Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ARTHUR MORNINGTON WHYTE

12 March 1921 – 15 December 2014

Arthur Whyte, who has died aged 93, was a Rat of Tobruk who, after surviving that 1941 siege, rose to post-war distinction in political office. On the way to this considerable achievement, he overcame the loss of an arm in a wartime training accident.

Born into an Eyre Peninsula pioneer family, he first worked as a stockman and horse breaker at Moonarie Station, five days’ ride from Yeltana (which, in turn, is 200km west of Port Augusta). He enlisted in July 1940, seeing service with the 2/48th Battalion AIF.

Back in Australia, following his battalion’s renowned resistance at Tobruk, he was despatched to a jungle warfare training course, where a ricocheting shot accounted for his left arm. Arthur returned to his pre-war calling on the land, though this time in the role of station overseer. As the Adelaide Advertiser has noted: “Stories abound of his shoeing horses one-handed … cracking a whip on horseback, or even rolling a cigarette while driving.”

He was married in 1945, to Mary Seal, who subsequently supervised their four children’s education  through correspondence school. After building up property holdings in his own right, Arthur became a  prominent identity in the Stockowners Association and, on joining the RSL, rose to become president of the Kimba sub-branch. The progression to politics was a natural step. He had become a member of the Kimba District Council in 1963 and, in 1967, was elected as a Liberal member of the Legislative Council.

Arthur Whyte remained in parliament for the next 18 years, serving as president of the Upper House from 1979 to 1985. These accomplishments were recognised with the award of the AM in 1987.  In retirement, he continued to be an active worker for Legacy – continuing this role into his 90s.

His memories of the wartime siege lingered. Playing down the trauma of losing his arm, this veteran of Tobruk would simply say: “I’d seen so many worse injuries in the desert.”