthew Woodman. Front row, seated: 422 (422A) Cpl Gordon Roy Heathcote (an optician of Kew, Victoria, later killed in action 16 October 1917); 422 Sergeant (Sgt) Charles Carey McPhee; 375 Sgt Charles Haddock Maple; Cpl Redford and 4000 Bernard Michael (Bern or Barney) Alsop, left, looking at the machine gun. Brothers Ted and Bern Alsop trained at Salisbury Plains. Ted, a steward of Winchelsea, Victoria, embarked with the 6th Reinforcements, 2nd Machine Gun Company on 20 October 1916. Ted arrived in England and underwent further training before appointment as a lance corporal in April 1917. His brother Bern, a labourer of Winchelsea, embarked with the 10th Reinforcements, 29th Battalion, on 21 October 1916. He transferred to the 4th Division Machine Gun Company in March 1917 joining his brother Ted, and was appointed lance corporal in June. The brothers, now members of the 24th Machine Gun Company arrived in France on 8 September 1917 and on 17 October 1917 Ted was killed in action. A letter held by the family sent by Lieutenant Myers records Ted was in a dugout with two others and all three were killed by a shell and buried just outside a cemetery and a short ceremony presided over by Lt Myers. Post war this grave was not discovered, most likely due to being over-run during ensuing action and his name is recorded on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.