Remembering “Breaker” Morant’s life before the War.

  

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

6 March 1897

The "Breaker."

THUS "The Walgett Spectator”:—

Mr Harry Morant, better known about this part as "The Breaker," turned up at Windsor recently, where he has been doing some news-paper work for that bright little weekly, "The Windsor and Richmond GAZETTE.

" He has been paying a visit to the Hobartville stud, and has written a sketchy article on the thoroughbreds "The Breaker" is one of the few jinglers of rhymes whose MS finds a ready acceptance by the "Bulletin." 

The writers of that unique production are truly a mad and melancholy crowd; one half of them are driven at a maddening gallop down the great incline of life by love of liquor, or steeple chasing, or cattle-droving — or all fours at once — while the other half get there just as rapidly by sitting down in a quiet corner and brooding over this weary, wicked, and sin-stained universe. 

”The Breaker" belongs to the first-named crowd, and will doubtless go on verse-making and fence-topping until someday his horse misjudges the height, and then — well, most likely they'll carry his mangled remains on a shutter to the nearest cemetery.  

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

26 June 1897

TO "THE BREAKER."

BRIMFUL of song, like the birds when the woods

are smiling in gladness ;

Rippling his laughter, like brooklets, without a

suspicion of sadness ;

Ever of love singeth he, of “droving out back,"

and of horses

And these has he ridden, and well, o'er all sorts

of difficult courses.

Kindly withal is the lilt and the words of his

stringing,

Engaging us all by the change in the tunes that

he's singing ;

Resting not long and so lightly in each little spot

where he tarries

Morant is ever the same-and will be, amen

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

18 June 1898

Mostly About the "Breaker."

MISS BLAIR, a Melbourne journalist, has been writing to the "Southern Press" some chatty articles on " Bohemianism in Sydney," and the following is an extract from her latest contribution :—

R.  L. Stevenson, on his last visit, told a Sydney man that Sydney charmed him for its little bits of Paris and London.

And there certainly is something Continental in the way that Bohemia spreads itself about among different cafes, and takes up new fads. 

At one time you couldn't be a true Bohemian unless you lunched and dined uncomfortably in a basement on cabbage soup, vinegary salad, banana fritters, coffee, and other delicacies. 

Its glory has rather faded of late, but at one time it was so Frenchy that it might have been on the "boule  miche." 

There is Mrs. Tom Roberts now, and she aids her husband in making his studio a pleasant meeting-place on Thursday afternoons. 

He has two rooms in Vickery-chambers (quite a haunt of artists now) where Hall Thorpe (of the "Sydney Mail"), Sid Long and others have their studios. 

The larger room is artistically got up in terra cotta, with  many jars and art objects around, brightened with flowers and draperies. 

There are usually one or two poets to be found here, A. B. ('Banjo') Paterson and H. Morant, alias "The Breaker".

H. Morant looks like a man who has been used to horses all his life, has a sunburnt face and a non-society air, but "Barty” Paterson, as he is familiarly called, although the singer of bush delights, is a thorough town man in appearance, thin-faced and clean shaven, always to be seen at Government House balls, Town Hall concerts and fashionable first nights, with a great hobby for polo. 

Of the two Sydney verse men, Paterson and Lawson, some epigramist smartly said that Lawson praised the town and lived in the bush, while Paterson praised the bush and lived in the town.

From the "Bulletin" :—Harry Morant  ("The Breaker") was last week jumping  his horse Cavalier over a 4ft. rail filling a gap in the fence at the rear of the old Racecourse Hotel, Clarendon (Windsor, N.S.W. district). 

The horse swerved and, going too fast to stop, cleared the7ft palings! The horse is a five-year-old gelding bred Phillip Charley, by Freedom (imp.) out of Clara, an imported trotting mare owned by the late Andrew Town, of Hobartville. 

The jump was done in the presence of Mr. Kelly, of Clarendon, and some half-dozen others; and the measurement is well-authenticated. The fence is a ti-tree stake one—such as China-men usually erect to protect their gardens.

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

15 OCT 1898

Mr. Harry H. Morant (The Breaker) left Windsor last week for the Back Blocks “Breaker" possesses great gift of song, and during his stay in this district he wrote much that was in excellent taste. Eccentric to a marked degree, he was what his circumstances and nature made him and he carries away with him; amongst others, many kindly thoughts.

The Australian, Windsor, Richmond, and Hawkesbury Advertiser 

12 Jan 1899

Mr H Morant (The Breaker), is on his road home to Windsor. 

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

28 Jan 1899

A HAWKESBURY EVENTIDE.

BLUE hills on the horizon,

Far from the foreground green;

A purple shadow lies on  

The fields that stretch between.

Soft shadows, slowly shifting,—    

And lilac tints one sees

Where faint far clouds are drifting

Over the orange-trees.

I watch long swart lines creeping  

Out from the poplars tall;

I hear the light wind sweeping

Where willow-branches fall.

The heated world was lying

So very tired and still,

Till the fierce Sun, hard-dying,

Dropped down behind the hill.

One low cloud, fire-edged, showing

Where gold-lights melt to gray;

One white star dimly glowing—

And-daylight-dies-away!

HARRY H. MORANT.

Windsor and Richmond Gazette

21 April 1900

‘The Breaker.'

Mr. J. C. L. Fitzpatrick has received the following brief letter from Mr. Harry Harbord Morant, familiarly known as  ' The Breaker,' who is in South Africa with the South Australian Mounted

Rifles: —    South Africa.  

Dear Fitz, — Hope you're well I'm on active service out here. Not bad fun, but no sheets nor servants. Whips of '' copy' here — whips; but no time to write it. Press censor, too!

Have not dropped across Banjo Paterson or any of the N S.W crowd yet ' Gawd' knows when I'll see any old Hawkesbury fellows again— probably when we wear a halo.

I'm in the Mounted Rifles, and perchance may get a stray bullet when out scouting. But the Boers are bad shots. Their marksmanship is a huge fable. Remember me to all at Show time. Yours ' The Breaker'  

Hawkesbury Advocate Windsor

8 June 1900

ORIGINAL POETRY.

R.I. P. WITH APOLOGIES TO CHRIST ROSSETTI.

The following was written by Harry Morant ("The Breaker") previous to embarking with the "troops for South Africa :-

When I am dead, old mate o' mine!

Chant no sad Litany,

But fill a bumper glass and drink

Unto my memory!

Sometimes, in the old studio

When 'baccy clouds are thick:

Or when upon the pony's back 

You swing a polo stick;

Or when-some day by Prospect Hill- 

The steeplechase is run

You'll muse a moment o'er a mate

Whose hunting days are done.

Some other chap will ride my horse,

And kiss my light-o'-love;

But 'twill not trouble me-when I

Am perched in realms above.

We live awhile-and live but once,

And when Death comes me     

Sing no dirge for your trusted mate

But let him R.I.P.

The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural & Mining Advocate

25 Oct 1920

A reminiscence of  'The Breaker' (Harry Morant) has disappeared with the removal of an old 4ft .3in. gate from the Royal Hotel Coonariable. 

Long before the Boer War Moirant, with a number of companions was having a good time in the bar of the hotel, when the ability of his horse as a jumper was questioned. 

Morant offered to lake the horse over the gate of the hotel yard at night —it 'was dark as pitch. The wager was accepted', and, placing a candle on each of the posts, Morant added another incident to his long list of daredevil escapades by clearing the bar with inches to spare. 

Several who witnessed the incident, and were admirers of 'The Breaker,' despite his unfortunate end in South Africa, secured sections of the old gate' as mementos.

Breaker Morant relics found on rubbish tip

Damien Murphy

Published: April 23 2016

A British penny believed to have belonged to Harry ''Breaker'' Morant is among items connected to the Boer War officer found at a Tenterfield tip.

A bullet-damaged British penny etched with the name Edwin Henry Morant has been found on a rubbish tip outside Tenterfield, the northern NSW home town of the lawyer who represented Harry "Breaker" Morant at his notorious Boer War war crimes trial.

The coin is on a leather thong, and is perhaps an early form of dog tag.

An Australian red ensign was also discovered. It bears the names of Morant and his co-accused, Peter Handcock. Their birth and execution dates are inked into the Southern Cross stars on the design. It reads:

"Utter scapegoats of the Empire.

"This flag bore witness [to] 11 scapegoats of the Empire Feb 27 1902 Pretoria.

"Signed J F Thomas.

"Handcock Feb 17 1868 Feb 27 1902 RIP.

"Lt Henry H Morant Dec 9 1884 Feb 27 1902 Pretoria RIP."

The writing is believed to be that of James Francis Thomas, the Tenterfield solicitor who was serving as a major in South Africa when appointed to defend the two at their war crimes court martial, one of the first in British military history.

The 1980 film Breaker Morant turned the executions into a kind of new Australian nationalism and a grainy 1902 photograph of Thomas standing by the flag-draped grave in Pretoria of the dead Anglo-Australian horseman, bush poet and military officer, has become an iconic image.

The ensign found at the tip is believed to be that flag.

The items were found in February in an old mail bag inside a hessian bag dumped on the tip. Other articles included a bayonet scabbard, a cartridge bandolier (which carries the name Henry Morant) part of a trumpet and brass drinking cups, both etched with the initials HM, army field eating equipment and a Boer War medallion.

The man who discovered the relics wants to remain anonymous. He is also against revealing the rubbish tip for fear of creating a rush.

However he has donated the items to Tenterfield's Sir Henry Parkes School of Arts and local lawyer, TerryKneipp, will deliver the opening speech when they go on display on Saturday.

Kneipp, whose father knew Thomas, says the words on the ensign look to be in Thomas' handwriting.

"The provenance is hard to establish. Thomas died in 1946. But there are too many coincidences not to believe that the articles are genuine," Kneipp said.

"Of course, it may be wildly speculative to think that the British penny was damaged when the Breaker was shot, but it is tempting to think the coin was evidence that the execution squad did its work well. After all he supposedly called out, 'Shoot straight, you bastards! Don't make a mess of it!'."

Morant, whose birth name was Edwin Henry Morant, and Handcock were found guilty of the summary execution of nine Afrikaner prisoners-of-war.

Thomas returned to Tenterfield a broken man.

He took up the cause of the two executed men but seemed out of step with the times.

Thomas became an eccentric around town, eventually bankrupt. He served time in Long Bay in the 1920s and returned to town in disgrace.

He died at 81, alone on his isolated property at Boonoo Boonoo, 30km outside of town. It was Armistice day, 1944.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/breaker-morant-relics-found-on-rubbish-tip-20160422-gocn1a.html