Anzac connection inspires Tate
Warrant Officer Toni Tate has good reason to cherish the sacrifice of those who fought and were killed during wars, each Anzac Day.
Serving in Wellington as Warrant Officer for Joint Forces New Zealand, W/O Tate has been part of the New Zealand Defence Force for more than 31 years. She joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1986, though her family history in the armed forces stretched back much longer.
“I initially wanted to join the Navy when I left school but after I discovered a family connection to the Air Force, I was really determined to take that route,” she said.
That connection was her great-grandfather, Air Commodore Trevor “Tiny” Watts White, who joined the North Canterbury Mounted Rifles Volunteers as a 13-year-old trumpeter in 1909. He moved on to become a sapper, as part of the Mounted Rifles, then served as a corporal with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force’s 1st Reinforcements in Gallipoli, spending 80 days in the trenches on the Turkish peninsula. He also served in Samoa, Egypt and Palestine during his Army service.
Each Anzac Day, W/O Tate reflects on what her great-grandfather and his fellow troops went through those many years ago.
“I always feel quite humble re-reading his story at this time of the year, it’s quite remarkable. I think about all the people who didn’t come home from the war. My great-grandfather came home but there were so many that didn’t and they were all so young.”
At just over 5-foot (1.56m), W/O Tate’s great-grandfather lived up to his nickname: “He was really tiny, which was why he was nicknamed Tiny,” she laughed. Despite his small height, he had a good set of lungs, winning the New Zealand trumpeting championships in 1911.
From the trenches of Gallipoli he saw his first plane, a German Taube, which dropped steel darts on the enemy. At the time he had no idea that he would become a pilot himself. With his small stature, he could easily squeeze into the cockpit making him the perfect pilot for the Air Force.
After serving in Gallipoli, he was selected to be seconded to the Royal Flying Corps for pilot training. After graduation he was posted to active service in France for 56 (Scout) Squadron, where his war-time adventures continued — he was shot down over the Arras Front and was a briefly a prisoner of war in Germany.
”There’s a picture of one of the planes he flew during WWI and it looks like it’s just going to fall apart — they were referred to as ‘kites’. It was a Maurice Farman used for reconnaissance missions. To survive all that and come back to New Zealand and continue with aviation is incredible.”
Looking at the photographs of her great-grandfather, W/O Tate is in awe of what he achieved. “From the reports I’ve read he was passionate and dedicated to aviation, his flying career spanned many years and he showed a lot of tenacity. After WWI he carried on flying as a commercial pilot.”
White was recalled to active service in World War II and appointed as Commanding Officer of Levin then RNZAF Rongotai to set up pilot training for the war. He was then sent to Canada to be the NZ Air Force Liaison Officer for the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme.
One month before his death, he received an honorary Air Commodore rank, due to his continued association with the Air Force for many years after retiring as a Group Captain in 1951.
In 1979 White died when W/O Tate was 10 years old. Her own career has given her the chance to follow in her great-grandfather’s footsteps through a military career and learn more about the legacy he left.
It’s also special that her 18-year-old son has recently applied to join the Air Force and is currently going through the recruiting process.
This Anzac Day, as well as remembering her proud armed forces ancestry, including grand-parents who met and married while serving in the Army in Eqypt, during WWII, W/O Tate will cast her mind forward.
“I think about the future as well — more and more people are turning up to Anzac Day commemorations, which is great to see. I think about hope and inspiration. But Anzac Day is not just about our connection to the trenches of Gallipoli, it’s also about acknowledging all our service men and women who have served New Zealand, our contemporary veterans and the families of our fallen.”
