DERRICK, Edward
| Service Number: | 2598 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 April 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Peterborough (Formerly Petersburg), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | cooper |
| Memorials: | Peterborough War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2598, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2598, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Adelaide | |
| 21 Apr 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Edward Derrick was born on 16 March 1879 in Dublin, Ireland. Derrick was the son of Susana Derrick. Before the war, Derrick was unmarried. He was an apprentice for 5 years before becoming a cooper. In his enrolment papers, he was described as having brown hair, brown eyes, a dark complexion, a chest measurement of 33.35” and being 161cm tall. Edward Derrick enlisted on 16 April 1915 in Keswick, South Australia, Australia.
Derrick left Australia on 26 Aug 1915 to join the 10th company battalion from the reinforcements at Mudros. Then, on 29 December 1915, Derrick marched in Alexandria, Egypt. Derrick was transferred and fought in many different battles from 13 Mar 1916. He then went to Machine Gun School on 7 August 1916, and he then joined the 10th Battalion after marching into the 1st Australian Division Base Depot.
Derrick was injured on the 21st of April 1916 at Sausage Valley, Albert, during the Battle of the Somme. Derrick was shot in the back and the face and was in the 12th General Hospital in Rouen. Derrick was in the hospital from the 21st of April 1916 till the 5th of November 1916. He was in the hospital for 6 months and 15 days. While he was in the hospital, his company continued to fight in the Battle of the Somme.
Derrick was transferred to the 11th battalion on 25 July 1917. On 3 January 1918, he was transferred again to the 3rd Machine Gun Company. On the 1st of March 1918, the 3rd Machine Gun Company became the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion when the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 23rd Companies were combined. Derrick was appointed driver 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, was appointed driver on 1 March 1918. From 14 March 1918 till the 25 Mar 1918, he was on leave in Paris. Derrick requested to be reverted to private on 14 October 1918. On 31 October 1918, he went to Paris again from 18 Nov 1918. On 25 July 1919, Derrick was officially discharged.
On the 1st of March, the 3rd Machine Gun Company became the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion when the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 23rd Companies were combined. Derrick was appointed driver in the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion on the 1st of March 1918, and on the 14th of October 1918, he was reverted to private at his own request. While he was a driver, the battalion was training in the Amiens area, Villers-Bretonneux, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, and the River Selle. The battalion was based and fighting in France for this period.
The role of the third machine gun company in WW1 was to support the infantry. They were equipped with the Vickers Medium Machine Gun. This weapon was used by a crew of three and mounted on a tripod. It was not portable and was generally installed in a fixed, prepared position. Its direct counterpart on the German side was the Maxim 'Spandau' MG08, a weapon of similar appearance and capability. The Vickers could fire at extended ranges, out to 3,000 yards. The third machine gun company provided vital, heavy machine-gun fire support on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918. The 3rd Machine Gun Battalion served in France and Belgium, helping to stop the 1918 German spring offensive and supporting the Allied Hundred Days Offensive before being disbanded in 1919.
Edward Derrick served in the 10th and 11th Battalions, the 3rd Machine Gun Company and the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. Derrick served for four years, enlisting on 16 April 1915 and being discharged on the 25th of July 1919. During this period, he earned the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.