by Joy Lefroy
CONTENTS
1.1 Read the book
2.1 Information: The Stars and Stripes
2.2 Student activities
3.1 Biographical information: The authors and illustrator
3.2 Information: Captain Anthony and the story behind the signature
4.1 Information: Why did America help the Irish?
5.1 Information: Background to the Irish uprising
5.2 Information: ‘The Catalpa Six’ — the Fenians who escaped in Catalpa
5.3 Information: A voice from the tomb
5.4 Information: The Wild Goose
5.5 Student activities
6.1 Information: Whaling in the 1800s
6.2 Student activities
7.1 Information: The voyage of the Catalpa
7.2 Student activities
8.1 Information: Life at sea in the 1800s — what’s on the menu today?
8.2 Student activities
9.1 Information: The Catalpa spies
9.2 Student activities
9.3 Information: Life in Fremantle Prison in the mid 1800s
9.4 Student activities
10.1 Information: Navigating by the stars
10.2 Student activities
11.1 Timeline: The morning of the escape, 17 April 1876
11.2 Student activities
12.1 Illustrator interview: How the book artwork was created
12.2 Student activities
13.1 Information: All at sea in a leaky boat
13.2 Student activities
14.1 Information: The American whaling ship Catalpa
14.2 Information: The Western Australian coastal steamer SS Georgette
15.1 Information: Letter to Governor Robinson from John Breslin
15.2 Information: JT Richardson
15.3 Student activities
16.1 Information: The confrontation between Georgette and Catalpa
16.2 Student activities
17.1 Information: Firing a cannon at sea
17.2 Student activities
18.1 Information: What the press said
18.2 Student activities
18.3 Information: What happened to the key players in the Catalpa story?
18.4 Student activities
19.1 Information: ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’
19.2 Audio: ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ sung by Brendan Woods
19.3 Student activities
2.1 INFORMATION: THE STARS AND STRIPES
Flags came into use thousands of years ago, first for military purposes on land and then as signals at sea. They evolved to represent royal houses, levels of government, nations, political parties, businesses, military organisations and sporting teams.
Flags grew out of heraldry—the practice of designing coats of arms—and follow many of the same design principles. The origins of heraldry lie in the need to distinguish participants in combat when faces were hidden by iron helmets.
The flag of the United States of America is one of the best-known flags in the world, and played a critical role in the Catalpa story. The flag features thirteen horizontal stripes in red and white, which represent the thirteen British colonies that formed the Union in 1776 upon declaring independence from Great Britain. In the top left corner (known as a flag’s canton) white five-pointed stars are arranged in rows over a blue rectangle, each star representing a state in today’s Union.
Since its inception in 1777 the flag’s design has been modified 26 times as new states were added to the Union. The current design has 50 stars and has been in use since 1960, following Hawaii’s admission into the Union.
The flag is also known as ‘The Stars and Stripes’, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (also the name of the US national anthem) and ‘Old Glory’.
You will notice the flag illustrated in The Catalpa Escape has only 37 stars. When Catalpa sailed from New Bedford in 1875 there were only 37 states in the Union, hence the 37 stars on the flag.
2.2 STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Investigation
What is ‘The Stars and Stripes’? What do the stars and the stripes on the flag symbolise? Count the stars on the Catalpa flag then count the stars on a modern ‘Stars and Stripes’ flag. Find out why they are different.
Activity 2: Art, Design and English
Design your personal flag. Choose colours, shapes and symbols that can tell people something about you. Keep it simple.
Swap flags with someone and then write a description of that person based on their flag.
3.1 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: THE AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATOR
Joy Lefroy
Joy Lefroy has been involved with children’s literature and education for many years and is particularly interested in sharing Western Australian stories with the next generation. She co-authored The Pipeline O’Connor Built with Diana Frylinck (Fremantle Press, 2003) and The Catalpa Escape with Mike Lefroy (Fremantle Press, 2006).Joy is currently Manager of Education & Learning with the National Trust of Australia (WA), a position she has held since 2002. One of her key responsibilities is designing Australian Curriculum programs that will engage young people with the values of our historic, natural and Indigenous heritage. Joy is currently working on an ebook about the Harper brothers from Woodbridge, WA who joined the 10th Light Horse in 1914 and died at the battle of the Nek, Gallipoli in August 1915. Joy is regularly invited to speak at schools, libraries, seminars and conferences about books, writing, history and heritage education and the Australian Curriculum.
Mike Lefroy
Mike Lefroy has a passion for history, in particular the history of Western Australia and his hometown of Fremantle. He has family links to the early settlement of the Swan River Colony and the development of the state through various ancestors including John Septimus Roe, the state’s first Surveyor General, and Charles Yelverton O’Connor, the Chief Engineer of Fremantle Harbour and the Goldfields Pipeline. Mike has spent most of his working life in Fremantle, first in local high schools then moving to the HM Bark Endeavour Project in 1988 as the Education Officer. In 1992 he joined the WA Maritime Museum as Head of Education. In 2000, Mike received a Churchill Fellowship to travel overseas and study museum interpretation for families and children in USA, Canada and Europe. In 2003, Mike was named Fremantle Citizen of the Year for his work with the WA Maritime Museum and the promotion of Fremantle. Mike left the museum in February 2007 to concentrate on private consultancy work in education, heritage and museum interpretation, and tourism, and to pursue various writing projects. Mike’s interest in history and education has drawn him to writing and he particularly enjoys the challenge of making the past come alive for children. Mike’s publications for children include picture books, junior novels, non-fiction titles, education kits and web-based education activities. His work features prominent Western Australian and Australian stories. Mike is regularly invited to speak at schools, libraries and conferences about history, books and writing, and heritage interpretation. For more information visit his website: www.mikelefroy.com
Marion Duke
Marion Duke is an artist with a special interest in book design and illustration. She comes from a family of many artists and was taught drawing and watercolour painting by her father and grandmother. A passion for all forms of art led her to study art and design at the Central Metropolitan College of TAFE, majoring in illustration. In 1997 Marion began work as a book designer for Fremantle Press. Marion designed numerous books and book covers. She also illustrated three children’s books for Fremantle Pres
s: The Pipeline O’Connor Built written by Joy Lefroy and Diana Frylinck, Trumpets Kittens written by Sarah Spinks and Carolyn Polizzotto and The Catalpa Escape written by Joy and Mike Lefroy. Marion has exhibited paintings in numerous group and solo exhibitions, most recently in the 2013 solo exhibition of watercolours While I was out walking at Garage Gallery, Nannup. Marion now lives in the south-west of Western Australia on an olive grove with her husband, three daughters and a beagle. She still has a passion for books, and old books often feature strongly in her fine art projects. Marion’s fourth book, The Loon Tree written by Marion and Carolyn Polizzotto, will be published in 2014.
3.2 INFORMATION: CAPTAIN ANTHONY AND THE STORY BEHIND THE SIGNATURE
In the 1890s, nearly twenty years after the escape of the Fenians, the captain of Catalpa, George Smith Anthony, assisted by journalist ZW Pease, wrote his version of the Catalpa escape. His book, called The Catalpa Expedition, was published in 1897. Just before The Catalpa Escape was published in 2006, authors Joy and Mike Lefroy were contacted by a friend who had discovered a first edition of The Catalpa Expedition signed by the shaky hand of the captain in 1910, towards the end of his life.
Authors Joy and Mike Lefroy see Captain Anthony as one of the real heroes of the Catalpa story. He had no Irish connections and had everything to lose by helping the Irish Fenians escape from Fremantle Prison. But when he heard that the Fenians were imprisoned for rebelling against the British rule of their beloved Ireland he wanted to help.
George Anthony was recruited to be captain of Catalpa by his father-in-law John T Richardson, a prominent New Bedford shipping agent. As a member of the religious order of Quakers, JT Richardson had a great belief in freedom and justice and supported the Irish cause for freedom.
The illustration at the beginning of the book shows the secret meeting between Richardson, Captain Anthony and John Devoy with other members of the Clan na Gael. It was at this meeting that the proposed plan to rescue the Fenians was explained to Captain Anthony in the hope he would accept the challenge and take command of the expedition.
It was Anthony’s ability as a captain and leader of his men that was crucial to the success of the rescue mission. When the British ship Georgette approached Catalpa as it attempted to leave the Western Australian coast with the six Fenian prisoners on board, Anthony raised the American flag and dared the British to fire on them. It was a masterstroke: the British, concerned about American retribution and not knowing if they were in international waters, broke off the engagement and Catalpa sailed for the open seas and freedom.
Anthony’s involvement in the rescue meant he was listed as an enemy of Britain. After he returned to America he had a successful life ashore but he never went to sea again for fear of being captured and imprisoned.
4.1 INFORMATION: WHY DID AMERICA HELP THE IRISH?
In the mid 1800s most people in Ireland lived in the countryside and grew potatoes in small farms they rented from British landlords. From 1845 to 1849, Ireland experienced the worst disaster in its history when the potato crop repeatedly failed. Over-dependence on this single food crop led to wide-scale famine. Most British landlords were more concerned about collecting the rent than the health of their tenants, but with the potatoes failing there was no money for rent and no food to eat. During this time one million people died from starvation and another million left the country. Many migrated to countries such as America or Australia to start a new life.
In 1847, at the height of the potato famine, Irishwoman Bridget Nolan was evicted from her cottage with her children. She sent this desperate letter to her son, who had migrated to America three years earlier:
Dear Pat
This is the poorest winter that ever I had since I began the world, without house nor home nor a bit of food to eat. The potato crops have failed again and all Ireland is dying. Your sisters are fainting with starvation, and we are without friend or fellow to give us a shilling. For God’s sake, have pity on us! On my two bended knees I pray—take us out of this gulf of misery and save us from hunger.
Irish family’s cabin, 1800s
Source: Ellis Island, New York
A secret society called the Fenian Brotherhood grew out of the misery in Ireland. Its aim was to free Ireland from British rule and control the nation’s food production to reduce the suffering.
A network sprang up around the country and some support came from overseas. The Irish who moved abroad, particularly those in America, didn’t forget their homeland and they couldn’t forgive the British government and landowners for the little they did to stop the suffering. When news of the Irish prisoners (called Fenians) sent to far-off Western Australia reached Irish sympathisers in America, support was soon in hand and the funding for a daring plan to free the prisoners was quickly raised.
5.1 INFORMATION: BACKGROUND TO THE IRISH UPRISING
Life in Ireland in the mid 1800s was miserable for many. Most people lived in the countryside in small rented farms and relied on potatoes for their survival. Much of the land was in the hands of a few wealthy British landowners and when the potato crop repeatedly failed, thousands died from starvation.
A secret society called the Irish Republican Brotherhood (otherwise known as Fenians) grew out of this misery. Its simple aim was to free Ireland from British rule. A network sprang up around the country.
In 1865 hundreds of Fenians were arrested. The British prison system struggled to cope with the new arrivals. For nearly 80 years the Australian colonies had been receiving convicts but by the mid 1860s all but one had stopped this practice. The only destination left was the Swan River Colony on the western coast of Australia.
In October 1867, 62 Fenians were amongst the 280 convicts who sailed from Portland in the south of England on board the ship Hougoumont. They were all bound for Fremantle, Western Australia. Most of the Fenians were civilians with some hope of pardon but the 17 who had been in the British army faced life imprisonment.
In January 1868 the Hougoumont arrived in Fremantle with the last shipload of convicts to be transported to Australia.
5.2 INFORMATION: ‘THE CATALPA SIX’—THE FENIANS WHO ESCAPED IN CATALPA
Thomas Hassett
Born in Ireland in 1841. A carpenter by trade, he joined the British army in 1861. In 1864 he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB)—a group aiming to establish self-government for Ireland. In January 1866 he was warned by a colleague that he was about to be arrested so he deserted. He was arrested soon after and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
Michael Harrington
Born in Ireland in 1825, he worked as a carpenter and boat builder in his teenage years. In 1844 he enlisted in the British army and served with distinction in India until 1860. He returned to Ireland and in 1866 he deserted the army, hoping to take part in the uprising. He was arrested soon after and sentenced to death as a deserter. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The first year of his sentence was in England and in 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
Robert Cranston
Born in Ireland in 1842, he spent his boyhood days on his father’s farm before enlisting in the army in 1863. He became a member of the IRB and was arrested on the evidence of an informer. He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and in 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
Martin Hogan
Born in Ireland in 1833. As a young man he joined the British army and became known as one of the best and strongest swordsmen, with a reputation for bravery. Together with James Wilson he deserted in 1865 and worked with the IRB. He was arrested on information supplied by an informer and sentenced to death as a deserter. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The first year of his sentence was in England and in 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
Thomas
Darragh
Born in Ireland in 1834, he enlisted in the British army in 1852. He served fourteen years in the army in Africa and China, winning awards for bravery. He returned home in 1860 and joined the IRB. He was arrested in 1865 and charged with mutinous conduct on the evidence of an informer. He was found guilty of the crime of mutiny and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and in 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
James Wilson
Born in Ireland in 1836. His real name was McNally but he changed his name when he joined the British army. He served in India for seven years. After travelling overseas to America, India and Syria he returned to Ireland. He enlisted again in 1860 but deserted with Martin Hogan in 1865. He was arrested soon after and sentenced to death as a deserter. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. In 1867 he was transported to Western Australia in the convict ship Hougoumont.
Reference: Liam Barry, Voices from the Tomb—a biographical dictionary of the 62 Fenians transported to Western Australian, National Gaelic Publications, 2006, p.117.
5.3 INFORMATION: A VOICE FROM THE TOMB
Western Australia
May 20th, 1871
My Dear Friend,
In order that you may recollect who it is that addresses you, you will remember on the night of 17 January 1866, some of the Fifth Dragoon Guards being in the house in Clare Lane with John Devoy and Captain McCafferty. I am one of that unfortunate band and am now under sentence of life penal servitude in one of the darkest corners of the earth, and as far as we can learn from any small news that chances to reach us, we appear to be forgotten, with no prospect before us but to be left in hopeless slavery to the tender mercies of the Norman Wolf. But, my dear friend, it is not my hard fate I deplore, for I willingly bear it for the cause of dear old Ireland, but I must feel sad at the thought of being forgotten, and neglected by those more fortunate companions in enterprise who have succeeded in eluding the grasp of the oppressor. If I had the means I could get away from here any time. I therefore address you in the hope that you will endeavour to procure and send me pecuniary help for that purpose and I will soon be with you.
