Departure of the New South Wales contingent from Sydney for the Soudan

In the early 1880s, an Egyptian regime in the Sudan, backed by the British, came under threat from rebellion. The British instructed the Egyptians to abandon the Sudan, and sent the popular General Charles Gordon to coordinate the evacuation. When news of his death arrived in New South Wales in February 1885, the government offered to send forces to aid the British, and meet the contingent's expenses. The contingent sailed from Sydney on 3 March 1885 amid public fanfare. The British government's acceptance of the contingent was received with enthusiasm by the NSW government and members of the armed forces; it was seen as a historic occasion marking the first time that soldiers in the pay of a self-governing Australian colony were to fight in an Imperial war. Originally appearing in the illustrated newspaper The Graphic, this wood engraving provides an important insight into Australia's colonial military contingents and early depictions of these forces. The scene presents a number of vignettes showing the crowds at Circular Quay, the rows of troops marching through Sydney and the ships departing Sydney Harbour for the Sudan.