Soldier, Poet. He freely invented details he told about his chilhood, but appears to have been born Edwin Murrant. After moving to Australia and changing his name his skill as a horse trainer and tamer led to the nickname "Breaker." Also referred to as Harry, he was a poet and became one of the "back-block bards" of the 1890s, with his work frequently appearing in The Bulletin magazine. While serving as an Army Lieutenant during the Second Boer War he ordered the execution of several Afrikaner and African prisoners, as well as a German missionary he suspected of carrying messages for the Boers. Morant and fellow Lieutenant Peter Handcock were court-martialed and executed, in part to avoid an international diplomatic incident by appeasing the German government. Morant's and Handcock's supporters believed they were sentenced to death to hide that they were carrying out the orders of Lord Kitchener, the British Commander in South Africa. Morant and Handcock were buried in one grave, which is today a landmark for tourists. Morant's life was chronicled in Kit Denton's novel "The Breaker," as well as in Kenneth Ross's 1978 play "Breaker Morant" and its 1980 film adaptation.
Soldier, Poet. He freely invented details he told about his chilhood, but appears to have been born Edwin Murrant. After moving to Australia and changing his name his skill as a horse trainer and tamer led to the nickname "Breaker." Also referred to as Harry, he was a poet and became one of the "back-block bards" of the 1890s, with his work frequently appearing in The Bulletin magazine. While serving as an Army Lieutenant during the Second Boer War he ordered the execution of several Afrikaner and African prisoners, as well as a German missionary he suspected of carrying messages for the Boers. Morant and fellow Lieutenant Peter Handcock were court-martialed and executed, in part to avoid an international diplomatic incident by appeasing the German government. Morant's and Handcock's supporters believed they were sentenced to death to hide that they were carrying out the orders of Lord Kitchener, the British Commander in South Africa. Morant and Handcock were buried in one grave, which is today a landmark for tourists. Morant's life was chronicled in Kit Denton's novel "The Breaker," as well as in Kenneth Ross's 1978 play "Breaker Morant" and its 1980 film adaptation.
Bio by: Bill McKern
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Records on Ancestry
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