Harry The Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock |
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Harry The Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock were executed by a firing party from the Cameron Highlanders, at Pietersburg, South Africa on the morning of 27th February 1902. They are buried near where they were shot. |
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| George Whitton went to prison on the Isle of Wight, and after serving
nearly three years of his life sentence he was released in haste and secrecy after
petitions and a great deal of political pressure had been brought to bear. Major JF Thomas of Tenterfield was disgusted at the whole miserable affair, and wrote of his conviction that the executions were for international policy reasons. Kitchener, during his visit to Australia in 1910 was asked to unveil a memorial to the Boer War Dead at Bathurst in New South Wales. It is recorded that he refused to unveil the memorial to those volunteers unless the name of Lieutenant Peter Handcock was removed from the roll and to the shame of the men who ordered it done, it was removed. It was replaced afterwards, centrally placed on a separate strip of bronze. Since their execution no Australian has been tried on a capital charge by a British Army Court. 27th February 2001 during the centenary of Australia's Federation, 99 years to the day since they were executed, a huge jumbo jet flashes past the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House on its return from South Africa with the bones of the Breaker and his mate on board. When the last rousing gallop is ended - and the last post and rail has been
jumped Over the next few years people such as renowned Bush Poet "Jim Haynes" along with others in the area, will be making sure this dream does not falter. The Breaker will be put on trial in the town of Tenterfield (Australia) with a presiding retired Judge. The prosecution and the defence will be selected from within Australia's top fifty legal firms on invitation. The transcripts of the original trial will be sourced from the Ministry in London under the Freedom of Information Act. |
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