Thomas White (Australian politician)
Sir Thomas Walter White, was an Australian politician and pilot in the First World War. In 1914 he became one of the first airmen trained for the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), and the following year he was among the first AFC members to see action when he was deployed to the Middle East with the Mesopotamian Half Flight. After carrying out several missions behind Turkish lines, he was captured in November 1915 but escaped in July 1918. White was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and twice mentioned in despatches for his war service. He married Vera Deakin, a Red Cross worker and daughter of former Australian prime minister Alfred Deakin, in 1920.
White in Melbourne, c. 1940
Captain White (second left) with Captain Henry Petre (far left) and Lieutenant George Merz (far right) of the Mesopotamian Half Flight at Basra, July 1915
White in the 1930s
Wing Commander White (right) serving with the RAAF in Great Britain, March 1942
Alfred Deakin was an Australian politician, statesman and barrister who served as the second prime minister of Australia from 1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908 and 1909 to 1910. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, and in his final term as that of the Liberal Party. He is notable for being one of the founding fathers of Federation and for his influence in early Australian politics.
Deakin in 1905
Deakin as a young man
Caricature of Deakin in 1886
Alfred Deakin in 1898