Australian Historical Medals

Lot 477    SESSION 4 (4.30PM TUESDAY 18 MARCH)    Australian Historical Medals

Estimate $300
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $180

FESTIVAL OF EMPIRE IMPERIAL EHIBITION AND PAGEANT OF LONDON, Crystal Palace, 1911, in gilt bronze (63.5mm), no maker, reverse inscribed, 'Harold Hardwick/For/Services To/Boxing'. Some oxidation marks, otherwise very fine.

As part of the festival an Inter-Empire sports championship was held in which teams from Australasia (Australia and New Zealand combined), Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom competed in athletics and swimming events as well as boxing and wrestling. The Australian boxer, Harold Hardwick, won the heavyweight boxing event undefeated.^^Harold Hampton Hardwick (14 December 1888 - 22 February 1959), was born in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales and attended Fort Street High School. He was a versatile Australian sports star of the early 20th century - an Olympic gold medal swimmer, national heavyweight boxing champion, and a state representative rugby union player. He later became a colonel in the Australian Imperial Force. Hardwick was on the winning team of the 4x200-metre freestyle relay at the 1912 Summer Olympics and won bronze medals in the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle.^