Fred Waite (politician)

Fred Waite (21 August 1885 – 29 August 1952) was a New Zealand politician and soldier who served in both the First and Second World Wars.

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Waite was a farmer at the time of the First World War. He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and served in the Gallipoli Campaign, during which he received the Distinguished Service Order. He was evacuated due to sickness and was repatriated to New Zealand. He later wrote a history of New Zealand's military efforts at Gallipoli and finished out the war as an instructor. He returned to his farm and became involved in politics. He joined the Reform Party and in 1925 was elected Member of Parliament for the Clutha electorate, serving two terms. In 1934, he was appointed to the Legislative Council. During the Second World War, he was overseas commissioner for the National Patriotic Fund Board and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services in this role. Two years later he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. He died in 1952 at the age of 67.

Early life
Waite was born in Dunedin on 21 August 1885, one of eight children of a storekeeper and his wife. After leaving Mornington School, he worked for the regional newspaper, the Otago Daily Times. He married Ada Taylor in 1912 and the following year took up farming near Balclutha. He was interested in the military and was a member of an engineers unit in the Volunteer Force, which was later re-organised into the Territorial Force (TF).

First World War
Following the outbreak of the First World War, Waite volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) being raised for service overseas. He also undertook to send dispatches from the front for a local newspaper but this work proved shortlived when he became a censor as part of his military duties. He was posted as a lieutenant in the New Zealand Engineers and sailed with the main body of the NZEF to the Middle East in October 1914.

Waite, promoted to captain, participated in the Gallipoli Campaign and in early May 1915, he restored order amongst personnel of the Otago Infantry Battalion following a failed attack on Turkish positions. For his actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He served as the adjutant of the New Zealand Engineers and was twice mentioned in dispatches. Evacuated to England with dysentery, he was repatriated to New Zealand in 1916. His service with the NZEF ceased and he returned to the TF in his pre-war rank of major. He took up an appointment as Chief Engineer Instructor of the NZEF training camps.

Shortly before the end of the war, Waite wrote a brief account of New Zealand's contributions to the Gallipoli Campaign. Authorities invited him to prepare a more substantive work and this resulted in the semi-official history The New Zealanders at Gallipoli, published in 1919. He also worked on the production of three other volumes concerning New Zealand's war efforts.

Interwar period
After the war, Waite returned to his Balclutha property which he converted to dairy farming. He became involved in the dairying industry and set up the Co-Operative Dairy Company of Otago. He later joined the New Zealand Farmer's Union and was president of its Otago Branch. Still a member of the TF, he commanded the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment. He remained in the TF for several more years and eventually received the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration. In 1935 he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Political career
Waite became involved in politics and joined the Reform Party. He was elected to the Clutha electorate in the 1925 general election, but was defeated in 1931. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in June 1934 and reappointed twice, and served until the abolition of the Upper House in 1950.

Second World War
When the Second World War began, Waite had reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorials. He was appointed overseas commissioner for the National Patriotic Fund Board. Working from Egypt, he worked to provide the soldiers of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force with special supplies and treats. His services in this capacity was recognised in 1944 with an appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He finished the war as a colonel, working in Europe on the repatriation of New Zealand personnel recently released from prisoner of war camps in Germany. In 1946, he traveled to Japan to inspect the infrastructure set for for New Zealand's contribution to J-Force following which he retired from the military. The same year he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Later life
In his retirement, Waite wrote papers on archeology and history including one on Egyptian pottery. While in Cairo during the Second World War, he collected several historical antiquities on behalf of the Otago Museum. In 1951 Waite was granted the right to retain the title of "Honourable", having served more than 10 years as a member of the Legislative Council. In his later years, his health was poor and he died in Balclutha in 1952 at the age of 67. He was survived by his wife and a daughter.