John White

Sir John Charles White (1 November 1911 – 27 October 2007) was a New Zealand jurist. During World War II, he served as personal assistant and aide-de-camp to General Bernard Freyberg. After some years as solicitor-general, he was appointed a judge at the Supreme Court.

Early life

White was born at Eldin, a building in Andersons Bay near Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1911. His parents were Charles White and Nora . His maternal grandfather was Keith Ramsay, a businessman and former mayor of Dunedin. His paternal grandparents were John White , a solicitor in Dunedin, and Annie Julie , an artist. He received the first part of his secondary education at John McGlashan College in Dunedin. He continued his education at Wellesley College in Wellington Central (the school has since moved to Days Bay). He obtained a Master of Laws from Victoria University College. White was responsible for writing the general's diary, attended all his meetings, listened in on all his phone calls via a second set, was on the frontline whenever Freyberg went there, and took many photographs. All through this period, White was aware that his work would likely be the basis of future history analysis. White served for Freyberg until 1945, with the general expressing his admiration: In 1966, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel.

Family and death

White met his future wife, Dora Wild, at Victoria University College. Her father was the agricultural lecturer and scientist Leonard Wild. Both White and Wild went on military service—with her belonging to the Voluntary Aid Detachment—and they both served in Egypt. They had a military wedding in Maadi in October 1943 at St John's Church . Jack Griffiths, another aide-de-camp, was White's best man and his wife was given away by her brother, Richard Wild. They were to have three daughters and one son, Douglas White, who also became a jurist. His wife died in 1982. In 1987, White married the widow Elspeth Fletcher. His ashes were buried at Makara Cemetery next to the grave of his first wife.