The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli

Harry Freame was the first Australian soldier to win the Distinguished Conduct Medal at Gallipoli. He risked his life again and again to scout the battlefield, reporting invaluable intelligence and relieving stranded soldiers. 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 Wykeham Henry Koba Freame) became a soldier settler and champion apple grower. But in the lead-up to World War II, he was recruited into Australian intelligence. Extraordinarily, this fact was leaked by the Australian press, and the Japanese secret police tried to assassinate Harry not long after his arrival in Tokyo in 1941. He died back in Australia a few weeks later.

Harry was the first Australian to die on secret service for Australia, but his sacrifice has never been officially acknowledged.

The Bravest Scout at Gallipoli is a fascinating and immersive investigation into a grievous historical wrong.

About the Author

Ryan Butta's first book, The Ballad of Abdul Wade, was longlisted for the Indie Book Awards nonfiction book of the year for 2023. His feature writing has appeared in the Good Weekend magazine and he is a regular contributor to Galah Press. Ryan's works of historical nonfiction look to reveal and understand the hidden and forgotten stories of Australia and the Australians who came across the seas to make their home here. Ryan now lives on Dharawal country on the New South Wales South Coast.