History: DONE!

Who is 'Breaker' Morant?

Well, Harry Harbord 'Breaker' Morant was an English-born Australian Lieutenant during the Boer War, from 1899 until 1901, when he was unjustly executed for murdering enemy soliders. How do i know this? No, i wasn't there. But it was the topic of my History Individual Study which, as of this afternoon, is submitted... no more chance to fiddle around with it, no last minute edit... in fact, only very limited editing at all!

Why did i want to write on a man i'd never heard of, from a war that we've never studied? Well, a friend of mine did the same topic and i decided that i would have an easy time of it, seeing as he promised to give me all of his information. Ok, so i got the information... however, what i didn't quite plan on was the huge amount of research i'd still have to do! And i never did end up watching the movie... ah well, i might watch it now; there's lots more incentive now that i don't actually have to see it! Anyway, after many long nights trawling the net and reading countless books on Morant (thanks Hains, couldn't've managed it without you!), i actually got incredibly interested in the whole topic - definately glad that i didn't do Hitler and opted for the more random instead. Maybe it'll impress the moderaters! :P

Why was Morant unjustly executed you may ask? Well, officially, it was because he and his friends murdered a number of enemy soldiers, going slightly overboard in the aftermath of finding their best mate mutilated and killed. Now, these men faced trial for murder. However, while they claimed that they were following orders from Lord Kitchener, the court didn't investigate the claim and they were accused of taking the law into their own hands. Not long after, two of the men, including Morant, were shot.

Many years later, more evidence has arisen that suggests the men were not war criminals, as they had been branded, but instead were mere victims of underhand political agendas. Verbal and written testimonies appeared, documenting the existence of the order to take no prisoners; thus, the men couldn't be held wholly responsible for the course of action they took. Also, Kitchener, in an attempt to cover up his part in the murders, did as much as his power allowed him to to influence the outcome of the trial.

The men were kept in solitary confinement until the trial, with no chance to contact legal representation or construct a defence. Witnesses were bullied into submission and the trial was informal and hasty. In direct opposition to the Manual of Military Law 1899, there was no internal investigation into the claim that orders were issued. It was merely assumned that the men were lying to save themselves. Kitchener didn't even inform either Australian or British governments about the trial until after the execution, which meant they receieved no support or defence from home.

Not only was the trial rigged, but Kitchener was later accused of treating the Australians as an example; they were shown to be inferior troops to his own British command. Should Kitchener have been implicated in the scandal, the British Army's reputation would also have been dragged though the mud. So, Morant and his troops became unofficial scapegoats for a leading politicians desire to save his butt.

Morant faced a hugely unfair trial and was not the war criminal that people claimed that he was. Many other men, in different trials throughout the war, had committed the same crime but been let of with a prison sentence or a mere warning!! Not this time though. Kitchener needed someone to take complete blame for something that he should have taken part of. Not good. But Morant had nothing to do with the outcome of the trial, as his words were ignored for the most part.

This terrible atrocity meant that Morant and his friend, Hancock, lost their lives after an unjust conviction. However, the silver lining is that Military law then became much stricter and execution of Australian troops wasn't continued.

Why am i re-telling the tale or 'Breaker' Morant on my blog? Especially after having promised never to speak of it again after handing in my essay, i somehow sat down here, meaning to write about the strain lifted from my shoulders. Instead, i told you all about it. I'm not really sure why... but maybe it has something to do with the complete lack of awareness about the Boer War (which was in South Africa, by the way). I think that people should hear more about a man who breavely defended his country but was turned upon by the very people he was fighting with, dying unjustly and in doing so saving many others...

Well, there's something for you to ponder... my history lecture is over! If you're not asleep, keys imprinting on your face and drool soaking the mouse, then i hope you learnt something about the trials of war and the fact that convictions are not always correct...

Now to restate: HISTORY IS OVER!!! HOORAY!!!

Annie