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BREAKER MORANT: A Horseman Who Made History
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
8 people want to read
About the author
F.M. Cutlack
3 booksWrote Volume 8 of the Australian Official History of World War I, which is available in digital form from the Australian War Memorial:
http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first...
http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2024
Writing in 1962, Frederic Cutlack contends the execution of Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock during the Boer War for murdering prisoners of war was a travesty of justice. The basis of this argument - that orders not to take prisoners existed despite subsequent denials, and that the accused were political scapegoats - hasn't changed and remains a matter of dispute.
Later research has overtaken Cutlack's biography in two major respects. Morant's familial connection to Hampshire/Devonshire gentry has been discredited. Also, evidence later emerged that he was probably guilty of having the German missionary killed, the only charge he and Handcock were acquitted of. Ironically this appeared in a long-suppressed letter by George Witton, Morant's co-accused, whose book Scapegoats of the Empire (1907) was Cutlack's main source of information.
This book remains significant, however. In boyhood the author actually knew Morant, who was a stockman on the South Australian cattle station Cutlack's family lived on. Morant quit to enlist for the Boer War, and his best-known likeness (see book cover) was a photo he gave Cutlack's father before departing for South Africa. Cutlack includes only a couple of sparse personal anecdotes about this time, but personal knowledge surely adds some depth to his grasp of the man's character, even if it may also have influenced his stance on the court martial.
A generous serving of Morant's verse vividly illustrates his swagger while showcasing his strong rhythmic gift, although it's clear the Breaker is no Banjo. His best is also the most poignant, the blackly humorous 'Butchered To Make A Dutchman's Holiday', written on the eve of his execution.
Cutlack is a good writer; he was, after all, one of Australia's leading war correspondents and historians. Dated bits aside, his account remains a brief and useful overview of one perspective of an ongoing controversy, and its distinguishing features have earned it a lasting place in The Breaker's historiography.
Later research has overtaken Cutlack's biography in two major respects. Morant's familial connection to Hampshire/Devonshire gentry has been discredited. Also, evidence later emerged that he was probably guilty of having the German missionary killed, the only charge he and Handcock were acquitted of. Ironically this appeared in a long-suppressed letter by George Witton, Morant's co-accused, whose book Scapegoats of the Empire (1907) was Cutlack's main source of information.
This book remains significant, however. In boyhood the author actually knew Morant, who was a stockman on the South Australian cattle station Cutlack's family lived on. Morant quit to enlist for the Boer War, and his best-known likeness (see book cover) was a photo he gave Cutlack's father before departing for South Africa. Cutlack includes only a couple of sparse personal anecdotes about this time, but personal knowledge surely adds some depth to his grasp of the man's character, even if it may also have influenced his stance on the court martial.
A generous serving of Morant's verse vividly illustrates his swagger while showcasing his strong rhythmic gift, although it's clear the Breaker is no Banjo. His best is also the most poignant, the blackly humorous 'Butchered To Make A Dutchman's Holiday', written on the eve of his execution.
Cutlack is a good writer; he was, after all, one of Australia's leading war correspondents and historians. Dated bits aside, his account remains a brief and useful overview of one perspective of an ongoing controversy, and its distinguishing features have earned it a lasting place in The Breaker's historiography.
February 1, 2021
An excellent report of known facts. Not an easy read, but well worth it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews