Breaker Morant Page #2

Quite a Renaissance figure.

I daresay,

if everything goes well,

he could come and recite for us one night.

In the meantime, this refined-looking fellow

is an ex-opponent of ours,

who's wisely signed

the non-combatant pledge.

They say he has a fine voice.

Only speaks Dutch, though.

So, Mr. Baxter and ladies,

you'll have to tell us what it's all about.

A few things to clear up.

How many men at Fort Edward?

About 50. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

-And most were Australians?

-We told you all this last night.

-About 45 of them were.

-Gentlemen.

The intelligence officer, Captain...

-Taylor?

-Taylor, yes.

-What did he have to do with this?

-Nothing.

Then who do you think filed the report

that led to your arrest?

Don't know, but it wasn't Taylor.

He was a good bloke.

Bring in the accused.

This court-martial is convened by order of...

I'd like to ask for an adjournment, sir.

-Adjournment? We've only just arrived.

-Yes, sir.

I only just arrived in Pietersburg yesterday.

It doesn't give me much time

to prepare a defense.

The prosecution's had six weeks.

There are witnesses who have

traveled over 60 miles for this hearing.

Do you expect us to keep them around

at taxpayers' expense?

-Yes, sir. l need time...

-Quite out of the question, Major...

Thomas.

This court-martial is convened by order...

Yes, Major Thomas.

This court-martial is unconstitutional, sir.

The three defendants

are Australian subjects,

and as the country is now

an independent commonwealth,

they can only be tried

by the Australian Army.

The defendants, Major,

were serving in the Bushveldt Carbineers,

a unit under British command.

This court-martial is convened by order of

Horatio Herbert,

Lord Kitchener of Khartoum,

GCB, GCMG, RE,

Commander in Chief of British

and Colonial Forces in South Africa.

The charges are as follows:

Defendants Morant, Handcock, and Witton

are charged with the murder

of a Boer prisoner named Visser.

They are also charged with the murders

of six other Boer prisoners,

names unknown.

In addition,

Lieutenants Morant and Handcock

are charged with the murder

of a German missionary,

the Reverend H.C.V. Hesse.

How do you plead?

Not guilty.

-Not guilty of all three charges?

-Yes, sir.

Your first witness, Major Bolton.

Call Mr. Donald Robertson.

Robertson, who's he?

We told you about him last night.

Take this Bible in your right hand.

Now repeat after me,

I swear by almighty God...

I swear by almighty God...

...that the evidence I shall give

before this court...

-...shall be the truth...

-...shall be the truth...

-...the whole truth...

-...the whole truth...

-...and nothing but the truth.

-...and nothing but the truth.

Thank you.

Would you like to take the witness chair?

Captain Robertson,

you were in the regular army for 20 years.

Yes, sir. I was with the 10th Hussars

before taking command of

the Bushveldt Carbineers in the Transvaal.

And how was discipline in the Carbineers?

Impossible. Especially with the Australians.

They didn't like picket duty or guard duty.

The only day we could get them

on parade was payday.

Could you give the court

any other examples

of their breaches of discipline?

There were so many.

They'd only salute the officers they liked.

-Reckon you didn't get too many salutes.

-Order.

Some of them had these illegal stills.

Made this really strong drink

out of corn and boot polish.

-You'd know. You were their best customer.

-Order.

They stole cattle and sold them.

Now, this cattle, did it belong to...

I must object.

Two of the defendants

were not even at Fort Edward...

Sir, I'm trying to establish for the court

the irregularities and un-soldierly behavior

of the Bushveldt Carbineers.

Objection overruled.

Thank you, sir.

Would you go on please,

Captain Robertson?

I had to reprimand Handcock here

for what l considered to be

a serious breach of the rules of war.

And what was that?

He placed prisoners of war in open wagons

in front of train engines.

They could have been shot at

by their own side.

Thank you. That'll be all, Captain.

Just hold your horses there.

Do you wish to cross-examine

the witness, Major Thomas?

Yes, sir, I do.

Now tell me... Tell us,

when you joined the Carbineers,

what were you told they'd be doing?

-Fighting the enemy.

-Yes.

I mean, how?

It was a new kind of corps, wasn't it?

That's right.

We had to fight behind the lines,

against the Boer commandos.

Commandos?

That's a new word.

That's a Boer word, isn't it?

What does it mean?

The commandos had to live off the land.

Use hit-and-run tactics.

Surprise attacks, that sort of thing.

The Boers did it,

so it was the only way we could fight back.

And it must have been very difficult

to maintain discipline

under these sort of conditions?

It was, with the Australians.

-But you tried?

-Aye.

Like when you reprimanded

Lieutenant Handcock

for putting the war prisoners

in the carriages in front of the engines?

I told him

we didn't do that sort of thing.

But in the Carbineers, I mean,

you were doing a lot of things

that you'd never done before.

That's right, but there's a limit.

What was Lieutenant Handcock's reason

for placing these carriages of prisoners

in front of trains?

The Boers had been mining the lines

and blowing up a lot of trains.

He thought it might stop them.

Did it?

Yes, they did stop blowing up the trains,

but I don't think that's the...

When you were in command at Fort Edward

before the late Captain Hunt

and Lieutenant Morant took over,

what did you do with Boer prisoners?

How do you mean?

Fort Edward's only a farmhouse.

There aren't any facilities for them there.

What did you do with them?

We sent them down here

under guard to Pietersburg.

I see.

How many of them

did you send down here to Pietersburg?

Fifty, seventy,

-I really couldn't say.

-I've been informed

that during your command

only 29 prisoners were sent to Pietersburg.

So what did you do with the others?

It's quite a discrepancy, isn't it,

-between 50...

-Objection, Mr. President!

-This man is not on trial.

-He bloody ought to be.

Extraneous comments prejudice your case,

Lieutenant Handcock.

-What in hell does that mean?

-Objection allowed.

Was there a policy

to shoot prisoners

in the Bushveldt Carbineers?

Mr. President!

The defending officer is attempting

to incriminate the witness.

Major Thomas, objection allowed.

The witness is not on trial.

Sir, I'm trying to establish the credibility...

-I'm sorry, lack of all credibility...

-Objection!

You are incriminating the witness, Major!

All right.

Just one more question.

Did you discontinue the practice

of placing prisoners in open carriages?

No.

No, I didn't.

Why not, if you objected to it?

Could it have been that the practice,

though irregular,

was effective in controlling Boer attacks?

Yes.

That will be all, Mr. Robertson.

You may stand down, Mr. Robertson.

Good on you, mate.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes