He served in the reserve forces before the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the 3rd Division, Signals, RCCS on February 5th 1939. He transferred to active duty by enlisting in the second world war on September 14th 1939, four days after Canada entered the war. He was 18 years old when he enlisted. 

This is evidence of a great sense of duty to serve his country.  

Whyte boarded the Ship E4 on December 7th 1939 from Halifax and landed in the UK. He was in active duty from the time he landed in the UK on December 18th 1939. He was attached to the 2nd Field regiment R.C.A for all purposes, from December 1939 to May 20th 1940. He was posted to the X list May 25th 1940, and granted leave on August 20th 1940 and again on November 4th 1940. 

He was admitted to the No. 1 Neurological Hospital and placed on the D.1 List on April 13 1941. While attached to the No 1 Neurological Hospital because he died as a result of a motor accident whilst preforming duties of Despatch rider. 

The field medical card reports that he suffered an accidental injury which he sustained head injuries including lacerations on the left side of his forehead, and a potential concussion. He was found to be semi-conscious when medical crews came to tend to him. They also listed that he may have sustained a possible fracture of skill.  Unfortunately, Whyte succombed to his injusires on April 15th 1941 at 9:20 in the morning. The official cause was a fractured skull and a middle meningeal haemorrhage. 

His remains are burried in Brookwood Cemetary in Surrey England, his grave location is Plot No. 30, Row D, Grave 1. 

Upon his death, a memorial award was sent to his parents at 106 Renfrew avenue, it was the Defenze Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and the C.V.S.M & Clasp. They recieved it on November 23rd 1949. They were now living as a family at 461 Churchill Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario.

Robert Lyons Whyte meurt le 15 avril 1941 dans le 1st Neurological Hospital un jour après un accident de motocyclette, à cause d'un crâne fracturé, d'une hémorragie cérébrale et une infraction cérébrale. L'accident est produit à Southampton, Angleterre. Il est enterré au cimetière Brookwood en Surrey, Angleterre : plot 30, rangée 10, tome 10.

'If we do preserve it, we honour them, and when we in our turn pass on, we will know that behind us lives a generation of free men and of free women to be the keepers of this great heritage of ours - Canada.'

- Ian A. McPhee, former student at GCI, 1937.