Gratwick VC Rest Area

At a Glance

About

The Gratwick VC Rest Area is stop 13 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway, positioned on the Federal Highway (M23) near the small township of Collector in NSW. Travelling north, it follows the Edmondson VC Rest Area, with the Gurney VC Rest Area ahead as the next stop on the route. Like each site along this memorial corridor, it honours an Australian who gave everything in service of the nation. This rest area commemorates Private Percival Eric Gratwick of the 2/48th Infantry Battalion, who was born in Katanning, Western Australia, on 19 October 1902 — the fifth son of the local postmaster. Before the war, Gratwick lived a working life that took him across the country as a blacksmith, drover, and prospector. He tried repeatedly to enlist in the early years of World War II but was turned away on medical grounds more than once. After receiving treatment, he successfully enlisted in late 1940 and was posted to the 2/48th Infantry Battalion — a South Australian unit that also counted future VC recipients Thomas Derrick and William Kibby among its ranks. On the night of 25–26 October 1942, during the Second Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, Gratwick's platoon was ordered to assault a heavily defended enemy position known as Trig 29. The attack drew devastating fire, and both the platoon commander and sergeant were killed in the early stages of the assault. Gratwick was 40 years old and died at Tel el Eisa, El Alamein, on 26 October 1942 — the same day he performed the actions for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The rest area itself is open around the clock and provides toilets and picnic tables for travellers making the journey between Sydney and Canberra. It is accessible from both directions of travel on the M23 and is suitable for a short break. Truck and caravan travellers will find the stop serviceable for a rest, though it is a modest facility befitting a quiet pause on a route defined by reflection rather than spectacle.

Victoria Cross Recipient

Born 19 October 1902, Katanning, WA. Died 26 October 1942, El Alamein, Egypt.

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Stop 13 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway

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