Tom Derrick
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| Thomas Currie Derrick | |
|---|---|
| 20 March 1914 – 23 May 1945 | |
 Tom Derrick in November 1943 |
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| Nickname | Diver |
| Place of birth | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Place of death | Tarakan Island, Borneo |
| Allegiance |  Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Distinguished Conduct Medal |
Thomas Currie Derrick VC, DCM (20 March 1914- 23 May 1945) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth forces. He was well known by his nickname of "Diver".
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[edit] Early life
Thomas Derrick was born on Adelaide, South Australia. The Derricks were not well off and Tom often walked barefoot to attend primary school. He left school at 14, by which time he had developed a keen interest in sports. During the Great Depression he subsisted on the proceeds of odd jobs. In 1931 he travelled to Berri, on the Murray River, looking for work which he eventually found in a vineyard at Winkie. He remained there for the next nine years and married Beryl Violet Leslie in 1939.
[edit] World War II
[edit] North Africa
Derrick enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force on July 5, 1940. Derrick embarked for North Africa with the 2/48th Battalion, and soon proved himself to be an excellent soldier, gaining promotion to Corporal while his unit was defended Tobruk. In July 1942, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for his bravery and leadership at Tel el Eisa, during the First Battle of El Alamein. At the end of that month Derrick was promoted to sergeant. By October his unit was in action at the Second Battle of El Alamein, where he again served with distinction.
[edit] South West Pacific
Derrick's unit returned to Australia in February 1943, training in north Queensland and New Guinea, before helping to capture Lae from the Japanese in September. In November, the 2/48th were in action at Sattelberg, a mountain overlooking Finschhafen. It was here that Derrick performed the feats that earned him the Victoria Cross (VC). He destroyed ten Japanese machine gun positions by scaling steep cliffs, while under fire, and hurling grenades and using his rifle. The 2/48th returned to Australia in February 1944, and in August Derrick was posted to an officer training unit. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in November.
On May 1, 1945, he took part in the landing at Tarakan, North Borneo. Later that month he led his platoon against heavily defended positions in high ground, gaining all but the highest knoll. That night a Japanese machine gun fired into the Australian lines. As he sat up to check that his men were all right, Derrick was hit by five bullets from the gun's second burst. He had been lightly wounded before, but recognised that this time his wounds were mortal. He died on 24 May 1945 and was buried in Labuan War Cemetery.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Australian War Memorial.
[edit] Port River Bridge
There is strong support within the Port Adelaide community to name one of the new Port River Bridges after Derrick. It has become the subject of fierce community debate after the South Australian Government initially promised to hold a competition to name the bridge but then decided to name the bridge after Mary MacKillop without public consultation. A petition run by the local newspaper, the Portside Messenger, in May 2008 attracted more than 3000 signatures supporting naming the bridge after Derrick. The Port Adelaide Enfield Council has also unanimously supported naming the bridge after Derrick.
