The Bravest Scout in Gallipoli
A history story
Ryan Butta
Sydney, NSW: Affirm Press, 2024
Paperback 288 pp RRP: $34.99
Reviewer: David Rees, September 2024
This book is a story about the life of an Australian-Japanese man, Harry Freame, who in World War 1 joined the Australian Imperial Force and was one of the first Australian soldiers to win a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) at Gallipoli. The author tells the story in three parts: the first covers Harry Freame’s early life before arriving in Australia and his exploits in Gallipoli as an Australian Army scout; the second covers the time he spent as a soldier-settler and apple grower in Montevallo and Kentucky; while the final part covers his role as an intelligence agent during the early years of the Second World War in both Australia and as an attaché in the Australian Delegation in Japan.
The research carried out by the author is quite extensive and the book has good endnotes and coloured photographs but lacks an index. However, like his previous book about Afghanistan migrant camel drivers in Australia of the 1880s, the book maintains one’s interest, not only because of the story but also because of the descriptions about the views and different attitudes towards migrants in the early Federation years in Australia. Butta also gives a good background account of the poor relationship between Japan and Australia during the 1930s and the difficulties experienced by a half-Japanese retired Australian soldier in coping with the anti-Asian White Australia immigration policy at that time. An attitude which the author sees as a grievous wrong.
In summary, Harry’s father was an Australian who worked in Japan as an English teacher and married one of his Japanese students. He fathered three children of which Harry was the youngest, being born in 1880. Harry was only nine months old when his father died. So, he was brought up and educated under the Bushido code in Japan by his Samurai mother and step-father. On leaving school, Harry travelled to England and then sailed around the world as an assistant cook and odd job seaman aboard a number of ships. However, he decided in 1913, to settle down in Glen Innes in NSW.
A year later, when the First World W broke out, he quickly volunteered to become an Australian soldier. By stating incorrectly, that he was a Canadian by birth, (hence British), he was accepted into the AIF. After basic army training at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Harry was attached to D Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the AIF and sailed to Egypt on 18th October 1914. The 1st Battalion landed at ANZAC Cove on 25th April 1915 with Harry as a Lance Corporal. Within three days, because of his leadership qualities, he was promoted to sergeant. Harry Freame was highly regarded by the senior officers of the AIF and Charles Bean as being one of the bravest and most capable scouts in Gallipoli. He was awarded a DCM because of his tremendous skill in the reconnaissance of enemy positions, keeping out of sight of the enemy and helping his mates to survive. He was wounded at least ten times but still carried on until the battle at Lone Pine in August 1915 when he was severely wounded in his right arm by a Turkish shell. He fortunately survived and was evacuated to England and later to Australia, where he became a retired soldier-settler but suffered great hardship from the vicissitudes of life on the land.
Harry Freame died in Australia in May 1941, from cancer and some injuries received from the Kempeitai (the Japanese secret police) when he was an attaché in Tokyo. The police suspected him of being a spy. For many years, his grave lacked a military headstone. So Ryan Butta wrote to the Australian PM in 2019, and with his help was instrumental in having the Department of Veterans’ Affairs agree to a military headstone with the Australian Defence Force badge on it being placed at last on Harry Freame’s grave.
This book is very commendable.
The RUSI – Vic Library is most grateful to the publishers for making this work available for review.