Tony Smith, Australian MP Supports The Case For Pardons

I’ve often written about the importance of remembering and promoting our local and national history. We have dedicated local historical societies and other volunteers, volunteer groups and schools to perform this important task of telling our local and national story.

The story of Breaker Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton, who served with the British forces in the Boer War and were court martialled and executed in 1902, is a story many Australians know something of – mostly as a result of the movie made many years ago starring Jack Thompson.

The executions were controversial at the time and remain so today. Australia was just two years federated and the Australians fighting with the British (16,000 in all) were of course subject to British Military justice.

Morant, Handcock and Witton were convicted of murdering Boer prisoners of war. Morant and Handcock were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 27 February 1902 at Pretoria, South Africa.Witton’s sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. Witton was released in 1904 after a concerted effort by the Australian Government and British MPs, including Winston Churchill and as a result of a petition signed by 80,000 Australians.

The story of Breaker Morant had important consequences for the future of Australian military justice. The Australian Government and the Federal Parliament ensured that all Australian soldiers serving under British Command and subject to British Military law could not be executed for offences that attracted the death penalty. As a consequence, from 1903, no Australian soldiers were executed.

In recent weeks, a local resident Commander James Unkles (known as Jim) has bought the issue back to national and international prominence. A career Navy lawyer and historian, Cmdr Unkles has spent the last year studying, researching and uncovering critical new information and evidence about the court martial which indicates a miscarriage of justice, including that appeal rights were denied, the convictions were unsafe and that there was not sufficient time to prepare a defence.

His aim is to ultimately secure British Crown Pardons for Morant, Handcock and Witton.

I first met Jim shortly after he petitioned the House of Representatives in October last year. Since then, I have hosted him in Canberra where he made a presentation to Members of Parliament of all political parties.

I encourage you to explore the website (www.breakermorant.com) which highlights the reasons why Jim feels so passionately about achieving the pardons. You are welcome to sign an online petition and poll on the website.

Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes program is also due to air a story on Sunday July 4th on Jim’s push to secure pardons.