An Interview with Whitty Whitmore - WW2 & Hiroshima

Social IssuesCulture Nov 01, 2022 • Tim Baker

Whitty Whitmore was born in Tauranga in 1924. He lost his father at 11 and at 15 signed up to fight in WW2, where he was sent to Italy where he fought in The Battle of Monte Cassino and was shot by a machine gun bullet in the stomach.

When the war in Europe ended he was sent to Hiroshima Japan. Exposure to radiation has meant he has needed over 100 operations to remove cancerous growths all over his body.

He has battled and overcome mental health struggles. A true survivor, we are honoured to be able to share his story with you now.

Whitty Whitmore Interview WW2 Hiroshima from Tim Baker on Vimeo.

Support us monthly and get your name in the credits of our projects too!

Support

Life can be hard sometimes, but we want you to know it's easy to find help. If you've been affected by any of the content of this article, or need to talk to someone please visit our Need Help? page or help us support others - Make A Donation

Newsletter

For the latest news, keep up-to-date with the Kiwis For Good Foundation newsletter.

How it feels to be a loving but emotionally incompetent man Social IssuesCulture How it feels to be a loving but emotionally incompetent man I’m one of the lucky ones. As a therapist, I see the usual outcome of childhood trauma: broken relationships and lifelong emotional difficulties. The stories shared in a recent documentary about the emotional impact of English boarding schools, ‘Boarding on Insanity’, reminded me of my own experiences and prompted me to share my learning. Read Wayne Hanson: A Journey of Resilience and Hope Social Issues Wayne Hanson: A Journey of Resilience and Hope I was born on 23 October 1971 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, to my parents, Eric and Ann Hanson. My childhood was filled with adventure and mischief, and as the eldest of three children, I naturally took on the role of protector and guide to my younger brother and sister. Read Breaking Point: The Mental Health Crisis of Kiwi Firefighters Social Issues Breaking Point: The Mental Health Crisis of Kiwi Firefighters Why are the firefighters striking? In 2013 a memorandum of understanding was signed between FENZ and St John meaning firefighters were ordered to act as co-responders to ambulance call-outs. This has meant that since 2013 our firemen and women now attend all stabbings, shootings, drownings, suicides, cot deaths, choking and more. This has resulted in a 1000% increase in call-outs for firefighters. Read The Three Men I Lost & Found Myself Social IssuesCulture The Three Men I Lost & Found Myself These stories aren’t just about heartbreak and loss — they’re about survival, and about learning to hold your own hand when no one else will. They're about finding your strength through devastation and not letting the world turn you bitter. Read Surge in SSRI Prescriptions Raises Concerns for Youth Mental Health Social Issues Surge in SSRI Prescriptions Raises Concerns for Youth Mental Health Disturbing trends have emerged from recent data provided by the Ministry of Health in New Zealand revealing a fourfold increase in SSRI prescriptions for children aged 19 and under from 2010 to 2021. Read 80 New Zealanders a Year: The Lives We Could Save with Voluntary Recovery Houses Social Issues 80 New Zealanders a Year: The Lives We Could Save with Voluntary Recovery Houses Every year in Aotearoa, more people die by suicide in the first month after leaving a mental health inpatient unit than during the entire time they were on the ward. The numbers are brutal and stubbornly unchanged for 15 years. Read
Help Us Help Others!

Your donations are incredibly important for us, and enable us to use our initiatives to help our fellow Kiwis.

Donate today
Categories
About
Join Our Newsletter

For the latest news and projects, keep up-to-date with our newsletter. We promise not to spam you; we get enough of that ourselves!