Mayor of Sydney Silver Soudan Medal : Private H St C Dick, New South Wales Infantry

Mayor of Sydney's Silver Soudan Medal. The obverse shows the coat of arms for Sydney. Above it, on a solid semi-circular suspender pierced to take a ribbon, is the word 'SOUDAN'. The reverse bears raised lettering around the edge 'PRESENTED BY THE CITIZENS OF SYDNEY. T.PLAYFAIR, MAYOR, 1885.', and in the centre a raised laurel wreath. The centre of the wreath is engraved '162 PTE. H. DICK N.S.W. INFY'.

Awarded to 162 Private Hamilton St Clair Dick, who served in B Company of the New South Wales Infantry Contingent sent to the Sudan in 1885. Born at Swan Hill, Victoria, Dick was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne and was working as a bookkeeper when he enlisted, aged twenty four. He had 'tossed a coin' with his brother to see which one of them should enlist. According to one of Dick's daughters he was an amateur athlete of some note. He was also commissioned by a New South Wales newspaper to write an account of the Contingent's voyage and actions from a soldiers point of view. The notes he wrote for this are now part of the War Memorial's collection. Dick subsequently moved to Western Australia where he married and entered the public service. He died in 1912 while prospecting alone for gold. His only son, 6309 Charles Hamilton Dick served with 28 Battalion, AIF and was killed in action, at Zonnebeke, Belgium, on 4 October 1917, at the age of twenty.