RAAF and RAF service, 1919-56

Component identifier:

Series 8

Content Summary:

During World War II White served in both the RAAF and RAF, commanding RAF stations at Bournemouth and Brighton, England and rising to the rank of Group Captain. Papers in this series begin by recording his command from April 1940 of the No. 1 Initial Training School at Somers, Victoria (established as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme). A 1942 war diary provides some account of his flights on overseas RAAF missions between September 1941 and August 1943, after which time he was appointed head of Allied, Australian and New Zealand airforces at the RAF Station, Brighton, England. There he supervised the training of overseas air crews, attended RAF Intelligence Schools, ran reconnaissance flights and (over age and against orders) flew as second pilot in command with the Lancaster Bomber Squadron in missions over the Ruhr. Draft recollections of the German bombing operations are located in Folders 13 and 27. He retired from service on medical grounds in December 1944.

Whilst overseas White retained his Federal seat and an active interest in political affairs, returning to Australia to recontest elections. This series also contains some of the cables and correspondence through which he maintained contact with political colleagues in Australia, including comments made from his posting on the Militia Bill. Also of interest is a sequence of White's correspondence with his secretary, Anne Howell, and a folder of papers documenting his membership of the RAF Escaping Society (formed in 1945 of Royal and Allied Air Force crew who successfully escaped from or evaded enemy capture).

A further group of files contain research notes and other historical papers which appear to have been brought together for a proposed autobiography that White had begun researching before his death.

Other papers relating to White's RAAF and RAF service are filed in Series 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were donated to the Library by White's daughters in two consignments in January 1997 and March 1998, and together constitute an impressive record of White's varied and distinguished career as a pilot, politician, diplomat and writer.

Names:

Thomas White

Contents

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