Event Recording: Book Launch of The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli by Ryan Butta
Ryan Butta joined us at the SMSA to launch his latest book The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli.
We invite you to listen to this event recording using the play button above.
About The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli:
Harry Freame was the first Australian to win the Distinguished Conduct Medal at Gallipoli. Raised as a samurai, he risked his life again and again to scout the beaches and hills of the battlefield, reporting invaluable intelligence back to his officers and relieving stranded soldiers who otherwise would surely have died. Some say he should have got the VC but didn’t because he was half-Japanese, a fact he tried hard to conceal.
After the war, Harry (real name Henry Wykeham Koba Freame) became a soldier settler and champion apple grower. But when Japan emerged as a perceived threat to Australia, Harry was recruited into Australian intelligence to spy on the Japanese community in Sydney. Before Japan’s entry into World War II, Australia opened a diplomatic legation in Tokyo, and Harry was sent as a translator – but his real role was a spy. Extraordinarily, his cover was leaked by the Australian press, and the Japanese secret police tried to assassinate him not long after his arrival in Tokyo in 1941. Harry died back in Australia a few weeks later, but his sacrifice has never been acknowledged by Australia.
Until now. Featuring never-before-seen material, The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli is a fascinating and immersive investigation into a grievous historical wrong.
SMSA members can borrow The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli from our library on level 2. This book is also for sale at your local bookstore, here is a link to our friends at Abbey’s Bookshop.
About Ryan Butta
Ryan Butta grew up in regional New South Wales.
Before he started writing he worked in international trade and has lived and worked extensively overseas. He is a writer, author and editor. When he is not writing Ryan enjoys fly fishing, cooking over flame and telling people that he once played cricket for Argentina. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese but mostly enjoys long silences.
Ryan currently lives in the NSW Kiama with his wife, Carolina, and a Cavoodle called Canela.
Discover the legacy of a Gallipoli Hero at the SMSA
The SMSA is honoured to exhibit a significant collection of historical items belonging to Harry Freame. The exhibition is located at the SMSA in the Tom Keneally Centre from the 6th-9th August 2024. Find out more.
Author Photo credit: ©Ryan Butta