Studio portrait of 1797 Private Alexander (Alec) McGregor McKenzie, 32nd Battalion from Talia, ...

Studio portrait of 1797 Private Alexander (Alec) McGregor McKenzie, 32nd Battalion from Talia, South Australia. A 24 year old farmer prior to enlisting on 2 May 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 2nd Reinforcements of the 27th Battalion from Adelaide on 23 June 1915 aboard HMAT Kanowna. After fourteen weeks on the Gallipoli peninsula he was evacuated back to Egypt and took ill. On recovery he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion and sailed for France. Pte McKenzie was killed in action on 20 July 1916 at Fromelles, France. 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 McKenzie. 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, including Pte Mckenzie, had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. Work is continuing on identifying the other remains relocated from the burial ground and buried in the new cemetery as unknown soldiers.