Departure of the New South Wales Contingent from S…

Rare c.19th separately issued lithograph of the departure of the New South Wales Contingent from Sydney for the Soudan shown passing down Gresham Street, Sydney.

On 3 March 1885 the New South Wales contingent was ready to set sail for the Sudan, and due in part to the holiday declared to farewell them, the troops left amid much public fanfare.

Between March-June 1885, the NSW Contingent served in Sudan, Africa. The contingent, an infantry battalion of 522 men and 24 officers and an artillery battery of 212 men, was ready to sail on 3 March 1885. It left Sydney amid much public fanfare, generated in part by the holiday declared to farewell the troops; the send-off was described as the most festive occasion in the colony’s history. The NSW contingent anchored at Suakin, Sudan’s Red Sea port, on 29 March 1885 and were attached to a brigade composed of Scots, Grenadiers and Coldstream Guards. The Australian contingent sailed for home on 17 May 1885, arriving back in Sydney on 19 June. It was generally agreed at the time that, no matter how small the military significance of the Australian contribution to the War in Sudan, it marked an important stage in the development of colonial self-confidence and was proof of the enduring link with Britain.