TY - JOUR AU - Bennett, University of New South Wales, Australia, Bruce PY - 2010/12/15 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Traditional Myths and Problematic Heroes: The Case of Harry Freame JF - Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature JA - AJELL VL - 4 IS - 2 SE - Articles DO - 10.31436/asiatic.v4i2.520 UR - https://journals.iium.edu.my/asiatic/index.php/ajell/article/view/520 SP - 1-13 AB - This article reconstructs key elements in the life-story of Harry Freame, a Japanese-born Australian who served in both the First and Second World Wars. Freame's courageous role in gathering intelligence as a forward scout at Gallipoli, Turkey, in 1915, was matched by a different kind of bravery in his intelligence work in Sydney and Tokyo in 1940. Yet Freame has received little public recognition for his remarkable feats. The main reasons for this neglect appear to be Freame's mixed-race background and an Australian wariness about praising secret agents and spies. His unusual ethnic origins in a mainly "white‟ Australia and his involvement in secret work made him a problematic hero. In contrast, British and American spies have achieved a mythological status as heroic figures in the public culture of these nations. ER -