Thomas White

Sir Thomas Walter White KBE DFC (26 April 1888 – 13 October 1957) was an Australian politician. White was born at Hotham, North Melbourne, Victoria and educated at Moreland State School. In August 1914, he began training as an officer in the Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook. In April 1915, he was appointed a captain in the first Australian Imperial Force and adjutant of a small unit that was sent to Basra to assist the Indian Army in the Mes... more

Sir Thomas Walter White KBE DFC (26 April 1888 – 13 October 1957) was an Australian politician. White was born at Hotham, North Melbourne, Victoria and educated at Moreland State School. In August 1914, he began training as an officer in the Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook. In April 1915, he was appointed a captain in the first Australian Imperial Force and adjutant of a small unit that was sent to Basra to assist the Indian Army in the Mesopotamian campaign. He successfully carried out several operations involving landing behind enemy lines, but on 13 November 1915, he was captured while attempting to cut telegraph wires near Baghdad. He was imprisoned in Turkey, but in July 1918 he escaped from a train in Constantinople and managed to stowaway on a cargo ship to Odessa, Ukraine and he then travelled to London. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and was twice mentioned in dispatches as a result. He published an account of his exploits as Guests of the Unspeakable. In... less