4 December 2007

Second Lieutenant John White – later to become Sir John White and one of New Zealand’s most esteemed High Court judges- was an officer General Bernard Freyberg couldn’t have done without.

Second Lieutenant White was his personal assistant during WW11. A judges associate in civilian life, he got the job not for the commitment, courtesy, loyalty and discretion he was later to demonstrate, but because he could type and do shorthand. The General apparently decided it would be a good idea to have a PA with those skills, and 2LT White’s military career began.

He held the appointment until the end of his secondment to 2 NZEF at Faenza, just before the final campaign of the New Zealand Division in February 1945. His service included the campaigns in the Middle East, Greece, Crete, the Western Desert and Italy.

As a captain he was Mentioned in Dispatches for his “gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period November 1941 to April 1942.”

He was also made, in 1943, a Member of the British Empire, for “continued devotion to duty over a period of three years during which he has been PA to GOC, 2NZEF.. In this capacity….. very often under trying conditions and under fire.” The citation mentioned Captain White’s long hours of arduous work by day and night, and at most times under active service conditions.

Although he did not deploy as a lawyer with 2NZEF, he was legally qualified, and was often called on to defend soldiers at courts-martial.

In a letter sent home from the Middle East he spoke about what he had been doing in this field.

“I mentioned professional work – that referred to Courts Martial in which I have been engaged – I had a very busy criminal session and trust it will recur in civilian life. On Monday night, just as I was sitting down to reply to your letters or rather Dora’s, an officer came in to ask me to act a Judge Advocate in a forgery case. I agreed and had to transfer my thoughts to procedure of Courts Martial etc. By next morning things had changed a bit and I found they wanted me to defend the four alleged forgers and for good measure added two more cases, one of absence without leave and one (against a sergeant major) or permitting gambling in a canteen. Dick (Wild) was prosecuting so I could not resist it.”

The Dora referred to in John’s letter was his fiancée, Dora Wild, and Dick was his future brother-in-law, later to become the Right Honourable Sir Richard Wild, GBE, KCMG, ED, Chief Justice of New Zealand.

Sir John’s commitment and loyalty to General Freyberg was widely recognised. He was in charge of the General’s private office and all his paperwork, including his dealings with the New Zealand government. He used a second handset to listen to all the General’s conversations with other commanders, and was present at conferences, recording everything that was said and decisions made. He also held the General’s Leica camera, and amassed an extensive array of wartime images, copies of which are now held in the Waiouru Museum.

When the war ended Sir John rejoined the Wellington law firm which had previously employed him. He was actively involved with the RSA, and later became Judge Advocate General of the New Zealand Army Legal Service in the rank of lieutenant-colonel (Territorial Force). He also served as Judge Advocate of the Fleet, Judge Advocate General of the New Zealand Army, and later, Judge Advocate General of the RNZAF, the first person to hold all three positions.

He had an extensive interest in modern military law, and chaired the Common Disciplinary Code Steering Committee, which was established to examine the draft Armed Forces Discipline Bill.

He was appointed Solicitor General and a Queen’s Counsel in 1966.

Sir John died in Wellington on October 27, 2007, aged 95. He is survived by his second wife, Elspeth (his first, Dora, died in 1982,) and by his son and three daughters from his first marriage.

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