Thomas White (Australian politician)

Thomas White (Australian politician).
Thomas White (1888–1957) was an Australian politician and First World War pilot. In 1915, he was among the first Australian Flying Corps members to see action when he was deployed to the Middle East with the Mesopotamian Half Flight. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and twice mentioned in despatches for his war service. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1929. He served as Minister for Trade and Customs in Joseph Lyons's United Australia Party government from 1933 to 1938, but resigned when he was excluded from Lyons's inner cabinet. After service in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War, he returned to parliament in 1945 as a member of the newly formed Liberal Party. From 1949 to 1951, he was Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation in Robert Menzies's government. He was Australia's high commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1951 to 1956, and was knighted in 1952.