Derrick VC Rest Area
Boxers Creek, NSW
Hume Highway (A31)
At a Glance
About
The Derrick VC Rest Area is stop 9 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway, sitting just outside Boxers Creek on the southbound side of the Hume Highway (Route A31). It honours Sergeant Thomas Currie Derrick — known to his mates as 'Diver' — one of Australia's most decorated soldiers of the Second World War. Born in Adelaide on 20 March 1914, Derrick left school at fourteen and worked as a farm labourer before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force in July 1940. Assigned to the 2/48th Infantry Battalion, he proved himself early, serving at Tobruk and earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Tel el Eisa in July 1942. His Victoria Cross came on 24 November 1943 at Sattelberg, on the Huon Peninsula of New Guinea. Derrick's company was tasked with capturing a heavily fortified feature near the township. The approach ran up an almost vertical jungle slope concealing multiple Japanese machine-gun posts. When the assault stalled and the order came to retire, Derrick refused. He pressed forward alone, neutralising position after position in an act of sustained, determined courage that broke the enemy's hold on the feature. He survived that day, only to be fatally wounded during operations on Tarakan Island, Borneo, dying on 24 May 1945 — just months before the war's end. He was 31 years old. Travelling the Remembrance Driveway between the Chowne VC Rest Area to the north and the French VC Rest Area further south, this stop offers a genuine moment to pause and reflect. The rest area is open around the clock and equipped with toilets, covered picnic tables, and dedicated truck parking, making it a practical stop for travellers in vehicles of all sizes, including caravans and road trains. There is no time limit posted, though it is intended as a short rest break rather than an extended stay.
Victoria Cross Recipient
Sergeant Thomas Currie Derrick VC
2/48th Infantry Battalion
Thomas Currie 'Diver' Derrick was born on 20 March 1914 at the McBride Maternity Hospital in the Adelaide suburb of Medindie, South Australia. He left school at fourteen and worked as a farm labourer before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force in July 1940. Posted to the 2/48th Infantry Battalion, he served at Tobruk and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Tel el Eisa in July 1942.
On 24 November 1943, at Sattelberg in the Huon Peninsula of New Guinea, Sergeant Derrick's company was ordered to capture a heavily defended feature near the township. The approach was up an almost vertical slope of thick jungle concealing numerous Japanese machine-gun posts. Despite being ordered to retire when the assault stalled, Derrick refused and single-handedly attacked up the precipitous slope, scrambling on hands and feet, hurling grenades at close range, and using his rifle to clear ten separate machine-gun posts. His extraordinary determination secured the position, and the following morning the 2/48th Battalion moved into Sattelberg unopposed. Derrick personally raised the Australian flag over the captured town.
After receiving his Victoria Cross, Derrick attended officer cadet training and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He insisted on returning to his beloved 2/48th Battalion and was fatally wounded during fighting on Tarakan Island, Borneo, on 22 May 1945. He died on 24 May 1945 and is buried in Labuan War Cemetery.
Born 20 March 1914, Adelaide, SA. Died 24 May 1945, Tarakan Island, Borneo.
References
Remembrance Driveway →
Stop 9 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway
View all 20 stops
- Sir Roden Cutler VC Rest Area
- Partridge VC Rest Area Southbound
- Kenna VC Rest Area
- Keith Payne VC Rest Area
- Gordon VC Rest Area
- Mackey VC Rest Area
- Kingsbury VC Rest Area
- Chowne VC Rest Area
- Derrick VC Rest Area
- French VC Rest Area
- Kibby VC Rest Area
- Edmondson VC Rest Area
- Gratwick VC Rest Area
- Gurney VC Rest Area
- Badcoe VC Rest Area
- Wheatley VC Rest Area
- Anderson VC Rest Area
- Middleton VC Rest Area
- Newton VC Rest Area
- Edwards VC Rest Area
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