Footy legend Tom Harley learns the truth of his Anzac grandfather’s great escape

Murderous paratroopers, sharks, a submarine and a real-life Han Solo. Footy legend Tom Harley has just learned the truth of his grandfather’s great escape in WWII. Now he wants to share it.

Exclusive: Footy legend Tom Harley grew up hearing tales of his grandfather’s escape from the Japanese in World War Two, forging through shark-infested waters to reach a submarine in the dark of night.

It’s a phenomenal true story – but Harley was told only parts.

Now, along with the rest of Australia, the Sydney Swans CEO and former Geelong and Port Adelaide hero is for the first time hearing the full details of an extraordinary adventure that is barely known.

Learning the full story … AFL legend Tom Harley is the grandson of Bryan Rofe, who led 29 Aussie fugitives trapped behind enemy lines in WWII. Picture: John Appleyard

Trapped , a new podcast series by the Australian War Memorial, tells how Harley’s grandfather Bryan Rofe – not a combat veteran but a meteorological officer – finds himself, aged just 24, leading 29 Aussie airfield personnel snared behind enemy lines when the Japanese invade Timor in 1942.

Hunted by a 300-strong enemy force, the men spend 58 terrifying and agonising days on the run through jungle and swamp, where the Japanese are not the only killers.

“It’s just extraordinary what they went through,” said Harley, adding that the podcast is “an unbelievably good effort” at bringing the story to life.

Accidental hero … Flight Lieutenant Bryan Rofe found himself in an extraordinary situation that he was not trained for when his men were cut off in Timor.

“I knew the story of my grandfather’s courage and leadership; and of the final stages of the escape. Now it’s so good to put real detail and fact around it.”

Among particular moments that resonate, said Harley, are his grandfather’s bitter realisation that the group is seen as “human fodder” and “pretty much expendable”; the nailbiting build-up to their rendezview with a US submarine, as Japanese search parties are seen approaching from both sides; and the death of a shattered young airman.

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The men had several narrow escapes, starting with the moment they flee the invaders in a truck — driving straight into the drop zone of Japanese paratroopers and turning around with seconds to spare before being caught.

Those paratroopers slaughtered unarmed Aussies nearby and it is fair to assume they would have done the same to Rofe and his men.

A very different appearance … an exhausted Bryan Rofe grabs a moment of rest while on the run in Dutch Timor, 1942. Incredibly, one of his men had a camera and his photos survived the ordeal. Picture courtesy Tom Trumble

On a lighter note, Harley is amused by the inclusion of “flirty” letters between his grandfather and his grandmother Patricia.

The wealth of family information comes courtesy of Harley’s cousin Tom Trumble, a Melbourne author who created Trapped with the Memorial, working from records and interviews with the survivors — all of whom have since died.

He also pulls in a captivating cast of real characters, from a bomber pilot, fellow fugitive and lifelong friend of Flight Lieutenant Rofe described by Trumble as “a sort of WWII version of Han Solo” to an American sailor who earns a valour medal for repeatedly swimming past massive sharks to get to the stranded Aussies.

Smiles despite the fear … one of the photos that, against all odds, documented the Australians’ time stranded behind Japanese lines. Here they are trying to build a raft from reeds. Picture courtesy of Tom Trumble.

There are also photos as, incredibly, one of the men had a camera that survived the entire escapade.

To both cousins, however, the story always comes back to Rofe – an inexperienced young man thrust into a role he was not trained for, who rose to the challenge.

After the war he continued his rise in civilian life, ultimately becoming Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, earning the MBE, and founding a family of achievers.

They included the late Deirdre Rofe, a leading educator; the late Paul Rofe QC; Peter Rofe, a psychiatrist in Queensland; and Trish Rofe (Tom Harley’s mother) and Mary Ann Trumble (Tom Trumble’s mother) who both raised families of three children.

Safety at sea … the USS Searaven which rescued the Australians, in a photo signed by the sub's officers. Picture courtesy of Tom Trumble

While Harley modestly will not compare himself to his grandfather – or indeed anyone who has been in a war situation – he acknowledges there are lessons to learn from Rofe’s story.

“All the great leaders I know are on a continual journey, it never stops; all the best leaders are massive sponges and learners who seek opportunities to find little nuggets of gold.

“I do not know when I will pull these out; maybe with my children. But I am adding them to my tool bag.”

Reunited in peace … Rear Admiral Hiram Cassedy (retired) and Bryan Rofe in Washington DC in 1964. Cassedy was the captain of the USS Searaven submarine. This was the second time these men met. The first time was off the northern coast of Timor in the dead of night on the deck of Searaven. Picture courtesy of Tom Trumble

And the characteristic of his grandfather’s that stands out to Harley? As one of the most-admired gentlemen of his own game, perhaps it’s no surprise: “standards and decency, and being a good human being – old school values I certainly try to live by”.

“Times change but some things stay the same – and doing the right thing at the right time will always stand you in good stead.”

Trapped podcast is available now.

Malaria-ridden swamps … the stranded airmen crossing the River Kapsali, Dutch Timor in February 1942.

Originally published as Footy legend Tom Harley learns the truth of his Anzac grandfather’s great escape