Harry Freame
Harry Freame | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Freame c. 1920 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1880 Osaka, Japan |
| Died | 27 May 1941 (aged 60–61) North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Edith May Soppitt (m. 1906; died 1939) Harriett Braindwood (m. 1940) |
| Children | 4 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Australian Imperial Force |
| Years of service | 1915–1916 |
| Rank | Lance-Corporal |
| Unit | 1st Battalion |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Conduct Medal Mentioned in Despatches |
Wykeham Henry Koba Freame DCM (c. 1880 – 27 May 1941), known as Harry Freame, was a Japanese-Australian soldier, adventurer and diplomat.
Freame was born in Osaka to a British father and Japanese mother, one of the first recorded interracial marriages in Japan.
Early life[edit]
Freame was born in Osaka, Japan, but "consistently lied about his date of birth".[1] The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that he is "believed to have been born on 28 February 1885".[2]
Freame was the son of William Henry Freame and Sei (or Shizu) Kitagawa. His father worked in Japan as an English teacher, including at the Kaisei gakkō. He was born in England and was previously a sailor by profession, coming to Japan via Australia. His mother was the daughter of Yasuaki Kitagawa, part of the shizoku (former samurai) class. Their marriage was one of the first to be authorised between a Japanese and a foreigner. However, it was bigamous, as William Henry Freame already had a wife and son in Australia.[3]
World War I[edit]
Freame enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on . 1915
Later life[edit]
Death[edit]
Personal life[edit]
Freame married May Soppitt on 19 July 1906 in Middlesbrough, England.[2] Their first two children were born in England. Their marriage was marked by long periods of separation as Freame travelled. May eventually joined her husband in Australia in about 1919, and their third child was born in 1921. She suffered from homesickness and possibly post-natal depression, returning to England in 1922 and staying for over a year. She was joined by a "mother's-help", Josephine Clarke.[4] After their return, Freame and Clarke began an affair. Their daughter was born in
After May's death in 1939, Freame married Harriett Elizabeth Brainwood, a nurse, on 16 August 1940 in Sydney.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fahey, John (25 July 2018). "The spy Australia left out in the cold". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Courtney, James W. (1981). "Freame, Wykeham Henry Koba (1885–1941)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. 8. Melbourne University Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Belshaw, Jim (7 February 2019). "New England history: Creating the Freame legend". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Belshaw, Jim (11 April 2019). "New England history: Battling settlement and separation". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Tate, Brian (25 April 1992). "Gallipoli samurai". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (18 February 2019). "'Spy' a hero of Gallipoli". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (28 February 2019). "New England History Matters: Harry in the frame for new agency". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (18 April 2019). "New England History Matters: The Growers' Co-operative debate". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (16 May 2019). "New England history: Fresh challenges for the Freames". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (27 May 2019). "Harry Freame: odd jobs man in Japan". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Belshaw, Jim (3 June 2019). "End of a mysterious life: Harry Freame returns to Australia to die". Armidale Express. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Fahey, John (25 August 2018). "The trouble with Harry (Freame) is that we've forgotten him". News Weekly. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ↑ Watson, Joey; Coombe, Ian (14 February 2019). "The secret missions of Australia's early spies". ABC News. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
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