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The Catalpa rescue : the gripping story of the most dramatic and successful prison break in Australian history /

The Catalpa rescue : the gripping story of the most dramatic and successful prison break in Australian history /
Item Information
Shelf Location Collection Volume Ref. Branch Status Due Date Res.
365.641 FITZ
Non Fiction   Bateau Bay Library . . Available .  
365.641 FITZ
Non Fiction   Gosford Library . . Available .  
. Catalogue Record 760101 ItemInfo Beginning of record . Catalogue Record 760101 ItemInfo Top of page .
Catalogue Information
Field name Details
Author FitzSimons, Peter, 1961- author.
Title The Catalpa rescue : the gripping story of the most dramatic and successful prison break in Australian history / Peter FitzSimons.
Published Sydney :
Hachette Australia,
2019.
©2019.
Description xlii, 405 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm.
Summary The incredible true story of one of the most extraordinary and inspirational prison breaks in Australian history. New York, 1874. Members of the Clan-na-Gael - agitators for Irish freedom from the English yoke hatch a daring plan to free six Irish political prisoners from the most remote prison in the British Empire, Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. Under the guise of a whale hunt, Captain Anthony sets sail on the Catalpa to rescue the men from the stone walls of this hell on Earth known to the inmates as a 'living tomb'. What follows is one of history's most stirring sagas that splices Irish, American, British and Australian history together in its climactic moment. For Ireland, who had suffered English occupation for 700 years, a successful escape was an inspirational call to arms. For America, it was a chance to slap back at Britain for their support of the South in the Civil War; for England, a humiliation. And for a young Australia, still not sure if it was Great Britain in the South Seas or worthy of being an independent country in its own right, it was proof that Great Britain was not unbeatable. Told with FitzSimons' trademark combination of arresting history and storytelling verve, The Catalpa Rescue is a tale of courage and cunning, the fight for independence and the triumph of good men, against all odds.
Notes Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents List of maps -- Introduction -- Dramatis personae -- Prologue: risings and failings -- One: A conspiracy of silent soldiers -- Two: The circle closes -- Three: Court martial -- Four: The Hougoumont hustle -- Five: Fremantle Prison -- Six: The absconder -- Seven: A red letter day -- Eight: Bold Fenian plot -- Nine: On their way a-whaling -- Ten: Arrival in Fremantle -- Eleven: Making a break for it -- Twelve: The chase -- Thirteen: Flagging fortunes -- Fourteen: The aftermath -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Endnotes -- Index.
Subjects Devoy, John, -- 1842-1928
Anthony, George Smith, -- 1843-1913
Breslin, John
Catalpa (Bark)
Escapes -- Australia -- Fremantle (W.A.)History -- 19th century
Irish -- Australia -- Fremantle (W.A.)History -- 19th century
Penal colonies -- Australia -- Fremantle (W.A.)
Political prisoners -- Australia -- Fremantle (W.A.)
Political prisoners -- Western Australia -- Fremantle
Escapes -- Western Australia -- Fremantle -- History -- 19th century
Irish -- Western Australia -- Fremantle -- History -- 19th century
Penal colonies -- Western Australia -- Fremantle
Fenians
Australia -- History -- 1788-1900
Fremantle (W.A.) -- History
Catalogue Information 760101 Beginning of record . Catalogue Information 760101 Top of page .