Thomas Anderson Whyte

Thomas Anderson Whyte was born in Unley, South Australia. As a boy he attended St. Peter’s College in Adelaide and developed a passion for rowing and lacrosse. He was once described as being “the best oarsmen South Australia ever produced”, and was also widely regarded in his social circles as “a good sport and kind-hearted man”.

Whyte enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force within weeks of the outbreak of war. He was posted to the 10th Battalion alongside many of his mates from the Adelaide Rowing Club.

Like many who responded to the call, Whyte left behind a young fiancée, Eileen Champion. The two exchanged regular letters, and on 22 January 1915 Whyte told her, “I build castles in the air every day about our reunion.”

The 10th Battalion was among the first Australian units to land on Gallipoli in the early hours of 25 April 1915. Just hours before the landing, Whyte wrote a letter to be given to Eileen in the event of his death. This letter was to be his last.

Whyte volunteered to row one of the boats ashore. His good friend Arthur Blackburn wrote:

the most dangerous position of the lot was that of the men who were rowing, as they of course could take no shelter. They could not even crouch down in the boat, but were compelled to sit up and row. The dangers of such a task were so apparent that officers hesitated to order men to expose themselves to the work of rowing. Tom immediately grasped the situation, and, as everyone knew he would, volunteered his services as a rower.

As the boat pulled up, Whyte slipped over the side. He had been shot through the pelvis, and although he was taken to a hospital ship for immediate treatment, he died on the way to Alexandria. Blackburn later wrote:

the poor fellow was killed before he had fired a single shot, but there is no doubt that it was largely due to the courage and endurance of Tom and his fellow-rowers in all the boats that everyone was landed with the minimum of loss.

Whyte was 29 years old. Sitting beside him as he lay dying was Sister Katherine Lawrence Porter, who wrote to Eileen some months later:

I remember Private Tom Whyte very well … He had an abdominal wound and was taken to the operation room almost at once and everything possible was done for him … the only thing he was worried over was some package being delivered to his friend … I feel certain that there must have been some message for you in it … It was a terrible day for us all and I saw so much that was awful that day.

Whyte was buried at sea. Today his name is listed on the Lone Pine Memorial on Gallipoli, along with some 4,900 other Australian and New Zealand soldiers with no known grave who died in the campaign.

Activities

1. For many Australians, the First World War was a way to see the world. How do you think Whyte might have been feeling on the day when this photograph was taken?
2. Postcards and letters were popular ways to keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places during the First World War. Imagine you are a family member writing to a loved one serving overseas. What would you write about?

3. How do you think Eileen might have felt when Whyte volunteered for service with the Australian Imperial Force?

4. Many Australian women became involved in the war effort at home and overseas. Read about Mrs Rattigan and the Anzac Buffet. What was the Anzac Buffet? Who was it for? How did some soldiers express their appreciation?

5. Read the following extract from one of Thomas Whyte’s letters to Eileen:

My Dear Sweetheart, I thought of writing this in case I went under suddenly…May this letter never be necessary. But the thought that hurts worst of all is of you and your sorrow…Just think of me as non-existent in spirit, blotted out completely…It would soften the last thoughts if I knew you would be really happy again…Goodbye my love, may you get all the happiness you deserve, that will be my last wish.

Why do you think Whyte wrote this letter? How do you think Eileen may have felt upon reading it? Imagine you are Eileen and write a reply to Whyte.

6. What impact do you think Whyte’s death had on Sister Porter? Explain your answer.

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