In Biggles in Australia Toto Wada was an Australian-Japanese pearler who operated out of Broome in Northwest Australia. Described as stockily built, about five foot four and with a gold-filled tooth in his upper jaw, Wada was a pearl diver who made enough money to buy his own lugger. His lugger was caught in a "willie-willie" and wrecked. Wada and some of his crew were castaway on an island northeast of the Rowley Shoals. There he had the misfortune of encountering von Stalhein and the other eastern European agents from the See Taube who murdered him and some of his crew. Von Stalhein's men took a life-boat from Wada's lugger which had survived the storm and set off for Australia, landing at Eighty Mile Beach.
Biggles and Ginger discovered Wada's body on the remote island and reported it to Sergeant Bill Gilson at Broome. They also handed over a tobacco tin which they had recovered from Wada with some pearls. Gilson took charge of the tin in order to hand it to Wada's wife, who lived in Broome in Sheba Lane.
Later, Biggles took Gilson to the remote island so that the body could be officially identified. However when they got there, they found von Stalhein and his men had also arrived on board the lugger Matilda and all the evidence, including the bodies, had been disposed of. ]