On February 27, 1902, a British firing squad carried out the execution of convicted war criminal, Australian Lt. Harry “Breaker” Morant. A rare thing indeed for the British Army to prosecute one of their own for war crimes in those days, Morant and fellow soldier Lt. Peter Handcock stood accused of the murders of several South African (Boer) prisoners of war and civilians.
Digging Deeper
The Second Boer War between the British and Dutch settlers of South Africa (Boers) started in October of 1899 and was near its end when Morant and Handcock were tried and executed. The nearness to the end of the war led many sympathizers to believe Morant and Handcock were executed for political reasons to mollify the Boers instead of for good moral and legal cause. This sentiment has grown through the years, leaving the memory of Breaker Morant as a martyr to Australians. The presentation of Morant, Handcock, and a third defendant as victims of circumstance was depicted in the 1980 major motion picture, Breaker Morant, starring Edward Woodward as Morant.
