“Sir Robert Dick” by William Salter (National Portrait Gallery)

Sir Robert Dick

William Salter

1838

Oil on canvas

21 in. x 17 in. (535 mm x 430 mm)

National Portrait Gallery

Salter was most famous for his depiction of the "Waterloo Banquet" of 1836. The banquet was held on 18th June each year (the anniversary of Wellington's greatest victory) at the Duke's London residence, Apsley House. In 1836 King William IV attended the banquet along with over 80 senior veterans of the battle. Salter produced 81 individual oil-on-canvas studies for the large group painting. This portrait of Sir Robert Dick is one of these studies.

See below for additional commentary by Tim Willasey-Wilsey.

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Reproduced by courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery

Dick’s military career lasted 46 years and embraced the battles of the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain, the epic conflicts of Quatre Bras and Waterloo in Belgium and finally the Sikh wars of the 1840s. His death at Sobraon in 1846 is described in the 1888 edition of DNB as follows:

On the morning of 10th February 1846 Sir Hugh Gough determined to attack the strong entrenchments of the Khalsa [Sikh] army, and Dick's division was ordered to head the assault. At 4am his men advanced to a ravine about a thousand yards from the Sikh entrenchments, and lay down while the English artillery played upon the enemy over their heads. By 9am sufficient damage had been done for the infantry to charge, and Dick led his first brigade into the Sikh entrenchments. When it had effected a lodgment he returned to lead his second brigade, headed by the 80th regiment. While leading this brigade from battery to battery, taking them in flank, Dick was struck down by one of the last shots fired during the day, and only survived until 6 o'clock on the same evening. His funeral the next day at Ferozepore was attended by the whole army.

The Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel praised Dick in the House of Commons on 2nd April 1846 as follows; “On this occasion I have to deplore the loss of several officers of the highest reputation, and the first I shall name is Sir Robert Dick I am confident that the House will permit me shortly to recite what is the extent of national gratitude due for the former services of this gallant officer. He entered the service in 1800. He embarked with the 78th regiment for Sicily in 1806, and was wounded in battle. He accompanied the expedition to Egypt, and was present at the taking of Alexandria. He embarked with the 42nd regiment in 1809, and was again wounded at Fuentes d'Onor. He commanded the second battalion of the 42nd regiment at Ciudad Rodrigo. He was at the battle of Salamanca, at the storming of St. Michel, and was present during the siege of Burgos. In 1815 he was severely wounded, and, after a life of honour, he at last fell in the battle, for the happy result of which we are about to make our grateful acknowledgments.”

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