Major Thomas: The bush lawyer who defended Breaker Morant and took on the British Empire

by Greg Growden

Opinion is still sharply divided on whether Breaker Morant and his Australian co-defendants were criminals who got what they deserved, or scapegoats used by the British Empire. Major Thomas, the bush lawyer drafted in at the last minute to defend them, is invariably depicted as either a hero or an incompetent fool. Now, for the first time, Greg Growden attempts to unravel the truth about the lawyer and soldier who returned from South Africa a broken man.

Before the Boer War, Major Thomas had been a pillar of his community. He was a published poet, newspaper proprietor, lawyer and decorated soldier, but defending Breaker Morant became the defining episode of his life. The former ‘King of Tenterfield’ endured a stunning fall from grace, slipping into bankruptcy and imprisonment. Thomas ended his days as an eccentric recluse, his life ruined by the ignominy and frustration of finding himself on the wrong side of history.

For more than a century he has been a footnote in diverging historical arguments. A proper hearing for Major Thomas is long overdue.

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2019

About the author

Greg Growden (c. 1960 – 14 November 2020) was an Australian sports journalist, author and biographer.

Growden grew up on his family's rice farm in the Riverina. He joined the Sydney Morning Herald in early 1978 soon after leaving school. He was chief rugby union correspondent for the paper from 1987 to 2012, and was the Australian rugby union correspondent for ESPN from 2012 to 2018. He is one of just two international rugby writers to cover all of the first eight World Cups.

He died of cancer on 14 November 2020. - wikipeadia

Reviews

[Lawrence Molloy]

Great read but a tragic story of the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Australian history.