Landing of the Australian contingent at Suakin

A vibrant image depicting the arrival of the New South Wales Contingent at Suakin in Sudan. While the men arrived wearing the red coats, the British issued the troops with khaki uniforms on their first day so that they would not be stand out so much on the battlefield. Between March- June 1885, the NSW Contingent served in Sudan, Africa as part of the War in Sudan (1885). 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.