| Place | Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Nord, Lille, Fromelles, Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P09775.001 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Circular portrait (3cm diameter) of 2056 Private (Pte) Matthew Hepple, 30th Battalion from ...
Description
Circular portrait (3cm diameter) of 2056 Private (Pte) Matthew Hepple, 30th Battalion from Kearsley, NSW. An 18 year old miner prior to enlisting on 4 September 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 3rd Reinforcements from Sydney on 16 February 1916 aboard HMAT Ballarat. He was killed in action at Fromelles, France on 20 July 1916. After the war his grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles. In 2008 a burial ground was located at Pheasant Wood, France containing the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers including Pte Hepple. All of the remains were reburied in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. At the time of the official dedication of the new cemetery on 19 July 2010, ninety-six of the Australians had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. In April 2011 a further 14 Australians were identified including Pte Hepple. Work is continuing on identifying the other remains relocated from the burial ground and buried in the new cemetery as unknown soldiers.