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Cenotaph record

Colin David Whyte

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Portrait, Colin David Whyte (H783157) taken when he was first posted to South Vietnam. - This image may be subject to copyright

Portrait, Colin David Whyte (H783157) taken when he was first posted to South Vietnam. - This image …

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Colin David AWMM
  • Surname
    Whyte AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    • Colin David Whyte AWMM
    • Doc Whyte AWMM
    • Panjang Whyte AWMM
    • Gentle Green Giant Whyte AWMM
    • Colin AWMM
  • Service number
    • Vietnam 783157 AWMM
    • Vietnam H783157 AWMM
    • Malaya 783157 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion
    Church of England, Christian AWMM

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    12 May 1932 AWMM Raetihi, Central Plateau AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    • Pre 29 June 1954 AWMM 4 Holdswoth Avenue, Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
    • Pre 17 October 1957 AWMM 8 Kahu Street, Burnham Camp, Palmerston North, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    • Mrs E.H. Whyte (mother) AWMM
    • Mrs Patricia Jean Whyte (wife) AWMM
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
    A' Basic RF Recruits Waiouru (twice) AWMM
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    • Post WW2 29 June 1954 AWMM
      Age 22 AWMM
      Storeman/Civilian AWMM
    • Post WW2 17 October 1957 AWMM
      Age 25 AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    • Height, Unknown Period AWMM
      6 feet 4 inches AWMM
    • Weight, Unknown Period AWMM
      16 Stone AWMM
    • Hospital Diseases , Wounds, Malaya AWMM
      Infected arm (from tattooing by Ibans from Sarawak Rangers) - evacuated to B.M.H., Kinrara, then to B.M.H. Talping, then to Rest Centre, Cameron Highlands. AWMM

Last known rank

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  • Last rank
    • Post WW2 29 June 1954 AWMM
      Family Commitments AWMM
      Private AWMM
      Unknown AWMM
    • Staff Sergeant - was a Ssgt in Vietnam-! Public - Roscoe - Researcher - 14 January 2020 - https://vietnamwar.govt.nz/veteran/ssgt-cd-whyte

Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Colin Whyte was a medic and served in both the Malayan Emergency and in Vietnam.

    Parents met while training to become Salvation Army Officers. Mr Whyte had two brothers & three sisters. Father played trombone, conducted & taught music.

    Served in Malayan Emergency and Vietnam

    "In Malaya I used to visit an Aboriginal village to do Medical Work twice daily. One morning I arrived to find village empty and I ran about a mile from Ali's Ladang on the Perak River to our camp to raise alarm and the whole 28th Commonwealth Brigade tracked with dogs and set up ambushes, but they were never able to find Ali's group (about 100) except for one dead baby and one old man who couldn't keep up. The Abos hung their dogs so that our dogs couldn't follow their scent. The tribe was never heard of again."

    On arriving in Vietnam and as he "was about to be married in two months time, his friend Dick Grigg stood in for him on the posting, going to SVN in his place. David was later killed there."

    War Disability Pensioner

    Cenotaph record initially prepared with the serviceman in 1999

    Vietnam War Oral History Project interviewee. Interview and transcript held at the Alexander Turnbull Library Oral History Centre in Wellington, New Zealand. Reference: OHInt-0959-44. Colin served in 2 NZ Regt 1959-1961 in Taiping and was the Medical NCO for 161 Bty 1968. AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    28 October 2017 AWMM
    Age 85 AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Hall, C. (2014). No front line : inside stories of New Zealand's Vietnam War. Auckland, New Zealand : Penguin Books. AWMM
      Auckland War Memorial Museum displays some photographs and souvenirs in the 'Scars on the Heart' exhibition. AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • Nominal Roll 2NZ Regiment 1959-1961. Kindly provided by Alan (Archie) Dawson February 2021. AWMM
    • FARELF Nominal Roll Part 1 1958-1961 - Archives New Zealand, Wellington, CAJN CH189/Box70 41/4/11 (R21234083) AWMM
    • Cenotaph record initially prepared with the service person. AWMM
    • Black, E. A. (n.d.). N.Z. armed forces honours & awards : Korea, Malaya, South Vietnam, 1950-1972. Wellington, N.Z.: Defence Headquarters. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
14 January 2020RoscoeAotearoaResearcher
02 March 2018EvaAucklandChild

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