Breaker Morant: The Final Roundup

More than 100 years ago, Harry Harbord Morant, the Breaker, was shot by a firing squad. Thus began his ascension to Australian national hero. Workhouse-born Edwin Murrant, educated by the Freemasons, emigrated on a £1 passage to Australia at the age of 19. He spent the next 16 years as a bushman, balladeer, and black sheep renowned for his riding skills. Changing his name to Morant, he claimed to be the son of an admiral. At the start of the Anglo-Boer war he joined the army and went to South Africa, becoming a lieutenant. Enraged by the death of a friend in battle, he instigated the murder of prisoners by way of revenge. A missionary who knew too much was also killed under suspicious circumstances. Arrested and tried, he was sentenced to death and shot. Some Australians suggest he was martyred, others feel that he took the law into his own hands and paid the price for his crimes. This intensively researched book, featuring a wealth of new information, reveals the truth behind the legend.