Rev. ARTHUR ERNEST (’Padre’) WHITE
27/8/1883 - 24/9/1954
‘Padre’ White lived a life of service to his communities.
He was successively a Church of England priest in England (1909 - 1912), a member of its Bush Brotherhood in remote Western Australia (1912-1916), Army Chaplain to Western Front troops during World War 1 (1916 /17), Anglican Church Rector, then Archdeacon and Canon in Melbourne (1918 -1923), Broken Hill (1923 -1929), Albany (1929 -1938) and Forbes (1938 -1954), and finally a chaplain to St. Mary’s Girls School at Herberton (1954). He died of illness shortly after his arrival in Herberton.
Rev. White is widely recognised as one of the instigators for an Anzac Day Dawn Service from as early as 1923, particularly at Albany (W.A.). From there he had watched the first AIF troopship convoys leave Australian shores in late 1914, carrying forces for subsequent deployment at Gallipoli. He was determined for these remembrance services to always be commemorated.
He married Clara Elsie Welman (1880 - 1952) in 1918, and was father of John Francis (b.1919). Both had military service overseas.
A humble, unpretentious man, known affectionately as ’Padre’ White, he wished his grave to bear only the identification - “A Priest ”.
His simple unadorned grave lies in the Anglican Section of the Herberton Cemetery Row 27 Plot 20.
Early Life
27 Aug. 1883 Born London Father- Walter (of ‘independent means’), Mother - Emma
1903 - 1906 Attended C.of E. College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshire
1906 Awarded B.A. , University of Leeds
1909 Ordained as Priest (by Bishop of Wakefield)
1908 - 1912 A Deacon, then Curate at Elland, Diocese of Ripon, W. Yorkshire
(?) Reportedly worked at All Saints Orphanage, Lewisham (London).
A chronic and painful middle ear condition (otitis media) worsened, causing perforated eardrums and partial deafness, and a decision to move to a warmer, drier climate
1912 - 1916 Migrated to Australia aboard ‘SS Persic‘, arriving at Albany, W.A. in October as a Priest in the Bush Brotherhood of St. Boniface, Diocese of Bunbury
Served at the Brotherhood’s foundation church in the town of Williams (200km. north of Albany)
Military Service
Mar. 1916 Enlisted and commissioned as Chaplain 4th Class (Captain), attached to W.A.’s 44th Battalion, 11th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Australian Division, 1st AIF
31 May 1916 Embarked on transport ship HMAT A29 ‘Suevic’ at Adelaide
6 Jun. “ Departed Australia ex Fremantle, after reportedly conducting a 4 a.m. Battalion service
21 Jul. “ Arrived at Plymouth, England
27 Nov. “ After training in England, 44 Battalion arrived in France
29 Dec. “ Engaged at Western Front
5 Feb. 1917 Hospitalised with otitis media
11 Feb. “ Shipped from Boulogne for admission to 3rd London General Hospital
23 Mar. “ Discharged to Perham Down Army Convalescent Camp
14 Apr. “ Moved to London
11 Jun. “ Posted from hospital duty(?) in England to No.2 (B) Group
20 Jun. “ Posted to 5th Training Battalion from 11th Training Battalion
3 Sep. “ Posted to 1st Australian Division Base Depot, Havre (France)
24 Sep. “ Proceeded to France (ex Southampton)
10 Nov. “ Hospitalised with otitis media
11 “ “ Shipped to England
12 Nov. “ Readmitted to 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth
26 “ “ Army Medical Board granted leave to 18 Dec.
20 Dec. “ Departed England for Australia on A54 ‘Runic’
6 -12 Feb. 1918 At Fremantle Military Hospital
26 Feb. “ Appointment terminated
[Total military service - 2 yrs.; Overseas - 20 mths.; Shipping - 3 mths.; Hospitalised (x2)
- 3 mths.; At Front (x2) - 4 mths.; Training & other duties in England
- 10 mths.]
Subsequent Events
24 Feb. 1918 While visiting Albany after discharge, ‘Padre’ White was invited to conduct the 11 a.m. Sunday service at St. John the Evangelist C. of E.
[ A special eucharist (mass) - a ‘Requiem for the Battle Dead’ - may have been included, followed by a group walk up Albany’s Mt. Clarence to view the site of the Nov. & Dec. 1914 departures of the 1st AIF troopship convoys to Egypt from the harbour below ]
1918 Chaplain at Caulfield Military Hospital, Melbourne
19 Jun. 1918 Married Clara Elsie Welman ( ex Army nurse), at Woollahra, Sydney
1919 Curate of a ‘St. John’s Church‘(?), Melbourne
22 May 1919 Son, John Francis, born in Melbourne. Living at Balaclava
1920 Relieving at Brunswick
Early 1923 Appointed to Broken Hill, Diocese of Riverina (N.S.W.)
Prior to taking up that posting, Rev. White returned to Albany for a short while, relieving the Rev. H.T. Wightwick at St. John’s there.
[ It is reported that, early on Anzac Day that year, he again climbed up Mt. Clarence with some 20 others. It is possible that this informal commeroratiion included a recital from ’The Ode’* and, probably less likely, even the floating of a wreath from a boat on the Sound below ? ]
13 May 1923 Inducted (at Broken Hill) as Rector of St. Peter’s Church, and Archdeacon of Broken Hill
28 Oct. 1928 New church dedicated
11 Sep.1929 Rev. White’s last Mass at Broken Hill , prior to departure for Albany
Sep. 1929 Inducted as Rector of St. John the Evangelist Church, Albany (W.A.)
25 Apr. 1930 At 6 a.m. on Anzac Day, with a congregation of 30, a Holy Communion service was held in St. John’s, followed by a wreath laying at the nearby War Memorial
[ White himself records this as “First Dawn Service held in Australia” ]
25 Apr. 1931 A publicly advertised Anzac Dawn Service at St. John’s (at 4:30 a.m.), and a Commemoration on Mt. Clarence which included ’The Ode’ recital and the simultaneous release of a wreath into King George Sound from a boat in Princess Royal Harbour
May 1938 Transferred to Forbes (N.S.W.), as Rector of St. John’s Parish Church, Diocese of Bathurst. Still affectionately known as ’Padre’ White
1951 Became a Canon of All Saints Cathedral, Bathurst, still serving at Forbes
14 Oct. 1952 Wife Elsie died at Sydney
May 1954 Retired from service at Forbes, aged 70. (Before leaving Forbes, he gave away many of his possessions - including a portable altar and vestments he had used in tent chapels which he set up in Flanders in WW1. These are now treasured at St. John’s, Albany)
Moved to Herberton (FN Qld.) to assist the Anglican Sisters of the Sacred Advent who ran St. Mary’s Girls School there. ( Their grand main school building had been destroyed by fire in March 1952 )
24 Sep. 1954 Died in Herberton District Hospital, 3 days after a duodenal ulcer ruptured, causing toxaemia (blood poisoning) and cardiac failure
25 Sep. 1954 Buried at Herberton Cemetery - his grave, as he requested, bearing only a simple white cross with the inscription ‘A Priest ’
‘Padre’ White’s (Australian) Family
Wife : Clara Elsie WHITE ( nee Welman )
1880 Born at Wagga Wagga (NSW)
[ Father - Harvey Hercules Welman ( pastoralist ),
Mother - Susannah Constance Martha Bourke]
World War 1 Service
20 Feb. 1915 Embarked (with other nurses) at Sydney for England on ‘Ballarat’
24 Apr. “ Applied to join Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve
( ? ) Embarked for Malta on ‘Mongolia’
Served as Staff Nurse at Malta, and on a hospital ship (?)
Jun. 1917 Still serving, based at Abbeville in France
20 “ “ Matron-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Forces, France & Flanders, requests that Nurse Welman be returned to England
Early 1918 Returned to Australia
Other known events
19 Jun. 1918 Married Rev. Arthur Ernest White at Woollahra, Sydney
22 May 1919 Gave birth to their son, John Francis, at Melbourne
1949 Living at Forbes Rectory
14 Oct. 1952 Died at Sydney, aged 72
Son : John Francis WHITE
22 May 1919 Born at Melbourne
24 Aug.1942 Enlisted in Australian Army (resident of Forbes) [ Service No. 2180
( NX 138 565 )]
May have been involved with the British Army (parachute group) (?)
26 Jan. 1952 Listed (during Korean War) as serving with 3 Batt., RAR until 20 Jun. 1952
To 26 Jan.’53 With HQ 28th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade
Also mentioned with Australian Staff Corps - rank of Major. Awarded OBE
Sep. 1954 At 309 Army Quarters, Adamstown, Newcastle, on death of his father
1983 A daughter is reported, working for NSW Community Health Service
‘Padre’ White Memorials
1958 All Soul’s War Memorial Church, Wirrinya (40 km. SW of Forbes), NSW.
3 stained glass windows, depicting Army, Navy, Air Force and Nurses personnel,dedicated as the ’Arthur Ernest White Memorial Windows’ on Anzac Day, 1959.
This church, built with voluntary labour, was commenced with Rev. White’s strong support during his time in the Forbes parish. It was completed in 1956, after his departure and subsequent death.
The windows, also called the ’Dawn Service Windows’, were the community’s tribute to his service.
1970’s War Memorial, York St., Albany, W.A. ( adjacent to St. John’s Anglican Church).
A stone structure and plaque placed by Albany Town Council and St. John’s parishioners.
1981 Victoria Park Cenotaph, Forbes (50 m. from St. John’s Anglican Church).
A memorial plaque placed by the Forbes Historical Society.
The R.S.L. Services Memorial Club, Forbes, reportedly also had a wall plaque mounted, but this has since been mislaid during renovations.
1985 Herberton Cemetery, Nth. Qld.
A plaque installed next to Padre White’s otherwise unidentified grave, explaining his role in establishing the Anzac Day Dawn Service.
Placed by local RSL Branch member, Mr. Pat O’Rourke.
1997 St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Albany, W.A..
Padre White’s portable altar, ornaments and vestments used in World War 1 presented for display in the church.
(?) Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum, Mt. Clarence, Albany, W.A.
The ’Padre White National Memorial’ established, including a collection of personal belongings donated by his family.
2011 Herberton Cemetery, Nth. Qld.
Commencement of building ‘The Padre White Memorial Chapel ’ - dedicated “To All Who Serve”. A project of Herberton’s Lions Club and RSL Sub-branch, strongly supported by the local community. Some $50,000 has been expended.
The chapel structure is set in a restful Reflection Park adjoining the town’s historic hilltop cemetery and surrounded by rolling bush clad hills. Its design is based on a World War 1 field tent, reminiscent of a typical tent chapel which Padre White reportedly established for the use of the troops he served. On a 60 sq. m. hexagonal base, its striking pyramidal steel roof is pitched steeply
to a height of 7 metres. At its apex is a simple silver cross, angled so as to be lit up “at the going down of the sun” on each Remembrance Day (11/11). Beneath the ’tent’, the chapel will be only partially enclosed by walls bearing memorial plaques and information commemorating those who have served the district (e.g., in military services, police, fire, rescue, health, etc.).
Padre White’s ministry, and his connection to this peaceful resting place at Herberton, will be a prominent feature.
Remembrance Day 2011 (11/11/11) was celebrated beneath the newly erected chapel roof.
The Ode
The ‘Ode of Remembrance’, partially recited by ‘Padre’ White at his Anzac Day observances on Albany’s Mt. Clarence is, in full, the 4th verse of the poem ‘For the Fallen’, composed by English poet Laurance Binyon in 1914.
It includes the lines “ At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them”. These words, or closely similar versions, have been attributed to ’Padre’ White. This origin is clearly incorrect.
The Ode was adopted and continues in use for all Anzac Day observances to the present day.
Research by Peter Harris (Herberton Lions Club)
27/8/1883 - 24/9/1954
‘Padre’ White lived a life of service to his communities.
He was successively a Church of England priest in England (1909 - 1912), a member of its Bush Brotherhood in remote Western Australia (1912-1916), Army Chaplain to Western Front troops during World War 1 (1916 /17), Anglican Church Rector, then Archdeacon and Canon in Melbourne (1918 -1923), Broken Hill (1923 -1929), Albany (1929 -1938) and Forbes (1938 -1954), and finally a chaplain to St. Mary’s Girls School at Herberton (1954). He died of illness shortly after his arrival in Herberton.
Rev. White is widely recognised as one of the instigators for an Anzac Day Dawn Service from as early as 1923, particularly at Albany (W.A.). From there he had watched the first AIF troopship convoys leave Australian shores in late 1914, carrying forces for subsequent deployment at Gallipoli. He was determined for these remembrance services to always be commemorated.
He married Clara Elsie Welman (1880 - 1952) in 1918, and was father of John Francis (b.1919). Both had military service overseas.
A humble, unpretentious man, known affectionately as ’Padre’ White, he wished his grave to bear only the identification - “A Priest ”.
His simple unadorned grave lies in the Anglican Section of the Herberton Cemetery Row 27 Plot 20.
Early Life
27 Aug. 1883 Born London Father- Walter (of ‘independent means’), Mother - Emma
1903 - 1906 Attended C.of E. College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, West Yorkshire
1906 Awarded B.A. , University of Leeds
1909 Ordained as Priest (by Bishop of Wakefield)
1908 - 1912 A Deacon, then Curate at Elland, Diocese of Ripon, W. Yorkshire
(?) Reportedly worked at All Saints Orphanage, Lewisham (London).
A chronic and painful middle ear condition (otitis media) worsened, causing perforated eardrums and partial deafness, and a decision to move to a warmer, drier climate
1912 - 1916 Migrated to Australia aboard ‘SS Persic‘, arriving at Albany, W.A. in October as a Priest in the Bush Brotherhood of St. Boniface, Diocese of Bunbury
Served at the Brotherhood’s foundation church in the town of Williams (200km. north of Albany)
Military Service
Mar. 1916 Enlisted and commissioned as Chaplain 4th Class (Captain), attached to W.A.’s 44th Battalion, 11th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Australian Division, 1st AIF
31 May 1916 Embarked on transport ship HMAT A29 ‘Suevic’ at Adelaide
6 Jun. “ Departed Australia ex Fremantle, after reportedly conducting a 4 a.m. Battalion service
21 Jul. “ Arrived at Plymouth, England
27 Nov. “ After training in England, 44 Battalion arrived in France
29 Dec. “ Engaged at Western Front
5 Feb. 1917 Hospitalised with otitis media
11 Feb. “ Shipped from Boulogne for admission to 3rd London General Hospital
23 Mar. “ Discharged to Perham Down Army Convalescent Camp
14 Apr. “ Moved to London
11 Jun. “ Posted from hospital duty(?) in England to No.2 (B) Group
20 Jun. “ Posted to 5th Training Battalion from 11th Training Battalion
3 Sep. “ Posted to 1st Australian Division Base Depot, Havre (France)
24 Sep. “ Proceeded to France (ex Southampton)
10 Nov. “ Hospitalised with otitis media
11 “ “ Shipped to England
12 Nov. “ Readmitted to 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth
26 “ “ Army Medical Board granted leave to 18 Dec.
20 Dec. “ Departed England for Australia on A54 ‘Runic’
6 -12 Feb. 1918 At Fremantle Military Hospital
26 Feb. “ Appointment terminated
[Total military service - 2 yrs.; Overseas - 20 mths.; Shipping - 3 mths.; Hospitalised (x2)
- 3 mths.; At Front (x2) - 4 mths.; Training & other duties in England
- 10 mths.]
Subsequent Events
24 Feb. 1918 While visiting Albany after discharge, ‘Padre’ White was invited to conduct the 11 a.m. Sunday service at St. John the Evangelist C. of E.
[ A special eucharist (mass) - a ‘Requiem for the Battle Dead’ - may have been included, followed by a group walk up Albany’s Mt. Clarence to view the site of the Nov. & Dec. 1914 departures of the 1st AIF troopship convoys to Egypt from the harbour below ]
1918 Chaplain at Caulfield Military Hospital, Melbourne
19 Jun. 1918 Married Clara Elsie Welman ( ex Army nurse), at Woollahra, Sydney
1919 Curate of a ‘St. John’s Church‘(?), Melbourne
22 May 1919 Son, John Francis, born in Melbourne. Living at Balaclava
1920 Relieving at Brunswick
Early 1923 Appointed to Broken Hill, Diocese of Riverina (N.S.W.)
Prior to taking up that posting, Rev. White returned to Albany for a short while, relieving the Rev. H.T. Wightwick at St. John’s there.
[ It is reported that, early on Anzac Day that year, he again climbed up Mt. Clarence with some 20 others. It is possible that this informal commeroratiion included a recital from ’The Ode’* and, probably less likely, even the floating of a wreath from a boat on the Sound below ? ]
13 May 1923 Inducted (at Broken Hill) as Rector of St. Peter’s Church, and Archdeacon of Broken Hill
28 Oct. 1928 New church dedicated
11 Sep.1929 Rev. White’s last Mass at Broken Hill , prior to departure for Albany
Sep. 1929 Inducted as Rector of St. John the Evangelist Church, Albany (W.A.)
25 Apr. 1930 At 6 a.m. on Anzac Day, with a congregation of 30, a Holy Communion service was held in St. John’s, followed by a wreath laying at the nearby War Memorial
[ White himself records this as “First Dawn Service held in Australia” ]
25 Apr. 1931 A publicly advertised Anzac Dawn Service at St. John’s (at 4:30 a.m.), and a Commemoration on Mt. Clarence which included ’The Ode’ recital and the simultaneous release of a wreath into King George Sound from a boat in Princess Royal Harbour
May 1938 Transferred to Forbes (N.S.W.), as Rector of St. John’s Parish Church, Diocese of Bathurst. Still affectionately known as ’Padre’ White
1951 Became a Canon of All Saints Cathedral, Bathurst, still serving at Forbes
14 Oct. 1952 Wife Elsie died at Sydney
May 1954 Retired from service at Forbes, aged 70. (Before leaving Forbes, he gave away many of his possessions - including a portable altar and vestments he had used in tent chapels which he set up in Flanders in WW1. These are now treasured at St. John’s, Albany)
Moved to Herberton (FN Qld.) to assist the Anglican Sisters of the Sacred Advent who ran St. Mary’s Girls School there. ( Their grand main school building had been destroyed by fire in March 1952 )
24 Sep. 1954 Died in Herberton District Hospital, 3 days after a duodenal ulcer ruptured, causing toxaemia (blood poisoning) and cardiac failure
25 Sep. 1954 Buried at Herberton Cemetery - his grave, as he requested, bearing only a simple white cross with the inscription ‘A Priest ’
‘Padre’ White’s (Australian) Family
Wife : Clara Elsie WHITE ( nee Welman )
1880 Born at Wagga Wagga (NSW)
[ Father - Harvey Hercules Welman ( pastoralist ),
Mother - Susannah Constance Martha Bourke]
World War 1 Service
20 Feb. 1915 Embarked (with other nurses) at Sydney for England on ‘Ballarat’
24 Apr. “ Applied to join Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve
( ? ) Embarked for Malta on ‘Mongolia’
Served as Staff Nurse at Malta, and on a hospital ship (?)
Jun. 1917 Still serving, based at Abbeville in France
20 “ “ Matron-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Forces, France & Flanders, requests that Nurse Welman be returned to England
Early 1918 Returned to Australia
Other known events
19 Jun. 1918 Married Rev. Arthur Ernest White at Woollahra, Sydney
22 May 1919 Gave birth to their son, John Francis, at Melbourne
1949 Living at Forbes Rectory
14 Oct. 1952 Died at Sydney, aged 72
Son : John Francis WHITE
22 May 1919 Born at Melbourne
24 Aug.1942 Enlisted in Australian Army (resident of Forbes) [ Service No. 2180
( NX 138 565 )]
May have been involved with the British Army (parachute group) (?)
26 Jan. 1952 Listed (during Korean War) as serving with 3 Batt., RAR until 20 Jun. 1952
To 26 Jan.’53 With HQ 28th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade
Also mentioned with Australian Staff Corps - rank of Major. Awarded OBE
Sep. 1954 At 309 Army Quarters, Adamstown, Newcastle, on death of his father
1983 A daughter is reported, working for NSW Community Health Service
‘Padre’ White Memorials
1958 All Soul’s War Memorial Church, Wirrinya (40 km. SW of Forbes), NSW.
3 stained glass windows, depicting Army, Navy, Air Force and Nurses personnel,dedicated as the ’Arthur Ernest White Memorial Windows’ on Anzac Day, 1959.
This church, built with voluntary labour, was commenced with Rev. White’s strong support during his time in the Forbes parish. It was completed in 1956, after his departure and subsequent death.
The windows, also called the ’Dawn Service Windows’, were the community’s tribute to his service.
1970’s War Memorial, York St., Albany, W.A. ( adjacent to St. John’s Anglican Church).
A stone structure and plaque placed by Albany Town Council and St. John’s parishioners.
1981 Victoria Park Cenotaph, Forbes (50 m. from St. John’s Anglican Church).
A memorial plaque placed by the Forbes Historical Society.
The R.S.L. Services Memorial Club, Forbes, reportedly also had a wall plaque mounted, but this has since been mislaid during renovations.
1985 Herberton Cemetery, Nth. Qld.
A plaque installed next to Padre White’s otherwise unidentified grave, explaining his role in establishing the Anzac Day Dawn Service.
Placed by local RSL Branch member, Mr. Pat O’Rourke.
1997 St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Albany, W.A..
Padre White’s portable altar, ornaments and vestments used in World War 1 presented for display in the church.
(?) Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum, Mt. Clarence, Albany, W.A.
The ’Padre White National Memorial’ established, including a collection of personal belongings donated by his family.
2011 Herberton Cemetery, Nth. Qld.
Commencement of building ‘The Padre White Memorial Chapel ’ - dedicated “To All Who Serve”. A project of Herberton’s Lions Club and RSL Sub-branch, strongly supported by the local community. Some $50,000 has been expended.
The chapel structure is set in a restful Reflection Park adjoining the town’s historic hilltop cemetery and surrounded by rolling bush clad hills. Its design is based on a World War 1 field tent, reminiscent of a typical tent chapel which Padre White reportedly established for the use of the troops he served. On a 60 sq. m. hexagonal base, its striking pyramidal steel roof is pitched steeply
to a height of 7 metres. At its apex is a simple silver cross, angled so as to be lit up “at the going down of the sun” on each Remembrance Day (11/11). Beneath the ’tent’, the chapel will be only partially enclosed by walls bearing memorial plaques and information commemorating those who have served the district (e.g., in military services, police, fire, rescue, health, etc.).
Padre White’s ministry, and his connection to this peaceful resting place at Herberton, will be a prominent feature.
Remembrance Day 2011 (11/11/11) was celebrated beneath the newly erected chapel roof.
The Ode
The ‘Ode of Remembrance’, partially recited by ‘Padre’ White at his Anzac Day observances on Albany’s Mt. Clarence is, in full, the 4th verse of the poem ‘For the Fallen’, composed by English poet Laurance Binyon in 1914.
It includes the lines “ At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them”. These words, or closely similar versions, have been attributed to ’Padre’ White. This origin is clearly incorrect.
The Ode was adopted and continues in use for all Anzac Day observances to the present day.
Research by Peter Harris (Herberton Lions Club)