Outdoor portrait of 810 Private (Pte) Herbert Meade from Croydon, Victoria on the left and 850 ...

Outdoor portrait of 810 Private (Pte) Herbert Meade from Croydon, Victoria on the left and 850 Pte Charles Alfred Heather from Kew, Victoria on the right, both of No 7 Platoon, 8th Battalion. Both embarked for overseas with G Company 8th Battalion from Melbourne on 19 October 1914 aboard HMAT Benalla (A24). After a stopover in Albany, Western Australia, they arrived in Egypt on 2 December 1914. Following further training in Egypt, the battalion took part in the Gallipoli landings on 25 April as part of the second wave. Pte Meade was a 21 year old shop assistant prior to enlisting on 18 August 1914. He was made a Lance Corporal at Gallipoli and employed as a military policeman. After taking ill in November, he was evacuated to Malta for two weeks for medical treatment before returning to Gallipoli. In March 1916 he proceeded to France where he served until his was taken ill in March 1917 and evacuated to England for medical treatment for three months. After returning to France, he was wounded in action on 16 April 1918 and evacuated to England before being returned to Australia. He arrived home on 26 November 1918 and was discharged medically unfit for further service. Pte Heather was a 20 year old clerk prior to enlisting on 7 September 1914. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 4 July 1915 and is buried in the Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey. This image is from the collection of brothers Lt Alan Crawford Couve and 2nd Lt Henry Thomas Ladson Couve from Dandenong, Victoria. They photographed members of their unit in Egypt prior to serving at Gallipoli where they both died.